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Overseer Series #2
Последната императрица
През 1860 г. в Забранения град в Пекин се появява млад мъж с поразителни сапфиреносини очи. Той, изглежда, знае всичко за бъдещето... Това е Рандъл Чен – пътешественик във времето, изпратен в миналото с мисията да брани най-великото съкровище в Азия.
Но въпреки изключителната си прозорливост, Рандъл подценява императрица Цъ Си – пресметлива манджурска красавица, копнееща ненаситно за власт. С помощта на интелекта и чара си тя обръща способностите му в своя полза.
А последствията ще отекват през вековете...
Но въпреки изключителната си прозорливост, Рандъл подценява императрица Цъ Си – пресметлива манджурска красавица, копнееща ненаситно за власт. С помощта на интелекта и чара си тя обръща способностите му в своя полза.
А последствията ще отекват през вековете...
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 5, 2021
A historical novel/science fiction/thriller with a little mysticism thrown in. The hidden subtext in the Dead Sea Scrolls is deciphered, and it reveals instructions for building a time machine, and "mission notes" for sending a man back in time to fix history, and preserve the life force of the planet. The life force resides in a tree in the gardens of the Forbidden City in 19th century China. The English and French armies of the Second Opium War threaten to destroy the tree. If that happens, ecological disaster will follow. Randall Chen travels back in time to protect the tree. But his dying boss asks him to bring back some sap from the Tree of Life to save his life. Randall also faces the temptation of using the sap himself. History starts going wildly off course. Can balance be restored?
You gotta love time travel, if only to see how they pulled it off this time. Here's a fun fact from this version: all people who are capable of time travel, whether born that way or genetically altered, have bright blue eyes. I enjoyed the way events that the characters say "were not supposed to have happened" are things that actually did happen. So the history we have now, including the Boxer Rebellion, is the history we got because of the interference of people from the future. I also enjoyed the part where history begins to rapidly change, and all the history books change every day, even the paper copies. I enjoyed the details of Imperial China: the silks, the carvings, the colors. I enjoyed the description of the sap of the tree of life, golden and viscous, swirling of its own accord. Perhaps a bit too much blood and gore, with heads being hacked off, but it is a war.
The lessons are conventional: Greed is bad. Disobeying God's instructions is bad. Preserving the balance of nature is good. Power corrupts. Temptation is pretty hard to resist. I was most interested in how they got all this information out of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but that was sketched over without detail. I wondered why God, who was supposedly behind this scheme, needed so much help. But I enjoyed the story anyway.
You gotta love time travel, if only to see how they pulled it off this time. Here's a fun fact from this version: all people who are capable of time travel, whether born that way or genetically altered, have bright blue eyes. I enjoyed the way events that the characters say "were not supposed to have happened" are things that actually did happen. So the history we have now, including the Boxer Rebellion, is the history we got because of the interference of people from the future. I also enjoyed the part where history begins to rapidly change, and all the history books change every day, even the paper copies. I enjoyed the details of Imperial China: the silks, the carvings, the colors. I enjoyed the description of the sap of the tree of life, golden and viscous, swirling of its own accord. Perhaps a bit too much blood and gore, with heads being hacked off, but it is a war.
The lessons are conventional: Greed is bad. Disobeying God's instructions is bad. Preserving the balance of nature is good. Power corrupts. Temptation is pretty hard to resist. I was most interested in how they got all this information out of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but that was sketched over without detail. I wondered why God, who was supposedly behind this scheme, needed so much help. But I enjoyed the story anyway.
April 5, 2019
"Последната императрица" е една вълнуваща разходка в миналото и подобаващо продължение на "Честотата на Шуман".
Доста годинки се изнизаха и много странички прелетяха между двата тома от поредицата за Надзирателя. Но въпреки това, компанията на Уилсън много ми допадна. Няма да крия, че тежките военни сцени от Втората опиумна война не ми бяха много по вкуса. Описанията на сблъсъците между китайските и съюзническите англо-френски войски ми вървеше малко тромаво. Макар да разбирам чудесно значението на тези епизоди за самата история, докато не се разрових и не открих колко достоверно са предадени някои реални събития, цялата работа ми беше доста бавно.
Преплитането на факти и фантастика наистина ме увлече, още повече предвид епохата на опиумните войни, които за мен бяха пълна мъгла, въпреки интереса ми към Викторианската ера. Адмирации за Райд, който толкова детайлно е проучил историческия фон на романа. Със сигурност ще продължа към третата книга от поредицата.
