It almost made him laugh. Only what was there to laugh at? Some days it felt as if he were living in a mental institution. But it wasn’t he who was insane.
Mary’s breathing changed.
She was silent briefly. Then, in a whisper, ‘Jake?’
He felt her fingers squeeze his own. Felt their warm presence in the dark, solid and familiar. Unmistakably hers.
He whispered back. ‘What is it, my love?’
‘Are we really here, or are we dreaming this?’
He laughed quietly. ‘You too, eh?’
‘Only…’ She stopped. For a moment he thought, perhaps, she’d gone to sleep again. Then, ‘Only my dreams seem more real sometimes than this.’
He smiled. So it was. And this strange congruence of feeling between them – who, back then, would have guessed it would develop? More like mind-reading than conversation.
‘Mary…?’
‘Yes, my love?’
‘I was back there today. In Corfe. Up on the ridgeway.’
‘In the sunlight?’
‘Yes…’ He laughed. ‘In the sunlight. I…’ Jake hesitated, then squeezed her hand again. ‘Tom was with me. He had his walking stick with him. You know… the one with the carved ram’s head.’
For a moment he wondered if he’d said too much. If he ought to have kept Tom out of it. But Mary seemed to sense that too.
‘It’s okay,’ she said, speaking quietly but no longer in a whisper. ‘You didn’t steal anything from him, Jake. Tom was Tom. He gave me my girls, yes, and lots of wonderful memories. But you’re you, and you added to what I had. Immeasurably. I’d not have had it different.’
‘No?’
‘Not a thing.’
For a moment he lay there, his heart swollen by her words, feeling pride and love and a thousand other things. So life had been.
Jake squeezed her hand. ‘Well, old girl… shall we rejoin the others?’
He sensed her smile in the darkness. ‘Guess we should, eh?’
‘Mary…?’
‘Yes, my love?’
‘Just kiss me. For old times’ sake…’
CHARACTER LISTING
MAJOR CHARACTERS
Jiang Lei
Also known as Nai Liu, ‘Enduring Willow’, Jiang is general of the Eighteenth Banner of Tsao Ch’un’s army. The foremost poet of his age, he is an honest man and a strict Confucian; a good man in bad times.
Reed, Jake
Before the Collapse Jake was a login or ‘webdancer’, one of the best, operating within the virtual landscape of the DatScape. When things fell, he fled to the West Country where he married and had a child, Peter. Twenty years on, his past is about to catch up with him.
Shepherd, Amos
Scion of his clan, Shepherd is the architect of the great City of Ice being steadily built across the globe by the tyrant, Tsao Ch’un. As Chief Advisor to the great man he has great power and influence. His main love, however, is for his art, and for the Domain, his golden valley outside the City he created.
Tsao Ch’un
Former member of the politburo, also known as ‘the Tyrant’, is the single powerful man responsible for conquering the world and unifying it as Chung Kuo, the ‘Middle Kingdom’. The target of assassins, he is fearless and cunning, ruling his newly-created City by means of his council of Seven.
