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TaiPan Asian Saga James Clavell Books

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TaiPan Asian Saga James Clavell Books

Dirk Struan is the Tai-Pan of the Noble House.This is his story. But it is also the story of the founding of Hong Kong. At the center of this tale of East meets West in the island city of Hong Kong and of the Chinese Empire of the 1840s is the story of the mercantile competition between The Noble House of Dirk Struan and his bitterest rival, Tyler Brock. But it's not just about the founding of Hong Kong or the profit in the trade of opium in China. No, it's also about a point of contact between the United Kingdom and China. One empire was waning in influence, though it didn't yet realize it when the story begins - despite its recent loss in the Opium War. Another empire is waxing in influence and fully aware that the future is hers if she can grab it. And men like Struan will serve the empire and in the process reopen China to the world. But first Struan will need to overcome the greatest test his own commercial empire has ever faced or the Noble House will be no more. And with no Noble House,Struan will no longer be the Tai-Pan.

Beneath the story of the traders, merchants, missionaries and soldiers of the two empires is the story of how the Chinese people are changed by their contact with British traders and how the British are in turn changed by their contact with the Chinese people. Each sees itself as performing a civilizing mission that is vital to the future of the world. Each sees itself as supremely powerful. And each will have to face the rising power of the Russian Empire bent on achieving global hegemony. And yet the seeds of Hong Kong's survival may yet be undone by those too myopic to see its value. And if Hong Kong is lost then perhaps the futures of both China and the UK will be lost.

This is the story of politics. Chartists in the UK seeking political reform. Chinese members of secret society known as the Triad seeking to overthrow the hated Manchu rulers of China. Russians looking to expand their power base through Russian Alaska and in the western parts of North America. This is the story of culture - how two cultures met, saw each other, and were molded by each other at their point of contact in Hong Kong.
This is the story of economics - how trading companies opened up new markets and enriched the world and in the process found the means to help save the lives of millions.

But above all this is the story of the people of Hong Kong. Dirk Struan fighting to save The Noble House and also fighting his own son Callum, who wants nothing to do with the Noble House. Tyler Brock who seeks nothing but riches and to become Taipan himself and who must stave off the ruthlessness and inhumanity of his own son, Gorth. May May, the TaiPan's mistress - she holds secrets of her own that can help China and might be able to help save Dirk. Mary Sinclair, a woman who finds herself caught in between cultures and who doesn't have a man's luxury of choice but who still seeks freedom from those who would oppress her. Jinqua, a man of very high importance in China who can save people but who has his own ideas about the future of Hong Kong. And Aristotle Quance, an artist with an eye that sees beauty and truth. Perhaps what he sees will be most important of all to the future. And there are so many more people whose words collide in Hong Kong. You will meet them all.

This book is amazing. Clavell wrote a story that completely envelops you in the world of the nascent Victorian Empire. It's a new age and Clavell is able to bring you into it. Clavell also writes beautifully. Sentences like "It was a cold morning with a sky cloud-locked, the sea gray" and "He drove into the depths of the Pacific, into infinity" transport you to this world.

Now if only I were still able to read this book for the first time again. But you still can.


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TaiPan Asian Saga James Clavell Books Reviews

For this book I put myself in the best possible reading/ listening position listening to the Audible audiobook and reading the chapters beforehand or afterwards again. The most enjoyable experience with a story like this and with a narrator who does voices like it is a veritable radio play female voices, chinese lingo and topping it all with the voice and accent of Sean Connery for the protagonist Dirk Struan! As good as John Lee and sometimes even a bit better. (John Lee narrates almost all of the Ken Follett books, a must hear!) And so is this! A great story with a great audiobook narrative!
On the whole this story held my interest. I really wanted to see how it would turn out. The characters were interesting and distinct. The evil ones really evil. The author seemed to respect and have sympathy for the characters. They were all very complex. The story opened a world that was unknown to me. Also, I wonder if the cure for malaria was discovered by the Jesuits and introduced by the British traders in Asia.

I did skip a head when there was an important conflict and the author dragged out the story.

My only complaint is that it was occasionally confusing because the author would change point of view often. Even in the same scene. Also the dialog, while realistic and fast paced, was confusing and at times I wasn't sure who said what.

I recommend the book.
“Tai-Pan” is the second book in the Asian Saga series by James Clavell. At this point, I’ve only read “Shogun”. The other books are “Gai-Jin”, “King Rat”, “Noble House”, and “Whirlwind” (out-of-print).

