Taming Poison Dragons

China Trilogy #1

by Tim Murgatroyd

Western China, 1196: Yun Cai, a handsome and adored poet in his youth, is now an old man, exiled to his family estates. All that is left to him are regrets of a growing sense of futility and helplessness and the irritations of his feckless son and shrewish daughter-in-law. But the 'poison dragons' of misfortune shatter his orderly existence. First, Yun Cai's village is threatened with destruction by a vicious civil war. His wayward second son, a brutal rebel officer seems determined to ruin his entire family. Meanwhile, Yun Cai struggles to free an old friend, P'ei Ti, from a hellish prison- no easy task when P'ei Ti is the rebels' most valuable hostage and Yun Cai considers himself merely a spent, and increasingly frightened old man. Throughout these ordeals, Yun Cai draws from the glittering memories of his youth, when he journeyed to the capital to study poetry and join the upper ranks of the civil service: how he contended with rivalry and enmity among his fellow students and secured the friendship of P'ei Ti. Above all, he reflects on a great love he won and lost: his love for the beautiful singing girl, Su Lin, for which he paid with his freedom and almost his life. Yun Cai is forced to reconsider all that he is and all that he has ever been in order to determine how to preserve his honour and all that he finds he still cherishes. Only then can summon the wit and courage to confront the warlord General An-Shu and his beautiful but cruel consort, the Lady Ta-Chi.

Genres: Historical Fiction, China, Fantasy, Asia, Fiction

512 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Tim Murgatroyd was brought up in Yorkshire. He read English at Hertford College, Oxford University, and now lives with his family in York. Tim became fascinated with Ancient China when he discovered a slim volume of Chinese poetry in a second hand bookshop.

His first novel, Taming Poison Dragons set in 12th Century China, has been described as 'a captivatingly original and unforgettable story of tragedy and enduring love'. The sequel, Breaking Bamboo, is the second instalment of a trilogy charting the trials and adventures of the Yun clan during the Mongol invasion of China. The third part of his trilogy, The Mandate of Heaven, set during the brutal Mongol occupation of China was published in October 2013.

Taming Poison Dragons and Breaking Bamboo have now been translated into Chinese by the prestigious Shanghai Literature and Arts publishing house.

In an exciting new venture, Tim will be publishing a number of new e-titles with Matador (UK) in 2017.

The Nazi’s Daughter, a haunting time-shift novel set in World War 2 and contemporary New York.

Dust of the Earth, an epic love story set in troubled 1870s California and its fascinating early wine industry.

Three e-booklets of poetry in a series called ‘Poems for Mobiles’: Lullaby, Drunk and The Stars are Apples.

Please visit Tim's website www.timmurgatroyd.co.uk for further information about the fascinating background to these novels and his poetry.

Reviews

[Catherine Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taming Poison Dragons is set in 12th century China, not a place I thought I would necessarily want to be taken to. But taken to it I was. I felt as if I inhabited this amazing world and the images created.
It is a beautifully written novel, epic in scope (500 odd pages)and is a fascinating tale of life in this seemingly far removed time and place. It certainly shed new light for me on a world I knew nothing about.

The novel is centered around an old man who relives his youth as a striving young man trying to pass Imperial examinations (necessary for a high status job in Song Dynasty China), his abiding love for a 'singing girl'(think Memoirs of a Geisha, only better) and his relationship with his sons, one of whom has become a rebel who threatens to destroy the village and thereby his own father's honour.

What I learnt was that people are the same throughout history. Race and cultures may differ, but our joys and sorrows are the same. It is hard to do justice to this finely written novel, but don't be put off by a slightly militaristic cover, stunning though it is. This novel deals with war, yes - but also in equal measure - family, love, loyalty, ambition, old age, youth - and poetry! Can't be bad! Get it, read it, spread the word. It's a wonderful read and will stay with you for a long time.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprising find at the library, which I enjoyed a lot. He has gone to some trouble to make this very historically accurate, but characters are sympathetic, even the Second Son. The writer must have researched this period very thoroughly because his evocation of Chinese culture and beliefs rings very true. When this combined with a well crafted story, it makes for a gripping and satisfying read. there are no gimmicks or deus ex machina interventions, but just a progression of the story, in a conventional but satisfying manner. I hope he does not get trapped by the urge to write sequels, although I fear he may have.

[Kate Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taming Poison Dragons is one of those books you will remember vivid bits of even years after you've read it. The setting is amazingly described and the characters are great. I would have liked a different ending but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book as a whole.

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this: it has a faulty hero and a messy society. It was uneven, though, and too often dropped beneath its best.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yun Cai is an old poet/lord in a cruel, hierarchical 1196 China reflecting on his life as General An-Shu leads a rebellion against the Song Dynasty and Yun Cai’s friend, the powerful, P’ei Ti, captured by the rebels, needs to be freed. Yun Cai is far too obstinate and the love story with Su Lin a bit too soppy, but this 500-page epic is always involving. Yun Cai’s earlier life in the capital, exile to the battlefront, banishment back home, his family issues, as well as realistic characters and tense action and escapes constantly engage. This is by far the best in the trilogy

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took a while to get going, then I did get into it for a bit, but I did feel it was dragging towards the end. I found the old Yun Cai difficult to like, which put me off. I think I would have preferred it without the flashback structure.

[Corey Dutson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've got a distinct weakness for books that take place in Old China or Japan. There's just so much culture there, and when a good author can take that culture and weave a compelling story into the fabric? Well that's just swell.

Tim Murgatroyd has become an author I'll be watching closely. His writing style, while slightly long-winded at times, works perfectly for the genre and style of book that Taming Poison Dragons happens to be. It sucks you in and takes you along a brilliant story of a straightforward poet as he is dragged through the shifting landscape of politics in ancient China. It's a long story that fills you with pride and breaks your heart all at the same time.

It took me a while to get through this one, as the 320 page count is deceiving; it's basically written in bible-sized text. I'd probably place it more in the 500 page mark, myself. Regardless, I'm happy I took the time to read it, because goddamn, was that a great book.

[Mysterious Bunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this last year, and wanted to love it. The characters and description in the first half of the novel were engrossing, but I found its resolution strangely detached.

I believe this was a question of pacing. The use of two narratives was a great device in the first half of the book, but towards the end of it, I felt it was perhaps clunky.

The descriptions in the first half of the novel struck me as far more vivid than the ones towards the climax. Perhaps he skimped on description in the latter half of the book in an attempt to push the pace. I found this disengaging and too matter-of-fact when compared with the magic of the opening chapters.

I'd be interested in people's comments, as I read the book last year and am writing the review from memory. Perhaps I have missed something and need to give it a second chance...

[Tasha Mellins-Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book. The way Murgatroyd plays with time, using Yun Cai's memories to flit backwards into the past, is masterful. Yun Cai himself is a warm and engaging character despite being a grumbling old drunk - quite a feat! - and the depictions of Yun Cai's family and friends are equally lively. For some reason, the style brings to mind The Secrets of Jin-shei which was my introduction to the (sort of) world of medieval China.

The big surprise of the book for me was how much I enjoyed the poetry elements - I usually find this type of poetry stilted and artificial, but somehow in the context of the book and its characters, the style fits perfectly.

All in all, I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

To say I found this book at a tiny little library in a tiny little village, AMAZING!

[Mike Currie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting slice of history

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall pretty good look at Chinese culture in the 12th century. The narrative is split into the present and his past experience. The first half is certainly stronger but overall it is a good read.