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Asian Saga: Publication Order #2, part 2 of 2
Tai-Pan, Part 2 Of 2
“There can only be one Tai-Pan.”
Dirk Struan rose from humble beginnings to build Struan & Company, also known as the Noble House, into the world’s largest Far East trading company. He is now the Tai-Pan—Supreme Leader—of all Tai-Pans in China. Along the way, however, he made a powerful enemy. Tyler Brock, Struan’s rival from their early opium-smuggling days, also heads a large trading fleet, second in size only to Struan’s. But it is not only silks and spices that drive their mutual companies’ wealth—the opium trade is still booming. War between England and China might be over, but the hostilities remain. Struan and Brock come to control much of England’s trade with China yet neither can control their desires or their hatred of each other. Over the years, their two families will cross paths, threatening to rip both apart, with reverberations that will echo across the generations.
Struan must fight to save his company and his family, or risk seeing everything he has created destroyed at the hands of his sworn enemy. Ambition, political intrigue, and love and lust weave their way throughout the novel the New York Times called, “grand entertainment…packed with action…with blood and sin, treachery and conspiracy, sex and murder.” East and West come together in an opulent and intricately plotted narrative. A tour-de-force of historical fiction, rich in detail yet eminently readable, Tai-Pan will stay with you long after the final page.
Dirk Struan rose from humble beginnings to build Struan & Company, also known as the Noble House, into the world’s largest Far East trading company. He is now the Tai-Pan—Supreme Leader—of all Tai-Pans in China. Along the way, however, he made a powerful enemy. Tyler Brock, Struan’s rival from their early opium-smuggling days, also heads a large trading fleet, second in size only to Struan’s. But it is not only silks and spices that drive their mutual companies’ wealth—the opium trade is still booming. War between England and China might be over, but the hostilities remain. Struan and Brock come to control much of England’s trade with China yet neither can control their desires or their hatred of each other. Over the years, their two families will cross paths, threatening to rip both apart, with reverberations that will echo across the generations.
Struan must fight to save his company and his family, or risk seeing everything he has created destroyed at the hands of his sworn enemy. Ambition, political intrigue, and love and lust weave their way throughout the novel the New York Times called, “grand entertainment…packed with action…with blood and sin, treachery and conspiracy, sex and murder.” East and West come together in an opulent and intricately plotted narrative. A tour-de-force of historical fiction, rich in detail yet eminently readable, Tai-Pan will stay with you long after the final page.
350 pages, Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1966
5 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
James Clavell
160 books3,786 followersJames Clavell, born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell was a British novelist, screenwriter, director and World War II veteran and POW. Clavell is best known for his epic Asian Saga series of novels and their televised adaptations, along with such films as The Great Escape, The Fly and To Sir, with Love.
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James Clavell. (2007, November 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:16, November 14, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?t...
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James Clavell. (2007, November 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:16, November 14, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?t...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 25, 2024
Tai antra knygos dalis, tęsinys. Jis buvo įdomesnis, nes istorija pagavo pagreitį ir viskas išsisprendė. Puiki istorija, puiki knyga!
June 24, 2018
“Love is like the sea, sometimes calm and sometimes stormy; it’s dangerous, beautiful, death-dealing, life-giving. But never permanent, everchanging.”
August 27, 2023
На дърти години да чета Клавел, как съм пропуснала, какво съм си мислела не знам, но дотук всичко е ☆☆☆☆☆. В Тай-пан за мен Клавел изгражда изключителен образ в лицето на Дърк Струан, тай-панът ( собственикът, върховният господар) на Ноубъл Хаус, впечатлена съм, на човек му се иска да познава такъв човек и на живо. Да видим как ще се развият нещата в следващата книга, а именно "Търговска къща".
May 19, 2020
"Dragostea este mare, uneori calmă, alteori furtunoasă, e frumoasă, primejdioasă, uneori împarte şi viaţă şi moarte, dar niciodată nu e veşnic la fel, e în continuă schimbare şi unică doar pentru o scurtă perioadă în curgerea timpului."