Доста годинки се изнизаха и много странички прелетяха между двата тома от поредицата за Надзирателя. Но въпреки това, компанията на Уилсън много ми допадна. Няма да крия, че тежките военни сцени от Втората опиумна война не ми бяха много по вкуса. Описанията на сблъсъците между китайските и съюзническите англо-френски войски ми вървеше малко тромаво. Макар да разбирам чудесно значението на тези епизоди за самата история, докато не се разрових и не открих колко достоверно са предадени някои реални събития, цялата работа ми беше доста бавно.
Преплитането на факти и фантастика наистина ме увлече, още повече предвид епохата на опиумните войни, които за мен бяха пълна мъгла, въпреки интереса ми към Викторианската ера. Адмирации за Райд, който толкова детайлно е проучил историческия фон на романа. Със сигурност ще продължа към третата книга от поредицата.
January 14, 2020
The Last Empress (previously titled The First Boxer)
Randall Chen, Overseer of the Mission of Ezra, has been sent back to 19th century China to protect a priceless treasure hidden in the Forbidden City. A treasure beyond compare on which hangs the fate of the world, a treasure for which men will destroy nations...
Stuck between the armies of the British Empire, The Chinese Emperor and the Mongol Lord, Randall must ensure that history stays on course and the future is safeguarded. But no one can predict what Randall Chen will do when faced with the Empress Ci Xi, an irresistible woman with an insatiable lust for power. Has he betrayed the mission or been betrayed by The Enterprise Corporation who sent him into the past? And will Wilson Dowling get there in time to save the future?
Randall Chen, Overseer of the Mission of Ezra, has been sent back to 19th century China to protect a priceless treasure hidden in the Forbidden City. A treasure beyond compare on which hangs the fate of the world, a treasure for which men will destroy nations...
Stuck between the armies of the British Empire, The Chinese Emperor and the Mongol Lord, Randall must ensure that history stays on course and the future is safeguarded. But no one can predict what Randall Chen will do when faced with the Empress Ci Xi, an irresistible woman with an insatiable lust for power. Has he betrayed the mission or been betrayed by The Enterprise Corporation who sent him into the past? And will Wilson Dowling get there in time to save the future?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 10, 2025DNF due to feeling bored with this. It felt like a history book for me and I felt that things from book 1 were ignored and not mentioned at all from the end of the book.
I enjoyed the first so was upset not to like this as much.
I enjoyed the first so was upset not to like this as much.
November 14, 2018
brillant blending of historical facts and science fiction ,well pace story,second novel in a series,obtain a copy soon.
May 4, 2021
DNA is made up of four base pairs. DNA produces proteins, it is not made of them.
October 28, 2016
A very enjoyable book, lot's to get the reader involved with, lot's to think about. Fairly intense story line and well written. Falls in a heap a little at the end, but leaves the reader contemplating what might have been, and curious to look up the actual historical facts. I had no idea until the end that this book would touch on real events and real historical figures. The science behind the time travel is plausibly described, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an action thriller with a little more than the run of the mill heroics
June 25, 2015
I read it (listened to it actually) all the way through despite it not really being my bag. I mean, time travel book! It is a boy-book and the unswervingly stereotypical characterisation got boring. It is a sequel so it was interesting to find out "what happened next" but over all it is a very average read. It did make me want to find out more historical fact about Chinese history and Ci Xe the empress though!
March 2, 2010
A very interesting look at the opeum wars, the Boxer Rebellion and the last imperial rulers of China especially Empress Cixi. Several inconsiquential love stories are also included for those who need them. My primary interest was in 19th century Chinese history and the effect it has had on subsiquent events.
August 18, 2012
This is a stand alone book but also the sequel to the Schumann Exchange. Set in the future but sending people back to the past is how this book works. Randall Chen goes back to early China to thwart a takeover by the British. What happens when you try to change the past...............
March 4, 2014
Leider hat der Klappentext einen etwas anderen Inhalt vermuten lassen, der mir deutlich besser gefallen hätte.
January 1, 2016
the premise is interesting, but the characters and the story are just not well written. figures that are pretty much omnipotent are just destined to become boring.
June 23, 2011
dreadful
June 3, 2012
The sequel to The Schumann Frequency is every bit as good. Can't wait for the next one!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews