Dreaming of Zhou Gong

The Timekeepers #1

by Traci Harding

Set in ancient China, DREAMING OF ZHOU GONG is a beautiful story of Hudan, one of the mysterious Wu who lives on the sacred mountain of Li Shan. The Wu have been living in isolation for decades while the Shang Emperor and his enchantress have ruled the land. It has been a terrible time for the common people and the noble Ji brothers are keen to bring the emperor′s arrogant bloodthirsty reign to an end. They believe an ancient prophecy has predicted the fall of the Shang emperor and they are keen to enact it, but first they must journey to the mountain and seek out the Wu.

When the Ji brothers join forces with the beautiful, enigmatic Hudan and her equally mysterious tiger sister, they begin a powerful journey of love and adventure.

But the Shang emperor is not their greatest threat. There is a dark curse that has plagued the rulers of the land for generations. And the mysterious Sons of the Sky who visit Hudan in her dreams have a plan to destroy it. Can Hudan trust them?

DREAMING OF ZHOU GONG is a beautitful, evocative journey through ancient China.

Genres: Fantasy, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Fiction, China, Historical, Historical Fiction

448 pages, ebook

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

Traci Harding, is an Australian science-fantasy author who currently has twelve books in publication, on the Voyager label of HaperCollins Publishers Australia.

Her work blends fantasy, fact, esoteric belief, time travel and quantum physics, into adventurous romps through history, ulternative dimensions, universes and states of consciousness.


The Ancient Future Trilogy
Book 1 -The Ancient Future 1996
Book 2 -An Echo in Time 1997
Book 3 - Masters of Reality 1998

Stand Alone Novels
The Alchemists Key 1998
Book of Dreams 2002
Ghostwriting 2003

The Celestial Triad
Book 1 – Chronicle of Ages 1999
Book 2 – Tablet of Destinies 2000
Book 3 – The Cosmic Logos 2001

The Mystique Trilogy
Book 1 – Gene of Isis 2005
Book 2 – The Dragon Queens 2007
Book 3 – The Black Madonna 2008


Triad of Being
Book 1 - Being of the Field 2009
Book 2 - The Universe Parallel 2010
Book 3 - The Light Field 2012

The Time Keepers
Book 1 - Dreaming of Zhou Gong 2013
Book 2 - Forthcoming
Book 3 - Forthcoming

The Ancient Future is currently listed on both the Dymock’s Top 101 Books. Along with The Alchemist's Key, The Ancient Future has been published in Complex Chinese for worldwide release.

The first book of the Mystique Trilogy -Gene of Isis is now to be published in Russian, Czech, Slavic, Greek and Romanian, as is book two The Dragon Queens.

Reviews

[Bon Tom]

This is one of extremely rare cases where I knew right from the start this book is not for me. After an hour in, there's no doubt about it. It reads more like a textbook of Chinese language than anything else, because there are so many names of people, families and places. And because they all sound so similar to untrained ear, it all turns to mush very soon. And mush becomes one big grey field of nothingness where nothing happens even when it does. The said happening usually seems to be some emotional outburst of some character which also start to sound uniform because it seems so expected, almost dutiful, in the depicted culture. I'm giving up too soon to tag it and badge it with any ratings. Maybe it's great, just not for me.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't complete this book. I felt that the story and characters didn't really do anything unexpected. The characters also experience extreme emotions towards each other constantly! I would understand that a character would feel elated being in a good situation. But it felt like every 5 pages a character would have an emotional revelation. It doesn't seem to level out at all.

The story also was so linear and almost boring. Where the expected climax turns out to get a seriously underwhelming scene. There is then a follow up plot that you would think the author had intended to act as the real centre of conflict for the characters. However again this scene felt wholly underwhelming.

It just feels like an over romanised story about a man and a woman, add some random gods who basically solve any issue presented to them. I was apparently under the incorrect impression this was the theory about an escapade to save a country. However, the of saving the country has very little sense of conflict. As each challenge is surmounted with the utmost ease, its more about waiting for the GOD to be ready for them to do anything. Your going see more of "ohh I want you so much but I can't have you" re-iterated every 5 pages.

[Rosita Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up for $2 in an op shop and thought the blurb sounded interesting. A got two chapters in and did some Googling on the author, for surely something so poorly written and edited had to be self-published. While I don't hate self-published books, this one was truly awfully written I thought it had to be a self-edited job.