April 23, 2023
Tai-Pan, volumul 2 - cartea nr. 10 din 2023
Ati fost vreodata asa prinsi de-o carte incat sa vreti sa cititi imediat cand va treziti ca sa vedeti ce se mai intampla? Chiar daca raspunsul este DA si “de mai multe carti”, TAI-PAN este una dintre ele cu siguranta, actiunea este mereu la inaltime si planurile pe termen lung, luand in calcul absolut toate lucrurile care pot merge prost de asemenea. O recomand de 170 de ori, repet: pirati, familie, iubire, loialitate, curaj, inteligenta, etc.
Si finalul…o sa va intristeze mult si totodata, paradoxal, o sa va dea speranta!💯
Ati fost vreodata asa prinsi de-o carte incat sa vreti sa cititi imediat cand va treziti ca sa vedeti ce se mai intampla? Chiar daca raspunsul este DA si “de mai multe carti”, TAI-PAN este una dintre ele cu siguranta, actiunea este mereu la inaltime si planurile pe termen lung, luand in calcul absolut toate lucrurile care pot merge prost de asemenea. O recomand de 170 de ori, repet: pirati, familie, iubire, loialitate, curaj, inteligenta, etc.
Si finalul…o sa va intristeze mult si totodata, paradoxal, o sa va dea speranta!💯
January 8, 2025
Much much too long. It could have been easily reduced by 70 percent. The plot was created out of Clavell's clichés, typical and boring served in that amount. Little interesting parts helped to understand how GB built its power on smuggling opium to China.
June 14, 2025
Comparing with the first part this one was more intense and not so deep in details about surrounding world. Anyway I liked the finish and the plot line, it was entertaining to read and get some interesting details from the continent we know so little about, especially history.
January 30, 2020
The book is as thrilling as the first one.
August 20, 2021
[9.9/10]
September 25, 2025
Pirmos knygos tęsinys. Tik dar daugiau veiksmo, intrigų ir įtampos negu pirmoje. Įtraukianti kupina veiksmo istorija.
September 29, 2025
The books written by James Clavell are magic. I’m glad that I’ve rediscovered Shogun and that now I have the maturity to discover all Clavell’s opera! Is one of the best.
December 23, 2025
So happy I reread this book. Such a great series, I would highly recommend.
March 5, 2017
No doubt this story became one of my favorites and a uniquely portrayed encounter between China and Great Britain in the 1840s. Quite far from the usual range of books that I enjoy, Tai Pan flourished in terms of politics, social interactions and history, interwined with wit and the struggle to prosper in the ongoing fight for commercial domination. This is a world of men, of conflict and pleasure, yet in order to achieve the above or strive, one has to rely solely on wisdom and intelligence.
The interaction between the characters is intense, at times brutal, but the mixture of female interaction makes this a very relatable and real experience. The mind of the woman finely shapes the action and reestablishes control when everything seems to be lost, yet there is a very subtle hint of the female intervention. The book is compelling and moves at a moderate pace, at times the gripping interactions and scenes speed up the process, only to relax and engulf you when plotting and deep meaningful conversations take place.
It's hard to hate the characters or disagree with them, though at times you do feel very strongly about them. The main protagonist is perfect for his chosen profession, he's an avid lover with a clean and healthy mind, strong and imposing composure, yet a gentle Christian whose unsure of his true religion. He's smart and curious about the world, and his understanding of the world preceeds by far that of his companions, a feature which makes him even more hated by his peers.
The interaction between the characters is intense, at times brutal, but the mixture of female interaction makes this a very relatable and real experience. The mind of the woman finely shapes the action and reestablishes control when everything seems to be lost, yet there is a very subtle hint of the female intervention. The book is compelling and moves at a moderate pace, at times the gripping interactions and scenes speed up the process, only to relax and engulf you when plotting and deep meaningful conversations take place.
It's hard to hate the characters or disagree with them, though at times you do feel very strongly about them. The main protagonist is perfect for his chosen profession, he's an avid lover with a clean and healthy mind, strong and imposing composure, yet a gentle Christian whose unsure of his true religion. He's smart and curious about the world, and his understanding of the world preceeds by far that of his companions, a feature which makes him even more hated by his peers.
July 19, 2016
speachless. love it 'till the end.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews