Product Description

Beautiful, headstrong and unconventional, Catherine Cabot is twenty years old when she arrives in China. Against an uneasy political background a bittersweet, triangular love affair develops between Catherine and Edmund and George Airton. And all the while, she is trying to uncover the truth of her past, unaware of the danger this might pose to her.



Who is Henry Manners, the mysterious man who once wrote to her mother, and who she knows now lives in China? Running in parallel is the extraordinary story of Yu-Fu-kuei, a Chinese revolutionary working as a Communist spy. She and Catherine met when they were at Oxford immediately after the Great War, and the friendship is deep and permanent.



As the Japanese mass themselves on the borders, waiting for an excuse to invade, Catherine, ignorant of a history steeped in hatred, unwittingly becomes the perfect tool to settle the scores of two men who will stop at nothing to wreak their revenge. And Yu-Fu-kuei discovers that love might be the strongest weapon that any warrior has.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #191887 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 736 pages

Review
THE EMPEROR'S BONES is the new blockbuster from the author of THE PALACE OF HEAVENLY PLEASURE, which was set in the Boxer Rebellion and was a truly sensational read. The time has moved forward nearly a quarter of a century to 1922, with Communism - both Soviet and Chinese - on the rise, warlordism rampant and a beautiful young nurse being buffeted by perils personal, political, emotional and financial. I'm 100 pages in and I now look forward to every moment of spare time between now and the end of the summer holidays in which to finish it. The author has lived and worked in China and Hong Kong for much of his life, and therefore has an acute ear for convincing dialogue: he has also clearly taken many of the huge range of characters from his own family, who have lived in China since the 19th century. The resulting combination of high politics, low cunning, passionate love-story and sweeping, cinematic Sino-saga will keep me very happy. -- Andrew Roberts 'This book is poetic and romantic in parts, harrowing and tragic in others. It's not exactly light, holiday reading, as it requires a hefty amount of concentration, but persevere when the going gets tough and you'll be richly rewarded.' **** -- Heat 'Epic novel ...a convoluted crew of warlords, nationalists, communists and debonair English expats awaits ... in a story that suggests history is repeated not as farce, but as adventure and romance.' -- Financial Times 'Bravo! What a magnificent achievement. I found myself absolutely gripped throughout first and foremost' -- Rana Mitter 'THE EMPEROR'S BONESis a swashbuckling novel with the right ingredients for a riveting read, and a movie too ...A rollicking, action-packed, lusty tale of adventure. It's certain to be very successful, and it deserves to be. It would make an excellent film. Anyone who wants many hours of none-too-taxing thrills will enjoy it. But it's also very well-researched, and readers will receive a painless education in the politics of China in the 1920s while relishing the rolls in the hay, the grand set-pieces, and the rapid movement of characters and events across the landscapes of eastern China.' -- Taipei Times High drama, political intrigue, mopral quagmires, and a healthy dose of romance are key ingredients for rip-roaring adventure. Adam Williams' new epic The Emperor's Bones has the lot' -- Time Out Beijing 'Heart-rending reading ... A damn good read' -- South China Morning Post 'A blockbuster with a difference' -- Daily Mail 'This book is poetic and romantic in parts, harrowing and tragic in others. It's not exactly light, holiday reading, as it requires a hefty amount of concentration, but persevere when the going gets tough and you'll be richly rewarded.' **** -- Heat 'Bravo! What a magnificent achievement. I found myself absolutely gripped throughout first and foremost' -- Rana Mitter 'THE EMPEROR'S BONES is a swashbuckling novel with the right ingredients for a riveting read, and a movie too ... A rollicking, action-packed, lusty tale of adventure.' -- Taipei Times 'Epic novel ... a convoluted crew of warlords, nationalists, communists and debonair English expats awaits ... in a story that suggests history is repeated not as farce, but as adventure and romance.' -- Financial Times High drama, political intrigue, mopral quagmires, and a healthy dose of romance are key ingredients for rip-roaring adventure. Adam Williams' new epic The Emperor's Bones has the lot' -- Time Out Beijing 'Heart-rending reading ... A damn good read' -- South China Morning Post Praise for THE PALACE OF HEAVENLY PLEASURE: 'An epic historical and romantic story as well as an impressive first novel.' -- Sunday Mirror 'James Clavell left a huge gap in Far Eastern epic storytelling ... it looks as if he finally has a successor. Heavenly pleasure indeed' -- Publishing News 'Intrigue, adventure and romance await, but it is Williams's vivid knowledge of China and the complexities which lie within the sleeping dragon that make this a worthy read' -- Straits Times 'Story-telling of the epic kind - this 700 page tale about sinners and lovers in 1900's China will have you gripped' -- Heat 'A rattling good read. Full of love and loss and guts and gore and derring-do, this is as good as an adventure story gets...Williams is a master' -- The Times 'A first-rate story, peopled by passionate, believable characters and rich in historical and political detail' -- Publishers Weekly on THE PALACE OF HEAVENLY 'A blockbuster with a difference' -- Daily Mail

