The Lure of AsiaBecause the history and culture of China, Japan, and Korea are so utterly different than ours in the West, they continually intrigue us and offer insights into “the human condition” unlike anything in our own tradition. Hence my fascination with the lure of Asia, expressed in my six books ranging from historical adventures to near-future thrillers to a primer on Taoism and a whimsical revisit of Treasure Island (involving Asia? You bet!).
My own introduction to this treasure trove was entirely serendipitous. As a callow lit major at Yale, young Barnett needed a history class that met MWF at 11. Hmmm…Chinese history. And no term paper! Done. Two weeks into the course, my life—and my major—changed. Mysterious Taoist wanderers, treacherous lute-playing courtesans, drunken T’ang dynasty poets, intrigues in the Forbidden City, subtleties of the tea cult, assassins with throwing stars, brutal warlords—what more could anyone want?  Jade and Fire (Random House, 1988) As Peking warlord Fu Tso-yi grapples with Mao Tse-tung’s Communist armies besieging the ancient capital in 1948, Inspector Bei investigates a series of brutal murders at the city’s brothels, and is drawn into the mysteries of an ancient Taoist temple outside the city, which seems to connect the murders to the siege. Reviews Relax,You’re Already Home (Penguin/Putnam, 2008) An informal, friendly introduction to the ancient Chinese way of living known as Taoism. Barnett draws on his experiences and observations of the people of China to show how this 5,000-year-old way of living life has practical, everyday applications to our lives in the modern West. Reviews. First 2 chapters.
The T’ae Medallion Into the tumult of Korea in the late 1880’s—a peasant revolt, rapacious nobles, the weak King Kojong, armies from China and Japan pouring into the beleaguered country—disillusioned Virginian Jefferson Phelps returns a mysterious medallion given to his father four decades earlier. His attraction to a forbidden woman of the dominant Min clan thrusts him into the center of intrigues and great battles changing the history of Asia. (Seeking publisher) First 3 chapters.  Chrysalis Girls: Beyond Treasure Island Jim Hawkins is lured back to the Caribbean in 1758 by Long John Silver, only to discover baffling clues to a treasure hidden by a great Chinese fleet in 1421. They join with two intrepid young women to solve the keys to the treasure: the escaped slave Tabitha, living only for revenge on the Commandante who killed her mother, and Meilu, last of a Chinese colony abandoned on Cuba’s shore four centuries earlier. (Seeking publisher) First 3 chapters. Shinto Golf in Palm Springs Yoshi is already questioning whether he’s meant to be a Shinto priest in modern Japan, when his meetings with a startling old man on a golf course, and the most beautiful girl in the world at a cliffside shrine, throw his world into turmoil. His solution to the woes of the world’s best golfer, Panther Irons, at the prestigious Phoenix Dunlop tournament, gets him the girl--but as they follow her pal Mai Aiyazato to a tournament in Palm Springs, an even greater challenge faces him there. (Seeking publisher) First 3 chapters Interesting sources on Asian culture and history An annotated list of my favorite books and websites. Enter at your own risk! Books and websites |
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