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Inspector Shan #2
Water Touching Stone
In Water Touching Stone, the sequel to the internationally acclaimed The Skull Mantra, Shan Tao Yun is cloistered in a remote Tibetan sanctuary when he receives shattering news. A teacher revered by the oppressed has been found slain and, one by one, her orphaned students have followed her to her grave, victims of a killer harboring unfathomable motives. Abandoning his mountain hermitage, Shan Tao Yun, a former Beijing police inspector who has been exiled to Tibet, embarks on a search for justice. Shadowed by bizarre tales of an unleashed 'demon,' Shan braces himself for even darker imaginings as he stalks a killer and fights to restore spiritual balance to the ancient and tenuous splendor of Tibet.
560 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
96 people are currently reading
676 people want to read
About the author
Eliot Pattison
34 books349 followersEdgar Award winning Eliot Pattison has been described as a "writer of faraway mysteries," a label which is particularly apt for someone whose travel and interests span a million miles of global trekking, visiting every continent but Antarctica.
An international lawyer by training, Pattison first combined his deep concerns for the people of Tibet with his interest in fiction writing in The Skull Mantra, which launched the popular Inspector Shan series.
The series has been translated into over twenty languages around the world. Both The Skull Mantra and Water Touching Stone were selected by Amazon.com for its annual list of ten best new mysteries. Water Touching Stone was selected by Booksense as the number one mystery of all time for readers' groups. The newest installment, Soul of Fire, was included in Publisher's Weekly's list of "Best Book of 2014".
Pattison's fascination with the 18th century American wilderness and its woodland Indians led to the launch of his second critically acclaimed Bone Rattler series.
His dystopian novel, Ashes of The Earth, marks the first installment in his third book series, set in post-apocalyptic America.
A former resident of Boston and Washington, Pattison resides on an 18th century farm in Pennsylvania with his wife, three children, and an ever-expanding menagerie of animals.
An international lawyer by training, Pattison first combined his deep concerns for the people of Tibet with his interest in fiction writing in The Skull Mantra, which launched the popular Inspector Shan series.
The series has been translated into over twenty languages around the world. Both The Skull Mantra and Water Touching Stone were selected by Amazon.com for its annual list of ten best new mysteries. Water Touching Stone was selected by Booksense as the number one mystery of all time for readers' groups. The newest installment, Soul of Fire, was included in Publisher's Weekly's list of "Best Book of 2014".
Pattison's fascination with the 18th century American wilderness and its woodland Indians led to the launch of his second critically acclaimed Bone Rattler series.
His dystopian novel, Ashes of The Earth, marks the first installment in his third book series, set in post-apocalyptic America.
A former resident of Boston and Washington, Pattison resides on an 18th century farm in Pennsylvania with his wife, three children, and an ever-expanding menagerie of animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
July 10, 2010
Ostensibly, this is a mystery novel, and it's a good one. It may seem strange, then, for me to suggest that the marvelous and compelling storyline is practically irrelevant, but in some ways it is. An even greater power of this book lies in it's characterizations, it's sense of place, and it's vivid, visceral evocation of vanishing (and emerging) cultures. Set in Tibet and Central Asia amid societies being absorbed into the dominant Han Chinese political system, the novel paints such an indelible portrait of life in a cultural maelstrom that the compelling "whodunit" actually takes a backseat to the experience of "being there." Pattison spent time in the places about which he writes, and his characters literally think in culturally specific ways, a particularly revealing technique for dealing with Tibetan Buddhists and Chinese bureaucrats alike. If you have an interest in China, Tibet, or Central Asian nomads, or just an interest in culture change and politics in general, this book provides a unique window on these subjects that many readers will find completely absorbing. If you like mysteries, it will definitely satisfy that craving, as well.
Note: This book is the second in an ever-growing series of mysteries featuring Pattison's Inspector Shan. All of them are highly recommended. You don't have to read the first to enjoy the second, but once you read one, you will probably want to read them all.
Note: This book is the second in an ever-growing series of mysteries featuring Pattison's Inspector Shan. All of them are highly recommended. You don't have to read the first to enjoy the second, but once you read one, you will probably want to read them all.
March 26, 2010
A beautifully and skillfully written book that weaves Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and a story of mystery and adventure. Complex and compelling, this is the second book in which the exiled Han investigator, Shan Tao Yun has to confront his fears and memories while searching for a rabid killer in the lock-down culture of Chinese controlled Tibet.
Here is one insightful sample: "The one word I would never use for Tibetans," she said, with a strangely distant tone, is harmless...Everyone else we can talk with, we can negotiate with, we can educate, we can teach the wisdom of becoming something else...But Tibetans just stay Tibetans."
At least as good as The Skull Mantra, it offers insights into modern China and its determination to dominate the ethnic cultures it has engulfed, even as it, too, is changing.
Here is one insightful sample: "The one word I would never use for Tibetans," she said, with a strangely distant tone, is harmless...Everyone else we can talk with, we can negotiate with, we can educate, we can teach the wisdom of becoming something else...But Tibetans just stay Tibetans."
At least as good as The Skull Mantra, it offers insights into modern China and its determination to dominate the ethnic cultures it has engulfed, even as it, too, is changing.
February 19, 2023
Phew… Over 600 pages filled with fascinating scenes of life of Tibetans, Kazakhs and Uighurs who struggle to maintain their cultural identity against the Chinese state disguised as a mystery novel.
Their way of life is as different from the Chinese as it is from my own and yet China won't rest until they have completed the process of brainwashing and eradicated all signs of allegiance to anything else then their own brand of post-communistic “state religion”, because only then will they be able to efficiently puppet-master all their citizens. Their attempts to control and “re-educate” those that still are free, are truly horrifying and I find myself yet again grinding my teeth at the injustice and hopelessness of it all.
As in the first Patterson book the mystery is lost on me, among the details of life on the verges of Chinas enormous empire. I appreciate the knowledge more than I can say. The length of six-hundred pages is a bit over the top though, even if it was necessary due to its double purpose - the easily sold mystery, and spreading and conveying of knowledge about Chinas ethnic minorities, their way of life and their struggle for survival. I guess the author felt that both are necessary, for me, one would have sufficed.
Their way of life is as different from the Chinese as it is from my own and yet China won't rest until they have completed the process of brainwashing and eradicated all signs of allegiance to anything else then their own brand of post-communistic “state religion”, because only then will they be able to efficiently puppet-master all their citizens. Their attempts to control and “re-educate” those that still are free, are truly horrifying and I find myself yet again grinding my teeth at the injustice and hopelessness of it all.
