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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781597800846
ISBN number: 1597800848
Label: Nightshade Book
Manufacturer: Nightshade Book
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: December 01, 2008
Publishing house: Nightshade Book
Sale Popularity Level: 58459
Studio: Nightshade Book
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In this, the third Detective Inspector Chen novel, Chen and Zhu are given a major assignment to escort an emissary from heaven on a diplomatic mission to hell. Zhu tries to dodge his demonic family's overtures, but ends up embroiled in hell's political intrigues. At the same time, a young boy born to ghostly parents in Hell is sent to live with his grandmother in Singapore Three. The boy, Precious Dragon, is being chased by Hell's most dangerous creatures and ends up being the key to unlock the mystery that is quickly spiraling out of control. Chen and Zhu find themselves in the middle of a struggle much bigger then they can fully comprehend, and when the dust finally settles, neither heaven nor hell will be the same.
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Rated by buyers -
Precious Dragon opens slowly and somewhat confusingly, as Williams has to set three or four parallel story-trains into motion. Unlike the very first two D.I. Chen books, you definitely shouldn't start here. Even readers who've read the very first two book may be doing a bit of head-scratching (and toe-tapping) until she gets all her balls into the air.
But then -- wow! All the cool stuff I've loved in the very first two books, and more! Viz, Chen musing on his mortality, aboard the Hell-bound train(!!): "When he died, as a devoted servant of the Goddess Kuan Yin, Most Merciful and Compassionate, he might reasonably expect to enter Heaven. Okay, he'd married a demon. His right-hand man was from Hell. On a previous, unfortunate occasion, he'd used the goddess' sacred image as a battering ram. Good thing she was Merciful and Compassionate..."
The Hell-bound Train! Can there be a more resonant image in SF&F?
Williams' iteration is spectacular: "It was bullet-shaped, grey and silver... , coruscated with magnificent ornamentation. Its engine was encased in the head of a centipede: of a kueri, and the name on its side read STORM LORD.
"Wow," Chen remarked. "It's certainly baroque."
Which isn't a bad description of William's book. Plus, it made me smile a lot. Liz Williams is a Jack Vance fan, and it shows. I haven't quite decided who Zhu Irzh, "large as life and twice as unnatural," reminds me of... Not quite as finely-crafted as the very first two, in my judgement, but if you've come this far, you won't want to stop now.
Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman
Rated by buyers 
-
Pin very first witnesses the disappearance of a fellow member of his opera company, then is himself transported into the body of a demon. Mrs. Pa arranges the marriage of her dead daughter, mistakenly sent to Hell, and is suddenly (only days later) gifted with the daughter's living son. An aging water-dragon frees herself and swims to join the other dragons who have gradually abandoned Earth for a section of heaven. And Detective Inspector Chen, together with his demon associate, Zhu Irzh and a heavenly warrior, Qi, is sent to Hell to investigate a possible cultural exchange.
There's no question that the demons are evil--they enjoy blood, backstab one another, seem fixated on war and sex, and play power games all the time. What is less clear is what's up in Heaven. Although Hell and Heaven have long been in balance, at least some of those in Heaven wish to end the balance, eliminate Hell, and cut themselves off from Earth itself. Only in their solitary perfection, they believe, can Heaven be perfect.
In Hell, Qi is kidnapped and Chen and Zhu Irzh have to head to the Ministry of Lust to set her free. Meanwhile, far larger forces are at work--bringing to a head the long-awaited battle between Heaven and Hell.
Author Liz Williams creates an enjoyable world. Zhu Irzh, with his dysfunctional family, dangerous love life, and cynical attitude makes a perfect sidekick to the noble but crafty Chen. I found the early going, as we flipped between point of view characters to be a little distracting, but Williams integrated the story lines into a coherent whole. PRECIOUS DRAGON is an enjoyable story--I'll certainly consider looking for more in the Inspector Chen series.
Rated by buyers -
If you have read the previous two Inspector Chen, this one will be enjoyed also. Plenty of action and surprises.
Rated by buyers -
In Precious Dragon, Liz Williams continues her fascinating amalgam of traditional Chinese style stories with modern detective tales. Mixing the celestial, demonic and middle world freely, her writing provides fascinating characters that strongly reflect oriental mythologies. Inspector Chen joins us again for a larger role in this book, and Precious Dragon and his grandmother are wonderful characters. We also get to see the badger-teapot demon again together with Inspector Chen's demon, but not very demonic, wife. I enjoyed her very first book and this book more than Demon and the City, but all are fun and require the reader to stretch their brain (and suspend disbelief) more than just a bit.
Rated by buyers -
This is the third in the Inspector Chen series by Liz Williams and certainly they get better every time. She has a marvelous way with words and weaves them together to make each paragraph and chapter a pleasure to read. As much as you may want to, this is not a book to rush through. It is a book to savor and cherish because it will probably be a while until the subsequent one. Rushing through it could also cause the reader to miss some beautifully written and rather important parts. Based in Chinese mythology these novels paint a unique picture of a futuristic world where the worlds of heaven and hell bleed into earth and mess about with daily human routine. You honestly can't get better than this. I've read some of Liz's other stories and while they were good, none of them hold a candle to these novels. She has truly found her world here and I hope she produces many more of these brilliant and exquisitely written books.
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