THE SEVEN AND THE FAMILIES
Ch’eng I
Minor family prince and son of Ch’eng So Yuan
Ch’eng So Yuan
Minor family head
Cheng Yu
One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Fan Chang
One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Fan Cho
Son of Fan Chang
Fan Lin
Son of Fan Chang
Fan Peng
Eldest wife of Fan Chang
Fan Ti Yu
Son of Fan Chang
Hou Hsin-Fa
One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Li Chang So
Sixth son of Li Chao Ch’in
Li Chao Ch’in
One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Li Fu Jen
Third son of Li Chao Ch’in
Li Kuang
Fifth son of Li Chao Ch’in
Li Peng
Eldest son of Li Chao Ch’in
Li Shen
Second son of Li Chao Ch’in
Li Weng
Fourth son of Li Chao Ch’in
Pei Ko
One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Pei Lin-Yi
Eldest son of Pei Ko
Teng Liang
Minor family princess betrothed to Prince Ch’eng I
Tsao Ch’I Yuan
Youngest son of Tsao Ch’un
Tsao Ch’un
Tsao Heng
Second son of Tsao Ch’un
Tsao Wang-Po
Eldest son of Tsao Ch’un
Tsu Chen
One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Tsu Lin
Eldest son of Tsu Chen
Wang Hui So
One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Wang Lung
Eldest son of Wang Hui So
Wu Hsien
One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un
FRIENDS AND RETAINERS OF THE SEVEN
Aaltonen
Marshal and Head of Security for City Europe
Bakke
Marshal in Security
Chang Yu
Tsao Ch’un’s new appointment as First Dragon
Chen Yu
Steward to Tsao Ch’un in Pei Ch’ing
Cho Yi Yi
Master of the Bedchamber at Tongjiang
Ling
Steward at the Black Tower
Ma Shao Tu
Senior Servant to Li Chao Ch’in
Raikkonen
Marshal in Security
Shepherd, Amos
Chief Advisor to Tsao Ch’un and architect of City Earth
Svensson
Marshal in Security
Ts’ao P’i
‘Number Three’; steward at Tsao Ch’un’s court in Pei Ch’ing
Wei Shao
Chancellor to Tsao Ch’un
Wen P’ing
Tsao Ch’un’s man. A bully
Yu Ch’o
Family retainer to Wang Hui So
OTHER CHARACTERS
Anders
A mercenary
Beatrice
Daughter of Cathy Hubbard; granddaughter of Mary Reed
Big Wen
A ‘landowner’
Boss Yang
An exploiter of the people
Buck, John
Head of Development at the Ministry of Contracts
Chang Lai-hsun
Nephew of Chang Yi Wei
Chang Yi Wei
Senior brother of the Chang clan; owners of MicroData
Chao Ni Tsu
Computer genius; friend and advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Chen So I
Head of the Ministry of Contracts
Chi Fei Yu
An usurer
Chi Lin Lin
Legal assistant to Yang Hong Yu
Chiu Fa
Media commentator on the Mids news channel
Chun Hua
Wife of Jiang Lei
Curtis, Tim
Head of Human Resources for GenSyn
Dag
A mercenary
Ebert, Gustav
Ebert, Ludovic
Son of Gustav Ebert and GenSyn director
Ebert, Wolfgang
Joint Head of GenSyn; brother of Gustav Ebert
Einar
A mercenary
Feng I
Colonel in charge of Tsao Ch’un’s elite force
Grant, Thomas
Captain in Security
Haavikko, Knut
Major in Security
Henrik
A mercenary
Ho
Steward to Jiang Lei
Hsu Jung
Friend of Jiang Lei
Hubbard, Cathy
Daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard
Hubbard, Meg
Daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard
Hui
Receptionist for GenSyn
Hui Chang Ye
Senior Legal Advocate for the Chang family
Hung
Tsao Ch’un’s spy in Jiang Lei’s camp
Jiang Ch’iao-chieh
Eldest daughter of Jiang Lei
Jiang Lei
General of the Eighteenth Banner; Poet
Jiang San-chieh
Youngest daughter of Jiang Lei
Jung
Steward to Tobias Lahm
Karl
A mercenary
Ku
Marshal of the Fourth Banner Army
Kurt
Chief Technician
Lahm, Tobias
Eighth Dragon at the Ministry, ‘the Thousand Eyes’
Lo Wen
Granddaughter of Jiang Lei
Ming Hsin-fa
Senior Advocate for GenSyn
Nai Liu
‘Enduring Willow’, pen name of Jiang Lei
Pan Tsung-yen
Friend of Jiang Lei
P’eng Chuan
Sixth Dragon at the Ministry, the ‘Thousand Eyes’
P’eng K’ai-chi
Nephew of P’eng Chuan
Ragnar
A mercenary
Reed, Jake
Ex-webdancer; father of Peter; husband of Mary
Reed, Mary
Wife of Jake Reed
Reed, Tom
Son of Jake and Mary Reed
Reed, Peter
Son of Jake Reed; executive employee of GenSyn
Rheinhardt
Media Liaison Manager for GenSyn
Schwartz
Aid to Marshal Aaltonen
Shao Shu
First Steward at Chun Hua’s mansion
Shao Yen
Major in Security. Friend of Meng Hsin-fa
Shen Fu
The First Dragon; Head of the Ministry
Shepherd Alexandra
Wife of Amos Shepherd and daughter of Charles Melfi