As in the first Patterson book the mystery is lost on me, among the details of life on the verges of Chinas enormous empire. I appreciate the knowledge more than I can say. The length of six-hundred pages is a bit over the top though, even if it was necessary due to its double purpose - the easily sold mystery, and spreading and conveying of knowledge about Chinas ethnic minorities, their way of life and their struggle for survival. I guess the author felt that both are necessary, for me, one would have sufficed.
March 20, 2011
At our bookstore, this is shelved under crime, and yet I find myself hesitating to call it crime fiction. Yes, there is a murder - there are several murders, actually - and there is crime, and there is a detective, but this was unlike any other piece of crime fiction I ever read.
Although it's the second in a series of novels about detective Shan, this book was the first I read completely. I started reading the first book a while ago and even though I liked it, I didn't finish it and returned it. But by that time I had already borrowed the second book from someone else and since it was sitting here I figured I might as well read it.
And I'm really, really glad I did.
Shan Tao Yan, a former Chinese bureaucrat who ended up being sent to a Himalayan labor camp is helping two of his Tibetan friends discover the truth about the disappearance of a teacher in the Xinjiang region. The disappearance turns out to be a murder, and it seems that after the teacher, the students are in danger, too. But why was the teacher killed, and why are the students being hunted?
It's a very slow-paced book, and it does take a while to get going - and by that I mean far more than the usual 20 to 50 pages. But that didn't make it any less compelling for me - Shan and his traveling companions captured my attention right away and I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. During Shan's quest for truth, we also get an impression for what it's like to be living under Chinese rule for the different people living in the region, and many of the things that are described in this book are horrifying, to say the least. And we get an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and its traditions.
What I loved best about this book is the quiet beauty of Pattison's writing. It's very calm and beautiful and, because of its calm, all the more powerful. It's difficult to describe, but his writing moved me more than anything I have read in a while.
The crime plot as such is well done and, once it does get going, the book is hard to put down. There are a lot of seemingly unconnected crimes and leads in the beginning, and I found myself asking where it would all lead, until it suddenly all came together and made sense. But the book would only be half as good if it weren't for the many "minor" characters we meet on Shan's journey - each with their own backstory, sometimes told only in one sentence.
It's a very sad book, at times, but there are also moments of hope in between, which make the sadness bearable. It's really a very beautiful book, and one I am really glad to have read. And I've already ordered the one before and the one after that.
Although it's the second in a series of novels about detective Shan, this book was the first I read completely. I started reading the first book a while ago and even though I liked it, I didn't finish it and returned it. But by that time I had already borrowed the second book from someone else and since it was sitting here I figured I might as well read it.
And I'm really, really glad I did.
Shan Tao Yan, a former Chinese bureaucrat who ended up being sent to a Himalayan labor camp is helping two of his Tibetan friends discover the truth about the disappearance of a teacher in the Xinjiang region. The disappearance turns out to be a murder, and it seems that after the teacher, the students are in danger, too. But why was the teacher killed, and why are the students being hunted?
It's a very slow-paced book, and it does take a while to get going - and by that I mean far more than the usual 20 to 50 pages. But that didn't make it any less compelling for me - Shan and his traveling companions captured my attention right away and I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. During Shan's quest for truth, we also get an impression for what it's like to be living under Chinese rule for the different people living in the region, and many of the things that are described in this book are horrifying, to say the least. And we get an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and its traditions.
What I loved best about this book is the quiet beauty of Pattison's writing. It's very calm and beautiful and, because of its calm, all the more powerful. It's difficult to describe, but his writing moved me more than anything I have read in a while.
The crime plot as such is well done and, once it does get going, the book is hard to put down. There are a lot of seemingly unconnected crimes and leads in the beginning, and I found myself asking where it would all lead, until it suddenly all came together and made sense. But the book would only be half as good if it weren't for the many "minor" characters we meet on Shan's journey - each with their own backstory, sometimes told only in one sentence.
It's a very sad book, at times, but there are also moments of hope in between, which make the sadness bearable. It's really a very beautiful book, and one I am really glad to have read. And I've already ordered the one before and the one after that.
March 20, 2017
One of the most amazing series of books I have ever read.
Don't let the fact it is a "detective" series dissuade you from reading them.
This series gets to the heart of all that is/has been going on in Tibet.
History hidden behind the label of a detective series, these books speak of Tibet, it's struggle against
the invasion of China, how the Chinese tried to wipe out Buddhism, it's monks, and a way of life that has existed for thousands of years. This series will make your soul cry, make your spirit soar, and believe in the power of faith in a people whose courage rose above all the horrors that surrounded them. I strongly suggest this series to anyone who is interested in Tibet and the story of it's people.
Don't let the fact it is a "detective" series dissuade you from reading them.
This series gets to the heart of all that is/has been going on in Tibet.
History hidden behind the label of a detective series, these books speak of Tibet, it's struggle against
the invasion of China, how the Chinese tried to wipe out Buddhism, it's monks, and a way of life that has existed for thousands of years. This series will make your soul cry, make your spirit soar, and believe in the power of faith in a people whose courage rose above all the horrors that surrounded them. I strongly suggest this series to anyone who is interested in Tibet and the story of it's people.
January 3, 2010
I have really been enjoying the inspector Shan series but it is so depressing - what is happening to Tibet as so well outlined in this book on a very personal level.
The books are like meditations in themselves and as a normally fast reader I find that I have to really take my time to get through the journey of the book. The experience of the journey seems to be more central to the book than the solving of the mystery
The books are like meditations in themselves and as a normally fast reader I find that I have to really take my time to get through the journey of the book. The experience of the journey seems to be more central to the book than the solving of the mystery
February 15, 2013
While I was reading this book, the news broke of the 101st self-immolation of a Tibetan in Nepal since 2009. The self-immolaters are protesting the Chinese occupation of their homeland.
It was a sad reminder that, even though these books are fiction, they are based on very real events; namely, the sixty-year-long effort by China to subjugate Tibet and obliterate its culture and religion.
Of course, for the traditional Tibetan, culture and religion are very much the same thing. Evidently, that is what the Chinese state finds so offensive.
But, as this book makes clear, it is not just the Tibetans whose culture is under attack by the Chinese government. The other ethnic minorities in the western China borderlands suffer from the same efforts at repression. The Kazakhs, the Uighurs, and the Tadjiks, as well as the Tibetans have a sad history of interaction with the giant to their east. And all of these peoples play a part in the story told in this second book in the Inspector Shan series, Water Touching Stone.
