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Beneath the Sky
THE DAWN OF EMPIRE
It was an age of bold adventurism, blazing pageantry, and unconquerable desires; an era marked by legendary dynasties like the Ballingers and the Maginnises. From the teeming ports of colonial Britain to the exotic shores of the Far East, the two clans fought to carve their place in history-one born to wealth and nobility, the other thrust by an act of betrayal into a world of devastating hardship. Their lives inexorably woven together, they will travel halfway around the world to discover the fate that awaits them...
BENEATH THE SKY
1837. Eighteen-year-old Queen Victoria ascends the British throne, ushering in a tumultuous age of expansion. The tiny island nation vies for supremacy of the seas, seeking new trade routes to the East and setting England against the ancient Celestial Empire of China. As the first shots of the conflict are fired, the tempestuous destinies of the two family lines are played out. Ross Ballinger, son of a prosperous tradesman, sets sail for China, where the raging Opium War plunges him into a storm tide of dangerous adventure and ill-fated love. Aristocratic Zoe Ballinger fights for prison reform, while hot-blooded Connor Maginnis vows vengeance against the all-powerful dynasty that ruined his family name.
It was an age of bold adventurism, blazing pageantry, and unconquerable desires; an era marked by legendary dynasties like the Ballingers and the Maginnises. From the teeming ports of colonial Britain to the exotic shores of the Far East, the two clans fought to carve their place in history-one born to wealth and nobility, the other thrust by an act of betrayal into a world of devastating hardship. Their lives inexorably woven together, they will travel halfway around the world to discover the fate that awaits them...
BENEATH THE SKY
1837. Eighteen-year-old Queen Victoria ascends the British throne, ushering in a tumultuous age of expansion. The tiny island nation vies for supremacy of the seas, seeking new trade routes to the East and setting England against the ancient Celestial Empire of China. As the first shots of the conflict are fired, the tempestuous destinies of the two family lines are played out. Ross Ballinger, son of a prosperous tradesman, sets sail for China, where the raging Opium War plunges him into a storm tide of dangerous adventure and ill-fated love. Aristocratic Zoe Ballinger fights for prison reform, while hot-blooded Connor Maginnis vows vengeance against the all-powerful dynasty that ruined his family name.
412 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
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December 16, 2017
This novel by Paul Block tells the story of two young men, Connor Maginnis and Ross Ballinger, in addition to their respective families, who have been locked inside of a bitter feud for the past sixteen years. The feud began when, as a result of a falling out between partners Edmund Ballinger and Graham Maginnis, Ballinger framed Maginnis on false charges, accusing Edmund of doing something he did not do. Because of this, he was sent to Millbank Prison in London, and his share in the Ballinger-Maginnis Trading Company was taken away from him completely, as was his joint ownership. It is because of this that there has been great enmity between both families, with the Ballingers employing mafia-style tactics as means of getting even with their enemies, from which even the Maginnises themselves have no immunity from. The backdrop of this novel is the coronation and early reign of of Queen Victoria, and many of the books earliest scenes have direct connections to said coronation. The first portions of the story generally center around Connor and his quest to find his father, while the rest of the story centers around Ross's time in southern China, in the port city of Canton. Below is a summary of some of the characters here:
1. Ross Ballinger: Eighteen when we first meet him, he is heir to the Ballinger Trading Company (what it has been called since Maginnis's ouster and imprisonment). Son of the the ever-shady Edmund, he comes across as being a bit of risk taker, and his father sees him as being a very mature person for his age. It is because of this that he sets sail for China not long after we are introduced to him. Most of the story revolves around him and his time in China.
2. Connor Maginnis: Three years older than Ross, he is the son of Ballinger's jailed partner. The early chapters focus on his quest for his father, who has been thought dead for the past sixteen years, only for him later to discover that he is, in fact, still alive. Acts as a sort of healing agent between the families via his relationship with the lovely Ballinger daughter, Zoe, whom he meets during his quest. Even though Zoe IS his girlfriend (and, later, wife), he still doesn't like the other Ballingers all that much. He was born in the United States, but came to England as a baby.
