Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #983415 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Synopsis
In the 1930s a wealthy Tibetan family, the Maiqis, make a bargain with an emissary of the Chinese Nationalists. In exchange for military support, they are to plant fields of poppies, valuable in the heroin trade - a deal that enriches the Maiqis' lavish lifestyle and earns them dangerous enmity.

Customer Reviews

The brutal world of pre-occupation Tibet.,
If you think of Tibet as a place of mystery and mysticism, an ethereal and other-worldly place which rejects the physical world in favor of the spiritual, you are in for some huge surprises when you read this book. Set during the early to mid-20th century, this novel by a Tibetan author feels medieval, revealing a feudal society of tribal chieftains and their internecine rivalries, complete with intrigue, murder, vengeance, double-crosses, and a callous disregard of life and limb.

In short, simple sentences, easy vocabulary, and straightforward style befitting the subject matter, Alai tells the history of the Maichi family, depicting a family of rulers who believe only in power--"You can ride [your slaves] like horses or beat them like dogs, but you must never treat them like humans." Hands are cut off, tongues are cut out, enemies are beheaded, hungry people are used as pawns and allowed to starve, children are beaten for playing. Though the Living Buddha and several lamas play roles in the novel, they are not a dominant, or even a moderating, force, appearing to be more like soothsayers than real religious leaders. One lama even remarks, "Instead of teaching us to love, why must religion teach us to hate?"

Almost cartoon-like with its shallow, black-and-white characters, its good guys vs. bad guys action scenes, and its high quotient of blood and guts, the novel is stunning in its total disregard for the value of life. When, at the end, the revolutionary Red Chinese emerge victorious in the nearby Chinese provinces and begin to exert power over the Tibetan chieftains, the reader is stunned by the irony--we know the Red Chinese historical record, but here they seem more idealistic and far more concerned with the lives of the common man than the chieftains do. I found this a disturbing book, one which raises a number of questions about the author's purpose and offers few references to a "soft," cultural side of Tibet, such as its music, art, religion, and literature. Mary Whipple

Lovely
I first borrowed this book from the library. I loved it so much I bought my own copy. I've just read it for the third time. A beautiful historical fiction.

History of an unknown world.....
This is certainly an unique story about an unique part of the world. Set in eastern Tibet, in a time spanning WW2, it tells how this medieval world is forced into the 20th century. The region has ruled by 15 chieftains, each holding power over vast areas: a seemingly stable system of government where power was granted by Chinese emperors many generations previously (although some of the chieftains lean a little more to the authorities in Lassa.) The region has its own tradition and there is a set of rules, however the chieftains have total control. Beyond the chieftain's family and servants, a select number of tradesmen (ie. the silversmith and the executioner!) and some monks, the remainder of the populace have the status of slaves.

The story is told by the idiot son of one chieftain - he is called an idiot by virtue of being the second born. His idiocy is the subject of debate throughout the book as most events appear to confirm or deny this label. A minor border skirmish leads to an appeal to the Chinese authorities who introduce rifles and automatic weapons to the region, followed by poppies grown to produce opium which in turn leads to disaster and more disaster, destroying the simple and idealistic way of life.

As the words "epic saga" in the title hint at - this is a long book with significant repetition, and it takes some effort to keep on at language which does not always flow, passages whose meaning or significance are not immediately obvious, where the past, present and future predictions are thrown together with dreams. But I guess that is the price you pay when travelling to such a far-off place. The characters treat each other in a gruff and honest manner which is bold and often amusing.

The treasure for me is to see into a very different (and lost) world, but where humans are still human.