The story briefly is that an honored teacher has been murdered. The lamas in the secret gompa where the fugitive Inspector Shan has been staying since his release from the gulag divine that it is necessary for Shan and two of their number to travel to the remote northern regions of the Tibetan plateau, where the teacher was murdered, to restore the spiritual balance which has been upset by her violent death. They are accompanied by one of the purbas, resistance fighters against the Chinese.
This motley crew of outcasts heads into the wilds of Tibet. They soon discover to their horror that it is not only the teacher who was killed. Some of her students - all boys - have been killed, too, and it is feared that the others are targeted.
The herdsmen in the area attribute the deaths to a demon. Shan isn't so sure. He believes the serial killer is all too human and that the motive for the killings may be found in the Tibetan struggle against cultural annihilation.
Along the way, we meet secret Buddhists, some proud remnants of Muslim clans, vengeful Chinese officials, American anthropologists who are in the country illegally, soldiers, smugglers, and people who are just trying to survive. It is a heady cultural mix. The book is at its strongest in its exploration of the customs and daily lives of all these diverse groups and of how they coexist in a hostile land. It was on that level that I most enjoyed the tale.
But the book is classified as a mystery and that, frankly, didn't work so well for me. The story was all over the landscape - literally - and it didn't hold together very coherently for me. Now, maybe that's because the book is telling a story of a very non-literal society which exists on a spiritual more than a physical plane. Perhaps my western brain just isn't geared to absorb it, but I found the things that I look for in mysteries - the character development, the plotting - to be weak.
Moreover, there was SUCH foreshadowing! One character in particular - and I don't want to give anything away here - was constantly looking forward to a certain happy event. So much time was spent in building the event up that I, the jaded reader, felt, "Uh, oh, this isn't going to end well." It didn't.
Eliot Pattison is obviously very sympathetic to the cause of the Tibetans and to the other cultural and ethnic minorities of that troubled region of the world and he writes movingly of them. Perhaps the best way to enjoy these books is as anthropological or sociological instruments and to not worry so much about the obviousness of the "mysteries."
It was a sad reminder that, even though these books are fiction, they are based on very real events; namely, the sixty-year-long effort by China to subjugate Tibet and obliterate its culture and religion.
Of course, for the traditional Tibetan, culture and religion are very much the same thing. Evidently, that is what the Chinese state finds so offensive.
But, as this book makes clear, it is not just the Tibetans whose culture is under attack by the Chinese government. The other ethnic minorities in the western China borderlands suffer from the same efforts at repression. The Kazakhs, the Uighurs, and the Tadjiks, as well as the Tibetans have a sad history of interaction with the giant to their east. And all of these peoples play a part in the story told in this second book in the Inspector Shan series, Water Touching Stone.
The story briefly is that an honored teacher has been murdered. The lamas in the secret gompa where the fugitive Inspector Shan has been staying since his release from the gulag divine that it is necessary for Shan and two of their number to travel to the remote northern regions of the Tibetan plateau, where the teacher was murdered, to restore the spiritual balance which has been upset by her violent death. They are accompanied by one of the purbas, resistance fighters against the Chinese.
This motley crew of outcasts heads into the wilds of Tibet. They soon discover to their horror that it is not only the teacher who was killed. Some of her students - all boys - have been killed, too, and it is feared that the others are targeted.
The herdsmen in the area attribute the deaths to a demon. Shan isn't so sure. He believes the serial killer is all too human and that the motive for the killings may be found in the Tibetan struggle against cultural annihilation.
Along the way, we meet secret Buddhists, some proud remnants of Muslim clans, vengeful Chinese officials, American anthropologists who are in the country illegally, soldiers, smugglers, and people who are just trying to survive. It is a heady cultural mix. The book is at its strongest in its exploration of the customs and daily lives of all these diverse groups and of how they coexist in a hostile land. It was on that level that I most enjoyed the tale.
But the book is classified as a mystery and that, frankly, didn't work so well for me. The story was all over the landscape - literally - and it didn't hold together very coherently for me. Now, maybe that's because the book is telling a story of a very non-literal society which exists on a spiritual more than a physical plane. Perhaps my western brain just isn't geared to absorb it, but I found the things that I look for in mysteries - the character development, the plotting - to be weak.
Moreover, there was SUCH foreshadowing! One character in particular - and I don't want to give anything away here - was constantly looking forward to a certain happy event. So much time was spent in building the event up that I, the jaded reader, felt, "Uh, oh, this isn't going to end well." It didn't.
Eliot Pattison is obviously very sympathetic to the cause of the Tibetans and to the other cultural and ethnic minorities of that troubled region of the world and he writes movingly of them. Perhaps the best way to enjoy these books is as anthropological or sociological instruments and to not worry so much about the obviousness of the "mysteries."
September 2, 2020
This would take pages to review in detail. It was an extremely difficult read for me, and the length wasn't the hardest part of "difficult". It's mood is ominous and set into different and often viscous sets of circumstances. Because it encompasses entire regions (Western provinces of China) ethnic mixtures, Tibet as an entity, mindset of 1000 interjections which cover the long decades and decades of China incorporating these regions into "Chinese" nation. It's beautifully written and far more than a mystery investigation. Very sorrowful too.
September 1, 2007
Mystery set in Tibet it is an homage to a profound beautiful culture and an anchor to our own restless urbanity.
January 25, 2012
A murderer is preying on a group of orphans and their teacher as disappeared. In response a disgraced former Chinese investigator and his Tibetan mentors sally forth. As they seek to prevent further deaths they come across the resistance, kazakhs and uighers seeking to maintain their culture and the han chinese settling in their lands. the book is more than a crime thriller, it is equal part an exploration of tibetan culture and a travelogue. It is on this third dimension that the book worked best for me as the author is great at conjuring up what life is like there. As a crime thriller i found it managed to be both obvious and confusing in parts. As an exploration of tibetan culture it is very interesting and very educational.
I found the book to be very didactic and one sided the tibetans are all wise saints and almost all chinese are predators> there is a point of view that the tibetan monks practiced a restrictive theocracy that deeply hurt the people of tibet but it gets no play here.