3. Zoe Ballinger (later, Maginnis): Daughter of Ross's wealthy and titled uncle, the Lord Cedric, she is known for being the object of tremendous physical beauty and elegance by all in London society. Aged nineteen when we meet her, she has a keen interest in advocating for various liberal causes, including prison reforms and even female voting rights. Connor enlists her help during his quest as to the whereabouts of his father, and, soon enough, they fall in love. Before she met Connor, she was engaged to Bertrand Cummington, a son of one of the most prominent London families.
4. Bertrand "Bertie" Cummington: Zoe's previous fiancé, his family is one of London's most prominent. Over ten years older than she is, everyone expects him to marry her in good time, though their relationship (at least from Zoe's angle), never progresses beyond a good friendship.
5. Austin Ballinger: Zoe's older brother, he is just as shady and corrupt as the other members of his family. With the hatred for the Maginnises still fresh in his mind, he sends hitmen on occasion to do his "dirty work", which can sometimes include killing, as was almost the case with Graham Maginnis, for example. He does this by bribing low level street criminals from the poor neighborhoods.
4. Emeline Maginnis: The daughter whom Graham has never met, she is sixteen years of age and terribly shy, timid, and quiet. Furthermore, she speaks in a stutter and seems to have some sort of learning disability. Prone to frequent bouts of crying. Born on her mother's deathbed, she was named in Mrs. Maginnis' honor.
5. Mrs. Emeline Maginnis (birth surname unknown): Wife of Graham Maginnis, she was born and raised in New York, and moved to Britain shortly after her son's birth. Died at the birth of her namesake, Emeline (see above).
6. Graham Maginnis: Once a successful Scottish trader, he worked alongside the English Ballinger family for many years until he was framed for something he did not do. Because of this, he has spent the past sixteen years of his life as a convict at London's Millbank Prison. Though thought dead for much of his imprisonment, he is discovered by his son, Connor, who is trying to fight for his release. However, just when a hearing on his situation is about to occur, he fatally stabs a prison guard who has been sent to kill him, on orders from the Ballinger family. For this he is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in Australia on the charges of murder and assault. Sent aboard the HMS "Weymouth", he never makes it there because the ship breaks apart at sea. He washes up on a small island in the Pacific, and takes a new name: Graham Millbank, and spends the rest of his life there, never to see his kids or England again.
7. Lin Mei-li (later, Mei-li Ballinger): The beautiful neice of the Commissioner, she lives at the Catholic mission run by Spanish missionaries in her hometown of Canton. Unlike many of the Chinese natives, she speaks English surprisingly well, even though her grammar isn't always right. When young Englishman Ross Ballinger comments on this, he is instantly smitten. At the end, she marries and is possibly impregnated by Ross, who has to leave China. Despite their love, Commissioner Lin says that a marriage between a white man and a Chinese girl would not look good, and instead wants her to marry a Chinese student he had arranged for her to marry instead.
8. Rev. Luis Nadal: The Rev. Luis Nadal is a Spanish missionary to China, and is head of the Catholic mission to the Chinese in Canton, where he also runs a Christian school for the local children. Fluent in both Chinese and English, it is here where Mei-li received most of her schooling and knowledge of the English language. His assistant is a local Chinese woman, Sister Carmelita, a converted fortune-teller.
9. Rev. Samuel Outerbridge: An English Puritan (Congregationalist), he is sent by the Church Mission Society to head the Protestant mission there. Alongside him is his wife, Hortense. Becomes good friends with Fr. Nadal, and they do several mission projects together.
10. Mrs. Hortense Outerbridge: Pastor Outerbridge's wife. Like her husband, she at first doesn't think much of the Chinese, but that changes soon enough.
11. Lin Tse-hsu: Chinese trade commissioner in Canton, his job is to keep tabs on the opium trade, which he wants stopped. Uncle to the abovementioned Mei-li, he adopted her after her parents passed away.
There are many other characters that I will not list here because of time. Hopefully, this should suffice it for now.
1. Ross Ballinger: Eighteen when we first meet him, he is heir to the Ballinger Trading Company (what it has been called since Maginnis's ouster and imprisonment). Son of the the ever-shady Edmund, he comes across as being a bit of risk taker, and his father sees him as being a very mature person for his age. It is because of this that he sets sail for China not long after we are introduced to him. Most of the story revolves around him and his time in China.