No, it's published by HarperCollins and to them I say: do you not read or edit your writers anymore?

The story could have been told so much better had a lot of tautological phrases, exposition and unbelievably cringeworthy dialogue had been cut.

I've worked in editing and publishing for many years and I honestly cannot believe such a popular publishing house let this one slip through the cracks. The story seemed solid but to me, was lost in the mire of such poor writing! Perhaps this author would be better scriptwriting where exposition is more acceptable.

In reading other reviews, it's clear this author has a loyal following - which I understand because, like I said, the story, the time travel, the spiritual concepts are solid.

I couldn't finish this book because I found the characters incredibly one-dimensional and, really, who talks like that? Especially in ancient China!

[Tien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember, many years ago, of having read about 2 or 3 chapters of this book and re-shelving it. I don't recall why but I do know that I didn't unhaul because she's a favourite author and the book is signed (& personalised). I'm sooo glad I didn't unhaul because this time around, I enjoyed it so much and could barely put it down.

Please do not read this in expectation of historical fiction because this is firmly fantasy and in the end, linked back to the universe most of author's works are set in. I was both happy and disappointed about this fact. Happy because I have loved those other reads and disappointed because I kind of hoped for something different. Such conundrum! Nevertheless, I'm keen to get on with the rest of the trilogy now... a decade late but such is the life of a moody reader ;p

[Lyn Haines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Traci Harding bends both time and space in order to weave a fantastical tale of intrigue, war and the supernatural set against the background of ancient China AND alternate dimensions in the far distant future.

Intrigued?

At over 600 pages it's not an overnight read but I did enjoy how she slowly built in the science fiction elements into the historical fiction narrative. Once I accepted the modern language an expression of the origins of the major characters in a different time, it worked well to make Dreaming of Zhou Gong an highly enjoyable read.

[Emily Craven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the plot line of this book as I am fascinated with ancient cultures. But I picked this book up thinking I was in for one story (set in China with magic as a part of the culture) and ended up in a completely different genre of book (a sci-fi one with time machines and different planets). Though I liked the evolution of ideas, it was completely disconcerting and a little annoying to learn I was making false assumptions because I didn't have the genre right from the get go. The other thing that annoyed me had more to do with writing craft, I was told everything! I was told what emotions each character had (and then told the emotions of all the other non-view point characters in the scene) and never ever shown those emotions through character body language and dialogue do I could actually FEEL them. As a result I only had a very shallow connection to the characters. So, in conclusion, good concept, but poorly executed. You won't regret reading it but it also won't be the best book you've ever read.

[Barkent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoying this book which has a fantastical plot and storyline. Must be getting old though as I find traci harding's tendency to anachronistic language REALLY annoying. Especially coming out of an ancient, presumably Chinese, setting. Having the heir to the throne feel "gutted" has been the worst so far. at least she hasn't used the word "awesome". She also failed to create any real sense of the story taking place in another time and place other than for the Wu floating island thing. But, those things aside its a good story, so far. This is probably not a book I would have picked up in a bookshop, so I am pleased to read it after being lent a copy by a friend.

[Jennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Traci's written a few trilogies now, but it's like she only ever had one idea and then wrote a bunch of books with the SAME characters the SAME basic plot and spread them out over a buttload of books.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5?

I'm torn... I love TH's TAF trilogy, and basically, the souls of those characters have flowed through to this book... Literally, living out different incarnations while remembering snippets of previous ones. But it's been A LONG time since I read TAF extended series or the ToB follow on, so I wasn't quite as switched on as I would have liked to be, which irritated me.

Then there's the fact that we are in ancient times, with ancient people saying 'holy shit'. And weird local customs and systems, that then get switched randomly with duke or King or some average word/description/other, when there has been a point made before and after of it having a 'local' terms or customs.

I'm not sure if I want to read on, drop the series, or reread the whole series from TAF1. I MIGHT even reread TAF tril and just stop at that :/. (It's a whole other story to have medieval knights high diving and flipping each other off when they have a woman show up from the future and kick thiervasses with her black belts...) It feels like TH's a bit stuck on the wow factor of souls and universal power, without bothering keep the story tidy... cause it'll take care of itself. Guess it could... but the messy bugs me, even tho I love the souls and universal power.