I found the book to be very didactic and one sided the tibetans are all wise saints and almost all chinese are predators> there is a point of view that the tibetan monks practiced a restrictive theocracy that deeply hurt the people of tibet but it gets no play here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2012
Now inspector Shan finds himself traveling the length and breadth of Tibet looking for a killer. A teacher among the herdsmen has been killed and when he arrives in the mountains, he finds one of her students also has been murdered. Shan vows to find the killer though he must remain out of sight from the always menacing Chinese presence throughout the country. As the story turns, we experience a complex and far reaching mystery of murder and international intrigue, along with may fascinating insights into the cultural diversity and unique spiritual heritage of Tibet.
February 1, 2021
Not your average whodunit. The book is set in Western China, along the Kazak/Tibet borders, and while the plot is tugged along by a series of murders, the book is much more about China's quiet but relentless destruction of minorities (and dissenters) in the name of economic progress.
Brilliant, bittersweet. Not just one of the best detective novels but one of the best books I've read in the past couple of years. Six or seven stars out of five.
Brilliant, bittersweet. Not just one of the best detective novels but one of the best books I've read in the past couple of years. Six or seven stars out of five.
February 6, 2010
Another Inspector Shan mystery that provides more about the destruction of native cultures by the Chinese central government. Perhaps some idealization of "the noble savage" in examining the vanishing ways of life in Tajikistan and similar areas, but informative and moving nonetheless.
June 10, 2022
Ponownie tak wciągająca lektura, że można zapomnieć o całym świecie.
May 19, 2018
I don't generally read mystery novels, but I have become a big fan of Eliot Pattison's novels. I absolutely loved the first book - The Skull Mantra. I also enjoyed this book. I love learning about this area of the world and getting a peek into all of the nuances and interplay of the history, politics, and cultures of the region. The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars was because the twists and turns got a little complicated for me with so many characters (like I said, I don't read many mystery novels, and I tend to like things that are simple and straightforward) and because I wanted to know so much more about the history and cultures that were mentioned and/or described (I felt like I was missing things because of my ignorance). The fact that I only had the chance to read sporadically added to my confusion, and I eventually came to the conclusion that I should have been taking notes along the way to keep everything straight in my head... Either way, this book and the previous one have whetted my appetite to learn more about Tibet and this region in general!
February 26, 2020
One of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. I know a bit about Chinese culture, but not much about their interaction with Tibet. This book made me think, as it is firstly an account on the culture of the Xinjiang region, and secondly a really good mystery. Not an easy read, but so rewarding, loved it! I can't wait to get hold of other books by this author.
December 5, 2007
little too long and repetitive. purely for entertainment as a murder mystery. his first book was better. i really appreciate the realistic depition of chinese appropriated tibet, very moving. has piqued my interest in tibet and its struggles as well as my interest in buddism.
May 31, 2022
Both the Inspector Shan volumes I've read really "have something." I will be reading the next in the series sometime in the next six weeks, so view my complaints with some skepticism, I guess. But it's hard to take a novel containing 22 grimaces (my all-time record for a single book) quite seriously.
Pattison has created a very well-constructed POV character in Inspector Shan. He's a Han Chinese government official who investigated the wrong corrupt official, so he got dumped into a gulag camp in Tibet. That makes him a highly-threatened individual in a strange culture (both Tibetan culture and prison culture), and he is being ground to paste by the forces that oppress him. That's very engaging. And Tibet is an engaging locale, fraught with conflict under Chinese occupation. These books milk that conflict.
Shan is an idealist, which plays to the "justice must out" tendency of detective fiction, and which tends to drive him into the hands of the Buddhists. That works well.
This story begins in Tibet, but the hidden lamas get word to Shan that he is needed in the north, because "A woman named Lau has been killed. A teacher. And a lama is missing." The next sentence is "Nothing more." and so they arrange to take him north, out of Tibet, and into Xinjiang -- which is another nexus of Chinese oppression.
The new setting is fascinating, as they descend from the mountains into the desert, but the book then proceeds to lose cohesion and focus, and never gets it back. Too many macguffins, too many characters, too many oppressed groups, just way, way, way too much stuff.
Some brilliant scenes, though, especially when Shan (who could really just be jailed on sight) confronts Chinese officials face-to-face, making them wonder who he's really working for, and so forth.
What I first reacted against was the relentless accumulation of Chinese oppression. What Pattison relates is, in fact, real. The Kazakhs are being rounded up, the Uighurs are being imprisoned. The Turks, the Tibetans, and anybody not Han, basically, are being ruthlessly oppressed. If this were The Gulag Archipelago that would be great. In a novel, it quickly becomes a lifeless litany, and the reader starts to lose the thread.
It's not just too many oppressions, it's that we get a full set of characters from each group, so the cast becomes far too large to keep track of. And so do the mysteries. Before he even gets on the ground, Shan learns that a loose group of orphaned boys are being hunted down and killed, so he starts chasing that, instead of the murder of the teacher. But then there's another murder and another distraction and another and another. Shan is constantly shifting his supposed focus, and chases them like will-o'-the-wisps across Xinjiang, never clear on what the heck he's doing there. The reader gets no help on this subject, either.
Here's a quote from my review of the first book in the series:
"The caveats are, first, that it's a four-grimace novel -- and it has some of the other stylistic irritants that often go along with that. Second, and more seriously, the book gets over-complicated by the end: credibility-losingly over-complicated. It just runs right off the rails, but by then you're engrossed in the character, the situation, and the story, so you hang in. But.
I remind myself that Tony Hillerman, another grimace-slinging mystery writer, similarly ran off the rails in his first two Navajo mysteries. And yet, I read that whole series. (I note, however, that I didn't read those first two until after I'd read three or four of the later ones. I suspect I might NOT have read the whole series, if I'd started with the first one.) Also, the storytelling and the writing are generally quite good. I'm expecting they'll got more believable as we go along."
Well, the grimaces went from 4 to 22, and the complications and the lack of credibility only got worse. That is not the right direction. (I cheated and used Amazon to search for grimaces in three of the upcoming novels, and they aren't in the 20s, but they are in double digits on grimaces. Are there no style editors? Are there no prisons?)
A key storytelling problem is that Shan is the POV character, but Pattison won't let us know what he's thinking when he makes decisions. Shan seems to have poor impulse control, because the reader isn't given any excuse except a sudden reaction or compulsion for most of his major moves. He "suddenly knows what he must do next." That's a card that can be played maybe two, maybe three times in a detective story, and still have the audience trust you. Pattison is up in the hundreds in this one.