2. Connor Maginnis: Three years older than Ross, he is the son of Ballinger's jailed partner. The early chapters focus on his quest for his father, who has been thought dead for the past sixteen years, only for him later to discover that he is, in fact, still alive. Acts as a sort of healing agent between the families via his relationship with the lovely Ballinger daughter, Zoe, whom he meets during his quest. Even though Zoe IS his girlfriend (and, later, wife), he still doesn't like the other Ballingers all that much. He was born in the United States, but came to England as a baby.
3. Zoe Ballinger (later, Maginnis): Daughter of Ross's wealthy and titled uncle, the Lord Cedric, she is known for being the object of tremendous physical beauty and elegance by all in London society. Aged nineteen when we meet her, she has a keen interest in advocating for various liberal causes, including prison reforms and even female voting rights. Connor enlists her help during his quest as to the whereabouts of his father, and, soon enough, they fall in love. Before she met Connor, she was engaged to Bertrand Cummington, a son of one of the most prominent London families.
4. Bertrand "Bertie" Cummington: Zoe's previous fiancé, his family is one of London's most prominent. Over ten years older than she is, everyone expects him to marry her in good time, though their relationship (at least from Zoe's angle), never progresses beyond a good friendship.
5. Austin Ballinger: Zoe's older brother, he is just as shady and corrupt as the other members of his family. With the hatred for the Maginnises still fresh in his mind, he sends hitmen on occasion to do his "dirty work", which can sometimes include killing, as was almost the case with Graham Maginnis, for example. He does this by bribing low level street criminals from the poor neighborhoods.
4. Emeline Maginnis: The daughter whom Graham has never met, she is sixteen years of age and terribly shy, timid, and quiet. Furthermore, she speaks in a stutter and seems to have some sort of learning disability. Prone to frequent bouts of crying. Born on her mother's deathbed, she was named in Mrs. Maginnis' honor.
5. Mrs. Emeline Maginnis (birth surname unknown): Wife of Graham Maginnis, she was born and raised in New York, and moved to Britain shortly after her son's birth. Died at the birth of her namesake, Emeline (see above).
6. Graham Maginnis: Once a successful Scottish trader, he worked alongside the English Ballinger family for many years until he was framed for something he did not do. Because of this, he has spent the past sixteen years of his life as a convict at London's Millbank Prison. Though thought dead for much of his imprisonment, he is discovered by his son, Connor, who is trying to fight for his release. However, just when a hearing on his situation is about to occur, he fatally stabs a prison guard who has been sent to kill him, on orders from the Ballinger family. For this he is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in Australia on the charges of murder and assault. Sent aboard the HMS "Weymouth", he never makes it there because the ship breaks apart at sea. He washes up on a small island in the Pacific, and takes a new name: Graham Millbank, and spends the rest of his life there, never to see his kids or England again.
7. Lin Mei-li (later, Mei-li Ballinger): The beautiful neice of the Commissioner, she lives at the Catholic mission run by Spanish missionaries in her hometown of Canton. Unlike many of the Chinese natives, she speaks English surprisingly well, even though her grammar isn't always right. When young Englishman Ross Ballinger comments on this, he is instantly smitten. At the end, she marries and is possibly impregnated by Ross, who has to leave China. Despite their love, Commissioner Lin says that a marriage between a white man and a Chinese girl would not look good, and instead wants her to marry a Chinese student he had arranged for her to marry instead.
8. Rev. Luis Nadal: The Rev. Luis Nadal is a Spanish missionary to China, and is head of the Catholic mission to the Chinese in Canton, where he also runs a Christian school for the local children. Fluent in both Chinese and English, it is here where Mei-li received most of her schooling and knowledge of the English language. His assistant is a local Chinese woman, Sister Carmelita, a converted fortune-teller.
9. Rev. Samuel Outerbridge: An English Puritan (Congregationalist), he is sent by the Church Mission Society to head the Protestant mission there. Alongside him is his wife, Hortense. Becomes good friends with Fr. Nadal, and they do several mission projects together.
10. Mrs. Hortense Outerbridge: Pastor Outerbridge's wife. Like her husband, she at first doesn't think much of the Chinese, but that changes soon enough.
11. Lin Tse-hsu: Chinese trade commissioner in Canton, his job is to keep tabs on the opium trade, which he wants stopped. Uncle to the abovementioned Mei-li, he adopted her after her parents passed away.
There are many other characters that I will not list here because of time. Hopefully, this should suffice it for now.
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