The Lord of Death: Summary and book reviews of The Lord of Death by Eliot Pattison, plus links to an excerpt from The Lord of Death and a biography of Eliot Pattison.
The Lord of Death
by Eliot Pattison
Hardcover: Jun 2009,
384 pages.
Paperback: Jun 2010,
384 pages.
Shan Tao Yun is an exiled Chinese national, a former Beijing investigator, on parole from the Tibetan gulag to which he had been consigned as punishment. He is ferrying a corpse on muleback over the slopes of Chomolungma - Everest - at the request of a local wisewoman who says the gods have appointed this task to him, when he encounters what looks like a traffic accident. A government bus filled with imprisoned illegal monks has overturned. Should the escaping monks be caught, the brutal Chinese knobs will punish them. Then Shan hears gunfire. Two women in an approaching sedan have been killed. One is the Chinese Minister of Tourism; the other, a blond Westerner, organizes climbing expeditions. Though she dies in his arms, Shan is later met with denials that this blond foreigner is dead.
Shan must find the murderer, for his recompense will be the life and sanity of his son, Ko, imprisoned in a Chinese "yeti factory" where men are routinely driven mad.
An intricate yet logical plot, deep character construction and a wonderful sense of atmosphere combine to form a truly top-notch mystery novel. (Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
Booklist
Starred Review. Pattison serves as literary ambassador to beautiful, brutal Tibet in a tale that engages, enlightens, and entertains.
Kirkus Reviews
A whodunit wrapped in a socio-political thriller, all the more valuable for its timeliness. Shan's sixth case...is aimed at readers who savor subtlety and complexity.
School Library Journal
Teens will be struck by how completely and systematically the Chinese government has tried to crush the Tibetan people. And they will be amazed as well by how much strength the Tibetans have found within themselves, and in their deep and complex faith.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Newcomers as well as those already emotionally invested in the resourceful and ethical sleuth will cheer him on.
A Short History of Tibet
Tibet, a remote region along the southwestern border of China, sits at 15,000 feet above sea level between the Himalaya and Kunlun mountain ranges. The first recorded king of the region was Srong-btsan sgam-po, who is credited with introducing Buddhism to Tibet around 640 AD. He and his descendants ruled over a unified Tibet through the 8th century, but the empire eventually collapsed into a collection of small independent kingdoms.
Map of Tibet
click for larger image including key
When Genghis Khan's forces marched through much of Asia around the turn of the 13th century, Tibetans managed to retain a good deal of autonomy and acquire some political influence by agreeing to pay tribute to the Mongols. When the Mongol empire...
When the wife of a North Korean diplomat in Pakistan dies under suspicious circumstances, O is told to investigate, with a curious proviso: Don’t look too closely at the details, and stay away from the question of missiles. Soon, however, the Inspector discovers he is up to his ears in missiles - and somebody wants him dead.
Leads the reader through the mountains of India and across the rugged terrain of the human heart on a journey that will long be remembered.
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Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
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(1097 words).
Map of Tibet