I kept grinding to a halt as I read this. I cared about the oppressed people, and a couple of the characters, but not deeply. Too much "stuff" mixed with too many characters is strongly disengaging. There are too many plots, as well, so this thing isn't moved by plot, it's dragged to a standstill by plots. I started this on the first of February, and it took me to the end of May to finish. I started and finished other mysteries in the meantime, noting how quickly the pages turned in those, and being reminded how slowly they turned in the Pattison. So, be warned.
But note that I didn't abandon the book. "Disengaged" never became "disinterested." There is a strong storytelling "something" that kept me coming back to plug away; more as though I was reading a long-winded literary novel than reading a mystery. We'll see what the next one holds.
Pattison has created a very well-constructed POV character in Inspector Shan. He's a Han Chinese government official who investigated the wrong corrupt official, so he got dumped into a gulag camp in Tibet. That makes him a highly-threatened individual in a strange culture (both Tibetan culture and prison culture), and he is being ground to paste by the forces that oppress him. That's very engaging. And Tibet is an engaging locale, fraught with conflict under Chinese occupation. These books milk that conflict.
Shan is an idealist, which plays to the "justice must out" tendency of detective fiction, and which tends to drive him into the hands of the Buddhists. That works well.
This story begins in Tibet, but the hidden lamas get word to Shan that he is needed in the north, because "A woman named Lau has been killed. A teacher. And a lama is missing." The next sentence is "Nothing more." and so they arrange to take him north, out of Tibet, and into Xinjiang -- which is another nexus of Chinese oppression.
The new setting is fascinating, as they descend from the mountains into the desert, but the book then proceeds to lose cohesion and focus, and never gets it back. Too many macguffins, too many characters, too many oppressed groups, just way, way, way too much stuff.
Some brilliant scenes, though, especially when Shan (who could really just be jailed on sight) confronts Chinese officials face-to-face, making them wonder who he's really working for, and so forth.
What I first reacted against was the relentless accumulation of Chinese oppression. What Pattison relates is, in fact, real. The Kazakhs are being rounded up, the Uighurs are being imprisoned. The Turks, the Tibetans, and anybody not Han, basically, are being ruthlessly oppressed. If this were The Gulag Archipelago that would be great. In a novel, it quickly becomes a lifeless litany, and the reader starts to lose the thread.
It's not just too many oppressions, it's that we get a full set of characters from each group, so the cast becomes far too large to keep track of. And so do the mysteries. Before he even gets on the ground, Shan learns that a loose group of orphaned boys are being hunted down and killed, so he starts chasing that, instead of the murder of the teacher. But then there's another murder and another distraction and another and another. Shan is constantly shifting his supposed focus, and chases them like will-o'-the-wisps across Xinjiang, never clear on what the heck he's doing there. The reader gets no help on this subject, either.
Here's a quote from my review of the first book in the series:
"The caveats are, first, that it's a four-grimace novel -- and it has some of the other stylistic irritants that often go along with that. Second, and more seriously, the book gets over-complicated by the end: credibility-losingly over-complicated. It just runs right off the rails, but by then you're engrossed in the character, the situation, and the story, so you hang in. But.
I remind myself that Tony Hillerman, another grimace-slinging mystery writer, similarly ran off the rails in his first two Navajo mysteries. And yet, I read that whole series. (I note, however, that I didn't read those first two until after I'd read three or four of the later ones. I suspect I might NOT have read the whole series, if I'd started with the first one.) Also, the storytelling and the writing are generally quite good. I'm expecting they'll got more believable as we go along."
Well, the grimaces went from 4 to 22, and the complications and the lack of credibility only got worse. That is not the right direction. (I cheated and used Amazon to search for grimaces in three of the upcoming novels, and they aren't in the 20s, but they are in double digits on grimaces. Are there no style editors? Are there no prisons?)
A key storytelling problem is that Shan is the POV character, but Pattison won't let us know what he's thinking when he makes decisions. Shan seems to have poor impulse control, because the reader isn't given any excuse except a sudden reaction or compulsion for most of his major moves. He "suddenly knows what he must do next." That's a card that can be played maybe two, maybe three times in a detective story, and still have the audience trust you. Pattison is up in the hundreds in this one.
I kept grinding to a halt as I read this. I cared about the oppressed people, and a couple of the characters, but not deeply. Too much "stuff" mixed with too many characters is strongly disengaging. There are too many plots, as well, so this thing isn't moved by plot, it's dragged to a standstill by plots. I started this on the first of February, and it took me to the end of May to finish. I started and finished other mysteries in the meantime, noting how quickly the pages turned in those, and being reminded how slowly they turned in the Pattison. So, be warned.
But note that I didn't abandon the book. "Disengaged" never became "disinterested." There is a strong storytelling "something" that kept me coming back to plug away; more as though I was reading a long-winded literary novel than reading a mystery. We'll see what the next one holds.
April 24, 2023
Das Buch ähnelt "Der fremde Tibeter", dem ersten Buch der Reihe, das ich gelesen habe, sehr. Dieses hier ist das zweite. Dieses Mal spielt es grösstenteils nördlicher, nämlich in der Autonomen Region Xinjiang. Es ist wieder sehr lesenswert und trotz seiner Länge über 700 Seiten nicht langweilig.