[Tsurumi Tetsuko · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd honestly rate it a solid 8/10. The ending was smart, I loved the little giddy feeling it ignited in my heart. (I won't spoil haha...) It was a lovely book, layered with plot and wonderfully written character developments. The attention paid to the cultural detail was astounding, and so is the writing style. You can really tell a character's personality through their dialog, which is an achievement! The only downside was the length of the book, it was my first time reading a book so thicc, and honestly even with lockdown I didn't really make progress either until I implemented my habit of reading during dinner. Even then my dinner is 25 - 45 mins at most, I can't read much :P There was also an issue with some parts of the book feeling too dragged out or filler-ish, but I feel like that mainly had to do with how I was lazy to read the book hahaha

The book also features a wonderful sense of humour that amicably balances out the serious moments in the book. Unlike other books, the book managed to stick to comedy all while properly respecting the serious moments that needed their own space and time :) The characters are wonderful, my personal favourite is honestly Jiang Huxin and Fen Gong <3 Ji Shi and Ling Hu are right behind them ;)

[Joss · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing blend between historical china and futuristic time travel. Having read many of Traci Harding's books, I have to say I am slightly disappointed (in myself) that I could not keep up with the continuous changing of the names of the characters. This could be basically because I am unfamiliar with eastern language.
The book is over 500 pages and I make it a resolution to not read a book if I do not like it, so whilst I complain in the above paragraph, it wasn't enough to stop reading.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish past the first third of the book. The writing style was terrible: turgid and expository. The characterisation was flimsy and there was little or no dramatic tension. Paragraphs were spent describing the wallpaper, music and the layout of the garden and yet the main dramatic impetus - the suffering of the people under an evil emperor and his consort - was merely reported as an aside in a long and tedious conversation. A generous two stars,

[Sweetie AnKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a bad read. Was in a reading slump so it took a while to finish. The storyline is still developing and thus leaves a bit of mystery to the story and how they will face off with the evil. However, a bit confusing with all the jumping and adding story within story to this story…plus all the names that keep popping up. I couldn’t keep them all straight. I’m hoping Brooke two will straighten some of this confusion out.

[J Thorne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style of writing was not for me, it didn't seem right for the time period it seems to be set in. The characters and their relationships felt a little...forced? It just didn't quite come together very well.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept but the execution was lacking

[Trish Goodgame · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish - found it too confusing

[Red · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Ming's fantasy myth library · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

I like the historical fantasy part of this book, but the time travel/science fiction part is a little bit absurd for me. The romance is cute yet the ending is felt disoriented

[Ethan Ly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

[Lionel Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this fantasy.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to a few hours and gave up. I enjoyed the others in this series, but this is clunky and boring. I couldn't see it adding much so I stopped.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I read The Dark Age back when I was fourteen (a friend of my older brother at school gave it to me, since he knew I loved fantasy and wanted to be a writer and that I was also dyslexic) I have been a HUGE fan of Traci Harding! While to be honest, it is hard for these new series to compare to my utmost adoration and teenage love of Tory and her children and the Chosen, it is really nice to just be back with those characters.
Like my love-affair with Anne McCaffrey's The Tower and the Hive series Traci Harding has built a group of characters that I can open up any book and just know where I am in time/space, it's like a tv-show that I know SO well I'm there, inside it, with the characters and I am happy, angry, annoyed and infused with the tale. That's what I love about the Tower and Hive series and that's what I've enjoyed about Traci Harding's work as well -- the characters. It's all about them.

Dreaming of Zhou Gong was great, I read it over a few days, contemplating it when I wasn't reading it. My only, only issue with it was actually (hilariously enough) two of the characters actions towards each other that felt kind of out of place in the philosophy of the series 'world' -- you know, when you build a world around the pure emotions of love, acceptance, goodwill etc. then I really thought that two brother's -- the sons of Tory would follow that philosophy to the letter, being the Chosen. So I was really irked by their scenes. I'm really...really not sure why this bothered me so much...
As in -- it still bothers me after having finished the whole Timekeeper trilogy, so that's really odd. XD

Never the less. I LOVED getting back into the world, the characters, and enjoying going back the Kila and Ancient China was awesome. Traci Harding has a beautiful way of writing that lets you, the reader, paint a picture of the characters, the setting and all that goes on. It's fabulous. I loved it when I was a teenager and I still love it.