Shepherd, Augustus
Son of Amos Shepherd
Shepherd, Beth
Daughter of Amos Shepherd
Shu Liang
Senior Legal Advocate
Tai Yu
‘Moonflower’, maid to Gustav Ebert. A GenSyn clone
Tsu Shi
Steward to Gustav Ebert. A GenSyn clone
Tu Mu
Assistant to Alison Winter at GenSyn
Wei
A Judge
Winter, Alison
Ex-girlfriend of Jake Reed; Head of Evaluation at GenSyn
Winter, Jake
Only son of Alison Winter
Wu Chi
AI (Artificial Intelligence) to Tobias Lahm
Yang Hong Yu
Legal Advocate
Yo Jou Hsi
A Judge
THE DEAD
Chang Li Chen
Junior Dragon in charge of drafting the Edict of Technological Control
Ching Su
Friend of Jiang Lei
Judd, Drew
Actor; star of Ubik
Melfi, Charles
Father of Alexandra Shepherd
Reed, May
Sister of Jake Reed
Shen Chen
Son of Shen Fu
Su Tung-p’o
Han official and poet of the Eleventh Century
Tsao Hsiao
Tsao Ch’un’s eldest brother
Wang An-Shih
Han official and poet of the Eleventh Century
GLOSSARY OF MANDARIN TERMS
Ch’un Tzu
An ancient Chinese term from the Warring States period, describing a certain class of noblemen, controlled by a code of chivalry and morality known as the li, or rites. Here the term is roughly, and sometimes ironically, translated as ‘gentlemen’. The ch’un tzu is as much an ideal state of behaviour – as specified by Confucius in the Analects – as an actual class in Chung Kuo, though a degree of financial independence and a high standard of education are assumed prerequisites.
Hung Mao
Literally ‘redheads’, the name the Chinese gave to the Dutch (and later English) seafarers who attempted to trade with China in the seventeenth century. Because of the piratical nature of their endeavours (which often meant plundering Chinese shipping and ports) the name has connotations of piracy.
Ko Ming ‘revolutionary’
The T’ien Ming is the Mandate of Heaven, supposedly handed down from Shang Ti, the Supreme Ancestor, to his earthly counterpart, the Emperor (HuangTi). This Mandate could be enjoyed only so long as the Emperor was worthy of it, and rebellion against a tyrant – who broke the Mandate through his lack of justice, benevolence, and sincerity – was deemed not criminal but a rightful expression of Heaven’s anger.
pi p’a
A four-stringed lute used in traditional Chinese music.
San Kuo Chih Yen I
The Romance of The Three Kingdoms is a long book of 120 chapters, covering a hundred years, from the downfall of the Han dynasty to China’s reunification under the Tsin in ad 265. Based partly on fact, part on myth, it is still regularly read in public and is China’s most engrossing heroic saga. Its opening words say much of the Han’s attitudes towards history – ‘The empire when united tends to disruption, and when partitioned, strives once more for unity.’ Anyone studying Chinese history would see the truth in those words.
Wen ch’a te
‘Elegance’ – this is much more the expression of a concept, that of a certain sense of perfection embodied within that elegance, than a simple descriptive term.
Yin yueh ‘music’
Again, the word is used conceptually, almost poetically here.
Ying Kuo
England, or, more often these days, the United Kingdom.
AUTHOR’S NOTE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Much has happened between the publication of the first of these prequels, SON OF HEAVEN, and this second helping. One of the developments I’ve enjoyed most is the creation of a wonderful new home for Chung Kuo on the internet – Matt Acevedo’s Of Gifts And Stones: The Chung Kuo Website. For anyone wanting further information on what’s happening with the sequence, search it out at http://ofgiftsandstones.com. There’s a lot of Chung Kuo-related material on it, and I’ll be blogging from time to time. The official series website and blog can be found at http://www.chung-kuo.net.
Special thanks this time out go to everyone at Corvus, for their enthusiasm, and to my good friends – you know who you are – who’ve helped me with encouragement and advice.
Additional thanks go to George R. R. Martin, for writing of an exceptional level. His A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE sequence has lost me many hours of sleep these past few months. May he keep producing work of such magnificence.
Finally, a word of thanks to Larry Rostant, painter extraordinaire, for the covers.
DAVID WINGROVE
June 2011