Ein paar unzusammenhängende Passagen, die vielleicht dabei helfen die Handlung in den politisch-historischen Kontext zu setzen:
"Ko wollte auch, dass die Clans verschwanden. Das Programm zur Beseitigung der Armut würde diesen Zweck erfüllen. Dennoch schienen die Anklägerin und Ko wenig gemeinsam zu haben, als würden sie die Clans aus gänzlich verschiedenen Gründen beseitigen wollen oder vielleicht auch auf gänzlich verschiedene Weisen. Dabei sass Xu vermutlich am längeren Hebel, überlegte Shan. Ko war wahrscheinlich bloss ein guter Soldat der früheren Armeebrigade. Die Anklägerin hingegen verfügte über weitaus mehr Einfluss. Kos Vorgesetzte sassen in einem Firmenbüro in Urumchi. Xu Lis Vorgesetzte sassen in Peking." [noch auf der selben Seite:] "'Die Öffentliche Sicherheit hat das Armutsprogramm um einige Punkte ergänzt [...] Die Pferde müssen zusammengetrieben werden, denn sie stellen ein Sicherheitsrisiko dar.'" (S. 129)
"Jowa hatte recht gehabt, dachte Shan. Das Armutsprogramm war in Wahrheit ein Vernichtungsplan. Unter dem Vorwand, unwirtschaftliche Aktivposten neu zu strukturieren, löschte die Regierung die gesamte Nomadenkultur aus. Ein diskretes, politisch abgesegnetes Projekt, das schliesslich zu Ende führte, was Peking bereits vor vielen Jahrzehnten begonnen hatte." (S. 195)
"'So unglaublich es klingen mag, er war der Meinung, es gäbe dort unten Millionen von Leuten, die in erster Linie alt werden wollen, als wären sie Sklaven ihrer Körper.' Gendun nam eines der Weihrauchstäbchen und schwenkte es langsam über dem Tisch hin und her. 'Anstatt sich als Menschen gegen das Böse zu wenden, sagte er, würden sie einfach behaupten, das sei Sache der Regierungen. Und die Regierungen sagten dann, zum Erhalt der Sicherheit müsse es Armeen geben, also würden Armeen ausgehoben. Die Armeen wiederum bestünden auf Kriegen, um Sicherheit zu garantieren, also würden Kriege geführt. Und Kriege töten Kinder und verschlingen Seelen, die keine Gelegenheit hatten, Reife zu erlangen. Und das alles nur, weil die Menschen lieber alt werden wollen, anstatt wahrhaftig zu sein.'" (S. 483)
Ein paar unzusammenhängende Passagen, die vielleicht dabei helfen die Handlung in den politisch-historischen Kontext zu setzen:
"Ko wollte auch, dass die Clans verschwanden. Das Programm zur Beseitigung der Armut würde diesen Zweck erfüllen. Dennoch schienen die Anklägerin und Ko wenig gemeinsam zu haben, als würden sie die Clans aus gänzlich verschiedenen Gründen beseitigen wollen oder vielleicht auch auf gänzlich verschiedene Weisen. Dabei sass Xu vermutlich am längeren Hebel, überlegte Shan. Ko war wahrscheinlich bloss ein guter Soldat der früheren Armeebrigade. Die Anklägerin hingegen verfügte über weitaus mehr Einfluss. Kos Vorgesetzte sassen in einem Firmenbüro in Urumchi. Xu Lis Vorgesetzte sassen in Peking." [noch auf der selben Seite:] "'Die Öffentliche Sicherheit hat das Armutsprogramm um einige Punkte ergänzt [...] Die Pferde müssen zusammengetrieben werden, denn sie stellen ein Sicherheitsrisiko dar.'" (S. 129)
"Jowa hatte recht gehabt, dachte Shan. Das Armutsprogramm war in Wahrheit ein Vernichtungsplan. Unter dem Vorwand, unwirtschaftliche Aktivposten neu zu strukturieren, löschte die Regierung die gesamte Nomadenkultur aus. Ein diskretes, politisch abgesegnetes Projekt, das schliesslich zu Ende führte, was Peking bereits vor vielen Jahrzehnten begonnen hatte." (S. 195)
"'So unglaublich es klingen mag, er war der Meinung, es gäbe dort unten Millionen von Leuten, die in erster Linie alt werden wollen, als wären sie Sklaven ihrer Körper.' Gendun nam eines der Weihrauchstäbchen und schwenkte es langsam über dem Tisch hin und her. 'Anstatt sich als Menschen gegen das Böse zu wenden, sagte er, würden sie einfach behaupten, das sei Sache der Regierungen. Und die Regierungen sagten dann, zum Erhalt der Sicherheit müsse es Armeen geben, also würden Armeen ausgehoben. Die Armeen wiederum bestünden auf Kriegen, um Sicherheit zu garantieren, also würden Kriege geführt. Und Kriege töten Kinder und verschlingen Seelen, die keine Gelegenheit hatten, Reife zu erlangen. Und das alles nur, weil die Menschen lieber alt werden wollen, anstatt wahrhaftig zu sein.'" (S. 483)
September 29, 2015
BEWARE: One man's bookflap summary is another man's spoiler.
My heart is full after reading this book.
As with the first book, "Water Touching Stone" succeeds on all levels: character exposition, plot, but especially on meaningful themes, vivid descriptions of the landscape (both natural and man-made) as well as the author's elegant language.
The later Shan books fall short, in this regard, compared to the first two.
After I'd read Pattison's first investigator Shan novel, "The Skull Mantra," I searched for more titles in the series but could not find the second. So I had to read several later installments, out of order. None of the subsequent books touched me as indelibly as the first book -- until this one.
With this (and the first book), the author's intention clearly is more than to present a mystery, set in an exotic corner of the world, that baffles and entertains. I almost sense here a vow by the author to make hearts break when they read about the cultural smothering and persecution in the last 80 years by the Chinese in Tibet.
Murders of loved ones (both offspring and fiance), genocide, fear, futility, endurance are all grist in this story.
Plotwise, the book is a series of cliff-hanger situations. And yet, I never felt the chain of events were arbitrary, or hyped just to create suspense. That must be incredibly difficult for an author to pull off.
At first I thought the "Water Touching Stone" title referred only to heritage -- to the ancient system of underground tunnels and now empty cisterns that once nurtured human culture in a desolate, desert area of Tibet.
Then I realized that the title also refers to cleansing through trial, as some of the principal characters suffer profound losses.
Shan, the Chinese-born protagonist, is fresh from his years of imprisonment in a Tibet labor-to-death camp. So his emotional injuries are still fresh, too. And yet he is able to help others attempt to save the old Buddhist priests, prevent the mysterious murders of boys taking place among the displaced horse-centered Tibetan clans.
Along the way, Shan has many moments to recall his deceased father, who had instilled independence and wisdom ... and his son, who was snatched away due to political circumstance.
In some key ways, the book tells how Shan and his partners fail to prevent the destruction they were hoping to.
In other ways, they emerge from their several defeats with greater love for those (and what) they have lost, and greater resolve.
This book was slow going for me. Some titles, I gallop through. But this was nutrient-dense, sort of like reading a Henry James novel or the Wall Street Journal. By that I mean I have to chew slowly and thoroughly. Sometimes I had to quit after only a chapter to let the material digest.