“Shogun” is one of my favorite historical novel so I had very high expectation of “Tai-Pan”; perhaps too high. The beginning of “Tai-Pan” was a confusing mess for me. I had a hard time remembering the names of the characters and their significance to the story. I even had a harder time reading and understanding the cockney, Scottish, and Chinese pidgin dialogue. After about 1/3 of the way through the book, the characters and the different accented dialogues became more understandable. The last 1/2 of “Tai-Pan” was almost as good as “Shogun”. The ending of "Tai-Pan" was completely different than what I was expecting.

There are many similarities between “Shogun” and “Tai-Pan”. There is the same conflict between Catholics and Protestants and Buddhism. The same conflict between Asian and Western European cultures, norms, and behaviors (e.g., personal hygiene like frequent bathing). There is karma (“Shogun”) vs. joss (“Tai-Pan”). There is love between a strong Westerner man and an Asian woman.

The beginning of “Tai-Pan” can be a challenging read, but if you don’t give up, you will be rewarded with a very good historical novel on the founding of Hong Kong.
I have enjoyed reading Mr. Clavell's books over the past 3 decades. He is one of the few authors whose work is so engrossing--no matter if it is the first or fifth time that you read the same book. My personal favorite is still "Shogun" but this a close runner-up.
In "Tai-Pan", the characters seem so real that you can forget that this is a work of fiction. It feels like you are right there witnessing what is happening and can "feel" what the characters are feeling. Each time that I have read this book, I pick up more of what is occurring. It is a long story but because it is sooooo well written, it seems to end too quickly. I wanted the story to continue from right where it ended thru this next generation.
His next book to touch on these characters did not give me the details that I had so wanted to know more about.
This is a book that is hard to put down once you begin to read it. If you like this type of story, I believe that you will be glad that you have purchased it. You will enjoy it each time that you read it because-if you are like me and tend to read thru it too fast-each reading will give you a chance to pick up on what you might have missed the previous time(s).
Dirk Struan is the Tai-Pan of the Noble House.This is his story. But it is also the story of the founding of Hong Kong. At the center of this tale of East meets West in the island city of Hong Kong and of the Chinese Empire of the 1840s is the story of the mercantile competition between The Noble House of Dirk Struan and his bitterest rival, Tyler Brock. But it's not just about the founding of Hong Kong or the profit in the trade of opium in China. No, it's also about a point of contact between the United Kingdom and China. One empire was waning in influence, though it didn't yet realize it when the story begins - despite its recent loss in the Opium War. Another empire is waxing in influence and fully aware that the future is hers if she can grab it. And men like Struan will serve the empire and in the process reopen China to the world. But first Struan will need to overcome the greatest test his own commercial empire has ever faced or the Noble House will be no more. And with no Noble House,Struan will no longer be the Tai-Pan.

Beneath the story of the traders, merchants, missionaries and soldiers of the two empires is the story of how the Chinese people are changed by their contact with British traders and how the British are in turn changed by their contact with the Chinese people. Each sees itself as performing a civilizing mission that is vital to the future of the world. Each sees itself as supremely powerful. And each will have to face the rising power of the Russian Empire bent on achieving global hegemony. And yet the seeds of Hong Kong's survival may yet be undone by those too myopic to see its value. And if Hong Kong is lost then perhaps the futures of both China and the UK will be lost.

This is the story of politics. Chartists in the UK seeking political reform. Chinese members of secret society known as the Triad seeking to overthrow the hated Manchu rulers of China. Russians looking to expand their power base through Russian Alaska and in the western parts of North America. This is the story of culture - how two cultures met, saw each other, and were molded by each other at their point of contact in Hong Kong.
This is the story of economics - how trading companies opened up new markets and enriched the world and in the process found the means to help save the lives of millions.

But above all this is the story of the people of Hong Kong. Dirk Struan fighting to save The Noble House and also fighting his own son Callum, who wants nothing to do with the Noble House. Tyler Brock who seeks nothing but riches and to become Taipan himself and who must stave off the ruthlessness and inhumanity of his own son, Gorth. May May, the TaiPan's mistress - she holds secrets of her own that can help China and might be able to help save Dirk. Mary Sinclair, a woman who finds herself caught in between cultures and who doesn't have a man's luxury of choice but who still seeks freedom from those who would oppress her. Jinqua, a man of very high importance in China who can save people but who has his own ideas about the future of Hong Kong. And Aristotle Quance, an artist with an eye that sees beauty and truth. Perhaps what he sees will be most important of all to the future. And there are so many more people whose words collide in Hong Kong. You will meet them all.

This book is amazing. Clavell wrote a story that completely envelops you in the world of the nascent Victorian Empire. It's a new age and Clavell is able to bring you into it. Clavell also writes beautifully. Sentences like "It was a cold morning with a sky cloud-locked, the sea gray" and "He drove into the depths of the Pacific, into infinity" transport you to this world.

Now if only I were still able to read this book for the first time again. But you still can.