I will always buy her books. So she has a fan in me still. :)

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreaming of Zhou Gong is a bold, metaphysical adventure that blends ancient Chinese mysticism, time travel, and soul evolution into a unique and ambitious story. Traci Harding continues her signature style of weaving spirituality and science fiction, offering a deeply introspective narrative that fans of her work will appreciate. While it’s imaginative and thought-provoking, it can also be a bit challenging in its structure and tone.

What I Liked:
- The integration of Taoist philosophy and dream states adds a fresh and fascinating layer to the time-travel genre.
- Harding’s characters continue to grow in emotional and spiritual depth, especially as the story explores karma and reincarnation.
- The book dares to ask big questions about reality, identity, and the nature of the soul, something few fiction writers attempt so openly.

What I Didn’t:
- The narrative can feel disjointed at times, especially when shifting between realms or timelines, it requires close attention.
- The heavy metaphysical content might be a bit much for readers who prefer more grounded storytelling.
- Some of the dialogue leans toward exposition, with characters often acting as mouthpieces for spiritual ideas rather than fully fleshed individuals.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read November 2023

Re-read January 2021. This is my third read-through. The first time I read this book it took quite a while to wrap my brain around the Chinese names (of people, places and things) and some of the concepts I wasn't familiar with. While the second time it was easier to remember names, I was still a little confused sometimes. I honestly think that this is the first (perhaps the second, but I can't remember another 'first') book I've read that is set in China, ancient or modern. It's not a country or a culture I know a lot about, not a language I'm familiar with beyond the names of a few cities and of food. A big wall, pandas, ancient porcelain, good food, amazing scenery, dragons, Chinese new year, terracotta warriors... Those terms/topics probably sum up what I knew about China befor Traci took me there. Oh, and everyone I know who's been there on holiday swears that it's an amazing country with very friendly people & ridiculously amazing scenery... But anyway... Ancient China, Traci Harding style, has definitely won me over!

As for being on another adventure with this bunch of characters: Great fun indeed! :-)

Re-read May/June 2019.

May/June 2015.

[Carla Khoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic installment for Traci Harding. I'm addicted to the characters, their love, their power, it's a lot of fun and always makes me think hard about my life and what I value. That said, Traci always appears to do a lot of research into the lands she send us too, and here we're in ancient China, with mythical priestesses that can fight better than any warrior, some can even shape shift, and warlords, both the 'honorable and brave' types, and the ones you know are trouble. Hard to put down, yet another page turner. Looking forward to the next installment!

[Tarran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Traci's books. This whole story arc has been one massive ride and it just keeps getting better. I love the tone of the book and it seems to bring something new to the table. I like how the characters keep developing and with each life, the evolve into something new. The Asian aspect of this book is fascinating and I am learning new things as I read. All in all, a very well written book. I shudder to think of how Traci keeps track of who everyone is, was and where they all are at one time. Good job!

[Jacinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read and loved the Masters of Reality series by Traci Harding I was a little bit disappointed by this book in that it seems to follow a very similar pattern. The idea that people have their one true soul mate and even as they reincarnate they will always find the same people to live their lives with again and again and that a group of people are destined to change the course of history.

The only difference was this book was set in Ancient China instead of Ancient Britain and it didn't have quite so strong lead female characters.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Traci's works to date and have not been disappointed. Dreaming of Zhou Gong, the first in the timekeeper series was no exception. I loved the setting of ancient China and the blending of fantasy and sci-fi she does so well. The inclusion of the book of changes and the female shamans of China are some of the favourite parts, I love that she does her research. I enjoyed every page.

[Linda Horvejkul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel was such a delight to read, I found myself staying up til 5am reading it! I was completely immersed in the ever changing story line with great characterisation and humour. The romance side of it just left me in awe and on edge. The fluidity of the novel from Traci's writing just made me finish the novel within 4 days. I loved the setting of the story too (a bonus for me because I just love ancient china)

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, all round. At some points I found it exciting, hard to put down, but this seemed to taper off a little bit, and whilst I was still interested, I found myself picking it up far more sporadically later in the story. I do appreciate stories that don't convene to the standard "ramp up, crisis, conclude" format, but ultimately I'm not going to run out and pursue other books in this series. Actual rating 3.5 stars, not bad, but not necessarily memorable.