-------
Here, in the same sequence as they appear in the story, are some passages that struck me:
"On the floor was a pebble and on the pebble was a lichen and on the lichen lived a mite." (Chapter 5)
"Why weren't bows used in all meditation? he wondered. So perfectly flexible, so perfectly taut, so perfectly focused. He remembered a blizzard day in his prison when a lama had issued all the prisoners imaginary bows and had them shoot imaginary arrows for hours, until no one could tell if they were drawing the bow or the bow was drawing them. He drew the bow (in his hands) back until and held it, reciting the Tao chapter again and again. He held it until it hurt, until he knew what he had to do, and longer, until the danger of the thing he had to do was out of his mind and the bow was drawing him. Then he closed his eyes and in his mind took aim at a paper bird." (Chapter 8)
"Maybe humans existed ... just to keep virtue alive and to pass it on to someone else." (Chapter 11)
After emerging from the underground labyrinth:
"Never had he been anywhere where he felt so connected to the ancient world. It wasn't a quality of history he felt, nothing like the distanced created by museum displays. It was a direct, visceral quality of continuity, of the great chain of life. No, perhaps it was only the chain of truth he sensed. Or maybe even simpler, a realization that people always had done good things, and it was only good things, not people, that endured." (Chapter 11)
"When is contraband not contraband? ... When the government brings it in." (Chapter 12)
Spoken by the priest Gendun:
"So instead of human beings fighting the wrong, he told me, they just say it is for governments to do so. And the governments say we must have armies to be safe, so armies are raised. And armies say we must have wars to be safe, so wars are fought. And wars kill children and devour souls that have not ripened. All because people just want to be old, instead of being true." (Chapter 14)
"The monks in the circle were like the untamed, feral animals of the changtang, untouched and pure. A species near extinction."(Chapter 15)
Female American scientist, Warp (whose name is a weaving term) to her husband:
"When you have young children, you go to the giant toy stores and buy expensive plastic things. They get older and you buy expensive electrical things at a different store. Then it's expensive clothes. It's called Western evolution. ... You mark your existence, and your place in the herd, by what stores you shop at." (Chapter 18)
Warp's husband, after reflecting:
"You were right that day in the toy store, I told her. Nobody's accountable. People sit back and let bad things happen. Forests get leveled. Cultures get destroyed, traditions get cast aside because they're not Internet compatible. Children get raised to think watching television is required for survival and get all their culture from advertising." (Chapter 18)
My heart is full after reading this book.
As with the first book, "Water Touching Stone" succeeds on all levels: character exposition, plot, but especially on meaningful themes, vivid descriptions of the landscape (both natural and man-made) as well as the author's elegant language.
The later Shan books fall short, in this regard, compared to the first two.
After I'd read Pattison's first investigator Shan novel, "The Skull Mantra," I searched for more titles in the series but could not find the second. So I had to read several later installments, out of order. None of the subsequent books touched me as indelibly as the first book -- until this one.
With this (and the first book), the author's intention clearly is more than to present a mystery, set in an exotic corner of the world, that baffles and entertains. I almost sense here a vow by the author to make hearts break when they read about the cultural smothering and persecution in the last 80 years by the Chinese in Tibet.
Murders of loved ones (both offspring and fiance), genocide, fear, futility, endurance are all grist in this story.
Plotwise, the book is a series of cliff-hanger situations. And yet, I never felt the chain of events were arbitrary, or hyped just to create suspense. That must be incredibly difficult for an author to pull off.
At first I thought the "Water Touching Stone" title referred only to heritage -- to the ancient system of underground tunnels and now empty cisterns that once nurtured human culture in a desolate, desert area of Tibet.
Then I realized that the title also refers to cleansing through trial, as some of the principal characters suffer profound losses.
Shan, the Chinese-born protagonist, is fresh from his years of imprisonment in a Tibet labor-to-death camp. So his emotional injuries are still fresh, too. And yet he is able to help others attempt to save the old Buddhist priests, prevent the mysterious murders of boys taking place among the displaced horse-centered Tibetan clans.
Along the way, Shan has many moments to recall his deceased father, who had instilled independence and wisdom ... and his son, who was snatched away due to political circumstance.
In some key ways, the book tells how Shan and his partners fail to prevent the destruction they were hoping to.
In other ways, they emerge from their several defeats with greater love for those (and what) they have lost, and greater resolve.
This book was slow going for me. Some titles, I gallop through. But this was nutrient-dense, sort of like reading a Henry James novel or the Wall Street Journal. By that I mean I have to chew slowly and thoroughly. Sometimes I had to quit after only a chapter to let the material digest.
-------
Here, in the same sequence as they appear in the story, are some passages that struck me:
"On the floor was a pebble and on the pebble was a lichen and on the lichen lived a mite." (Chapter 5)
"Why weren't bows used in all meditation? he wondered. So perfectly flexible, so perfectly taut, so perfectly focused. He remembered a blizzard day in his prison when a lama had issued all the prisoners imaginary bows and had them shoot imaginary arrows for hours, until no one could tell if they were drawing the bow or the bow was drawing them. He drew the bow (in his hands) back until and held it, reciting the Tao chapter again and again. He held it until it hurt, until he knew what he had to do, and longer, until the danger of the thing he had to do was out of his mind and the bow was drawing him. Then he closed his eyes and in his mind took aim at a paper bird." (Chapter 8)
"Maybe humans existed ... just to keep virtue alive and to pass it on to someone else." (Chapter 11)
After emerging from the underground labyrinth:
"Never had he been anywhere where he felt so connected to the ancient world. It wasn't a quality of history he felt, nothing like the distanced created by museum displays. It was a direct, visceral quality of continuity, of the great chain of life. No, perhaps it was only the chain of truth he sensed. Or maybe even simpler, a realization that people always had done good things, and it was only good things, not people, that endured." (Chapter 11)
"When is contraband not contraband? ... When the government brings it in." (Chapter 12)
Spoken by the priest Gendun:
"So instead of human beings fighting the wrong, he told me, they just say it is for governments to do so. And the governments say we must have armies to be safe, so armies are raised. And armies say we must have wars to be safe, so wars are fought. And wars kill children and devour souls that have not ripened. All because people just want to be old, instead of being true." (Chapter 14)
"The monks in the circle were like the untamed, feral animals of the changtang, untouched and pure. A species near extinction."(Chapter 15)
Female American scientist, Warp (whose name is a weaving term) to her husband:
"When you have young children, you go to the giant toy stores and buy expensive plastic things. They get older and you buy expensive electrical things at a different store. Then it's expensive clothes. It's called Western evolution. ... You mark your existence, and your place in the herd, by what stores you shop at." (Chapter 18)
Warp's husband, after reflecting:
"You were right that day in the toy store, I told her. Nobody's accountable. People sit back and let bad things happen. Forests get leveled. Cultures get destroyed, traditions get cast aside because they're not Internet compatible. Children get raised to think watching television is required for survival and get all their culture from advertising." (Chapter 18)
July 20, 2022
Another book I picked up and put down before finishing. I don’t even remember what stopped me though I think I contemplated not finishing…
A Chinese man, recovering from his destroyed life, has now started following a Buddhist path. The story starts with his venture into Chinese prison camps searching for a missing lama. There are diverse trails followed through the story, exploring the many oppressed minorities’ paths (Tibetans, Uighers, Kazakhs) and their search for freedom. The exploration of cultural suppression is not new for those who pay attention to the trickle of news that emerges from China/Tibet but there are few personal tales.