Review

'This book is poetic and romantic in parts, harrowing and tragic in others. It's not exactly light, holiday reading, as it requires a hefty amount of concentration, but persevere when the going gets tough and you'll be richly rewarded.' ****

About the Author
Adam Williams, whose family has lived in China since the late nineteenth century, was born and raised in Hong Kong. For the last eighteen years he has been representative in Beijing of a Far East trading conglomerate. In 1999 he received an OBE for services to Sino-British trade. Adam is married to Fumei and has two children.

Customer Reviews

Strong characters, intrigue and a history of modern China
I loved Adam William's first novel, but this one is even better. You are drawn into the story straight away. The characters are strong and believable; Catherine, the heroine, is a true heroine. Her path to redemption is strewn with broken hearts, but you can't help liking her and wanting to know what will happen next. She is at the centre of the plot, which involves a cast of individuals both Chinese and European, some of whom are even real historical figures. The events are played out on the stage of the history of China in the twenties, a time that I did not know much about before I read The Emperor's Bones. I now have a better understanding of the prelude to the Japanese invasion and the Communist take-over after the war. However, in no way did I feel that I was being given a history lesson. The narrative is what engaged me most.

Epic scope, powerful and intelligent writing
Adam Williams will be joining my list of top-quality authors after improving on his previous outing - Palace of Heavenly Pleasure - with this follow-up. I would advise reading the first book simply because it is good, but it is in no way a pre-requisite to this one.

Set in China in the 1920s, this is a tale of epic proportions based around the revolutionary "Northern Expedition" to unify China. The cast includes the numerous cliques of Chinese warlords, Chiang Kai-shek's nationalists (the Kuomintang), the Chinese Communist Party, the established imperialist/trading forces such as the British, plus communist Russia and the hostile Japanese hovering in the shadows. It's a complex, heady mix, and mostly very, very effective.

Like the first novel, the first couple of hundred pages is devoted to scene-setting and character-building, and although this is slower paced than the rest of the book it does turn out to be time well spent. The plethora of characters involved, some of whom are genuine historical figures, are deeper and more colourful as a result of the time spent constructing them - I thought Willie Lampsett, a journalist, was particularly credible. The complex historical and cultural setting also needed to be firmly established lest the book lose its sense of depth and authenticity.

Thereafter the book assumes a fast-pace in which the different relationships and storylines are very well interwoven into the historical events of the era. Williams has avoided too much exposure to the major historical figures, which keeps it human and personal rather than a history book. Similarly he avoids any unnecessary or sentimental involvement from characters from his earlier novel, which keeps it fresh and engaging.

It isn't a perfect novel - perhaps slightly too slow in places for a thriller and slightly too broad in scope for a character-driven novel. However, I think the author has generally tackled a hugely complex undertaking phenomenally well and deserves immense credit. This gem is easily worth four stars, and I only hesitate from awarding the fifth because I reserve that rating for the truly flawless.