Despite a couple of hand-drawn maps in the front of the book, I found some of the travel to be a bit difficult to follow. It is not a familiar area despite my geographic interest: something new to study. (This book is the 2nd in a series of 8.)
A Chinese man, recovering from his destroyed life, has now started following a Buddhist path. The story starts with his venture into Chinese prison camps searching for a missing lama. There are diverse trails followed through the story, exploring the many oppressed minorities’ paths (Tibetans, Uighers, Kazakhs) and their search for freedom. The exploration of cultural suppression is not new for those who pay attention to the trickle of news that emerges from China/Tibet but there are few personal tales.
Despite a couple of hand-drawn maps in the front of the book, I found some of the travel to be a bit difficult to follow. It is not a familiar area despite my geographic interest: something new to study. (This book is the 2nd in a series of 8.)
November 23, 2024
I have taken my time reading this book. I enjoyed it very much, even though it was confusing from time to time.
The confusion was mainly due to lots of Mao's, the use of words for government officials that I wasn't used to and couldn't find an explanation for.
The story itself, a disgraced, exiled former Beijing inspector sets out to find the killer that murdered a teacher and is continuing murdering her orphaned students, is very appealing and we'll written.
The political part, the villain-oh not villain, the betrayal etc. made me lose track of the story itself, set in a beautiful environment. And that's why this book doesn't get the full set of stars.
Still a very recommendable read, if you're in to Asian fiction, can handle politics and are interested in Tibet and its relations with China.
The confusion was mainly due to lots of Mao's, the use of words for government officials that I wasn't used to and couldn't find an explanation for.
The story itself, a disgraced, exiled former Beijing inspector sets out to find the killer that murdered a teacher and is continuing murdering her orphaned students, is very appealing and we'll written.
The political part, the villain-oh not villain, the betrayal etc. made me lose track of the story itself, set in a beautiful environment. And that's why this book doesn't get the full set of stars.
Still a very recommendable read, if you're in to Asian fiction, can handle politics and are interested in Tibet and its relations with China.
April 13, 2020
Ik kan mij inbeelden dat er lezers zijn die dit boek niet goed vinden. Het gaat vooral over Tibet en godsdienst. Voor mij is het dan ook meer een historische thriller dan een literaire thriller. Het gaat ook over de wijze hoe China zijn macht wil doen gelden in Tibet.
Schan, ex inspecteur, tracht toch de Tibetanen te helpen. Men is bezig de weeskinderen te doden. Namelijk de nieuwe Dia Lama zou onder deze kinderen zijn. Door hem te doden willen zij de godsdienst breken. Echter Schan kan aantonen dat de Chinezen aldaar hun macht misbruiken ten kosten de Tibetanen. Langs de andere kan verliest echter veel vrienden in deze strijd.
Zeer zeker een aanrader.
Er komen mooie teksten voor van uit de Tao.
Schan, ex inspecteur, tracht toch de Tibetanen te helpen. Men is bezig de weeskinderen te doden. Namelijk de nieuwe Dia Lama zou onder deze kinderen zijn. Door hem te doden willen zij de godsdienst breken. Echter Schan kan aantonen dat de Chinezen aldaar hun macht misbruiken ten kosten de Tibetanen. Langs de andere kan verliest echter veel vrienden in deze strijd.
Zeer zeker een aanrader.
Er komen mooie teksten voor van uit de Tao.
October 23, 2018
I did think that all murders have same basic idea a revenge , a political war or urge to kill. How the writer kept the simple secrets flowing through the current political scenario , I didn't realise till the end.This story firmed my believe in surviving capability of life. Every place and everything on this earth has thousands of secrets buried and we as human beings are still trying to figure them out.The setup might be china and tibet relationships and the hardships people face but the author has taken extensive pain to bring out a fact most people are unaware off and I am sure it would urge you to know more and leave you surprised.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2021
I love these books - I'm going back to the beginning to read them all before I get to the final one, which came out last year; I want to delay the end of the story a while longer yet. I really wanted a heavy dose of the mountains and the Tibetan Buddhists, and reading this during breaks at the office helped me center myself and release my own frustrations. I used to live in the high desert of New Mexico and miss it terribly; reading about the mountains and deserts in Tibet (and surrounding areas) helps assuage my homesickness.
October 16, 2022
This is the second Inspector Shan book I've read, and both were excellent. Pattison is a master at evoking the images and history of a place, then putting his characters (especially, Inspector Shan) in morally ambiguous and difficult situations. He then shows how our own courage and small actions can make a big difference in the lives of those around us. I love Inspector Shan and all his Tibetan Buddhist monk friends--they feel like my friends, too. Inspector Shan is one of my heroes.
May 31, 2023
I recently re-read this book for a mystery book club. Since I had originally read it some time ago, I had forgotten a great deal of it. As a result, I found it suspenseful. I also very much liked the Tibetan religion aspect. So I gave it a B+ grade on my blog. I didn't think it was the best book I ever read, as I did the first time.
For my complete review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...
For my complete review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...
May 18, 2020
This book was more of a marathon slog than I initially anticipated. Filled with several moments of beautiful clarity and wonderful landscape descriptions. Length, unfortunately, does not often equate to quality. Though throughly enjoying the character development, I found it to be 200 pages longer than necessary.
April 18, 2021
A grim look at China's plan to assimilate minorities into their culture and ideology; though published in the early 2000s the subject matter is still timely, devastatingly so. The author has written several more books in the series but I will have to wait a while before trying the next tale of disgrace Inspector Shan,
August 8, 2024
Such a strange book: both deadly dull and very interesting, exhausting to read and yet still compelling enough to keep turning the pages, clearly written and yet so much remained unclear, a mystery but much more about the destruction of a way of life etc etc
should it be three stars or four stars - I have no idea
should it be three stars or four stars - I have no idea
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews