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Chung Kuo Recast #3
The Middle Kingdom
The great Empire of Ice – Chung Kuo – has finally been shaken after more than two centuries of peace enforced by brutal tyranny. The Minister of the Edict has been assassinated and the seven ruling T’ang struggle to maintain Stasis, even as their mile-high, continent-spanning cities descend into chaos.
But the assassination was orchestrated by men close to the ruling powers; powerful merchants - Dispersionists - intent on Change, whose betrayal will lead them into the world-shattering War of the Two Directions.
But the assassination was orchestrated by men close to the ruling powers; powerful merchants - Dispersionists - intent on Change, whose betrayal will lead them into the world-shattering War of the Two Directions.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
58 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
David Wingrove
50 books165 followersDavid Wingrove (born September 1954 in North Battersea, London) is a British science fiction writer. He is well-known as the author of the "Chung Kuo" novels (eight in total). He is also the co-author (with Rand and Robyn Miller) of the three "Myst" novels.
Wingrove worked in the banking industry for 7 years until he became fed up with it. He then attended the University of Kent, Canterbury, where he read English and American Literature.
He is married and, with his wife Susan, has four daughters Jessica, Amy, Georgia, and Francesca.
Between 1972 and 1982 he wrote over 300 unpublished short stories and 15 novels.
He started work on a new fictional project called A Perfect Art. Between 1984 and 1988, when it was first submitted, the title was changed twice, becoming first A Spring Day at the Edge of the World and then finally Chung Kuo, under which title it was sold to 18 publishers throughout the world.
A prequel to the Chung Kuo series, called When China Comes, was released in May 2009 by Quercus Publishing, which also re-released the entire series: "The series has been recast in nineteen volumes, including a new prequel and a new final volume. After a series launch in May 2009, Quercus will embark on an ambitious publishing programme that will see all nineteen volumes available by the end of 2012."
He has plans for a further a novels, a a first person character novel called Dawn in Stone City and three very different novels: The Beast with Two Backs, Heaven's Bright Sun, and Roads to Moscow.
Wingrove worked in the banking industry for 7 years until he became fed up with it. He then attended the University of Kent, Canterbury, where he read English and American Literature.
He is married and, with his wife Susan, has four daughters Jessica, Amy, Georgia, and Francesca.
Between 1972 and 1982 he wrote over 300 unpublished short stories and 15 novels.
He started work on a new fictional project called A Perfect Art. Between 1984 and 1988, when it was first submitted, the title was changed twice, becoming first A Spring Day at the Edge of the World and then finally Chung Kuo, under which title it was sold to 18 publishers throughout the world.
A prequel to the Chung Kuo series, called When China Comes, was released in May 2009 by Quercus Publishing, which also re-released the entire series: "The series has been recast in nineteen volumes, including a new prequel and a new final volume. After a series launch in May 2009, Quercus will embark on an ambitious publishing programme that will see all nineteen volumes available by the end of 2012."
He has plans for a further a novels, a a first person character novel called Dawn in Stone City and three very different novels: The Beast with Two Backs, Heaven's Bright Sun, and Roads to Moscow.
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October 7, 2012
And so to Book Three of this re-imagined series, following Son of Heaven and Daylight on Iron Mountain.
Whereas the first two books have been new material in this ambitious twenty-book rewriting, this book is where the original series began in 1989. What we have here is a new introduction, written to connect this book with the previous two, and about half of the original novel. The rest of the original book should make up Book 4, Ice and Fire.
After the setting of the scene in Son of Heaven, and the seriously violent events at the conclusion of Daylight on Iron Mountain , here’s where the story begins to move up a gear and many of the epic story’s main characters are introduced.
Beginning in 2190, the book briefly recaps on the events outlined in Daylight on Iron Mountain: the fall of the US, the nuking of Japan and the subjugation and ethnic cleansing of Africa. These events alone would make an epic story, though they are dealt with here in the matter of a few pages.
Here the tale is of the descendants of those who have gone before and their part in this new world order. It is most of all a battle, both overt and covert, between the main Seven Families, whose coup we read of in Iron Mountain and those who want to break away from their tyrannical grasp.
The Seven’s position is complex, yet fairly stable. By 2196 the domination of the world by the Han has led to a period of relative peace. Those subjugated by the invading Han army are allowed to settle in the new Han cities that cover the world’s surface, whilst those against the new rule are ruthlessly exterminated or left to fend for themselves in the area below the cities, made to live lives of squalor and danger in the world below. In a situation reminiscent of Metropolis we have a multi-layered society from the top-tiered elite to those eking out a poor and miserable existence in the Clay, below the Net (the point that delimits the world below the cities from the world Above).
The book begins with this desire for change on the part of old Hung Mao industrialists, to overthrow the Han leaders and push innovation unrestricted by Han bureaucracy and rule. A Minister of the Edict, Lwo Kang, is assassinated by these Dispersionists, to try and galvanise change.
In addition to this conflict between the Seven and the Dispersionists, there are also more covert tensions within the Seven. Li Shai Tung, T’ang of City Europe, holds an important position within the Seven. As an advocate of the Seven’s policy of Stasis – maintaining order without Change in order to create a Han dynasty for hundreds of years – he finds himself manoeuvring all the different elements in play like an enormous game of Go. This includes the military and the scientists, the politicians and the leaders.
In opposition we have Major Howard DeVore, military strategist and leader, technological revolutionist, who manipulates events to the detriment of the Seven. Of the scientists, creating new genetic creatures for the Seven, Klaus Ebert, the owner of SynGen (met in earlier books) seems to show all that is undesirable about the people in power. SynGen will become increasingly important in its development of genetic ‘supermen’. Klaus’s son, Hans, is in the military and one of those under DeVores’ scrutiny.
Child prodigy Kim Ward will be one of the scientists introduced here who will become a major player in the series later. So too is Gregor Karr is a recruit from the Net whose size belies his skill as a to-the-death fighter. Recruited to the military, to the great annoyance of DeVore, his experience below the Cities is an asset to Li Shai Tung. With Kao Chen, they are the men determined to bring down the Dispersionists.
Of the new generation of the elite, we have the teenage prince Li Yuan and his betrothed, the beautiful Fei Yen. Their impending marriage is both a celebration of order and the solidifying of Stasis, a sign to the revolutionaries that the T’ang are here to stay.
With such a list of characters it should be obvious that this is a complex and lengthy scenario where the reader is expected to be in for the long game and therefore and not everything is resolved here in The Middle Kingdom. What keeps the reader’s interest is the juxtaposition between all these disparate and often conflicting elements. The cultural values of the Han are very different to what we see in our Westernised society today, and the way that the old traditional values are combined with the new way of progress is jaw-dropping in their implementation. (Think of the film Blade Runner for such a similarly intriguing mix of Western and Eastern values.) The Han regime is harsh, from their point of view necessarily so, but the promise for the bright and glorious future makes it potentially worthwhile. Not all in positions of power see it this way, of course, and there are secret plans and counterplots a-plenty in order to both overthrow and maintain the current positions of power.
In the hands of a lesser writer, the different perspectives – Han and non-Han, technological and cultural, political and social – would degenerate into stereotypes. Instead what we get here is a narrative that allows the reader to see that in each character what they do and think is acceptable. The differences between right and wrong are blurred and what we see as readers is that each perspective has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Having first read the book about twenty years ago, I’m pleased to type that it is as good as I remembered it. These days, with its broad sweep and many characters with multifaceted personalities, somebody, somewhere will label it as ‘SF’s equivalent of A Game of Thrones’, though Chung Kuo was first published seven years before. Perhaps it is more ‘A Game of Go’, (one of the key games in Chung Kuo) rather than A Game of Thrones. As David is a fan, I’m sure he’d be pleased with that comparison.
Actually, with the benefit of hindsight, that’s not a bad comparison. Like the individuals in Martin’s novels, not all the characters you think will survive do so, and those who have been in the background so far become more prominent as the full scope of the plots become apparent. Like Martin’s Westeros, Chung Kuo is violent, ruthless, nasty, and complex, both politically and culturally.
It is a book that benefits careful reading, simply because of everything going on. Some readers may initially find that the names may become a little interchangeable, especially amongst the Han, though I personally found it wasn’t long before I got back into it, and David kindly provides a character summary at the back of the book.
There are a couple of points that have dated and show how far we have come since the books were first published. Characters listen to information on tapes, whereas these days I guess it would be a download. (We can reason this by allowing for the societal collapse back in Son of Heaven and the world taking time to recover.) The name ‘The Net’, has become synonymous with the internet these days and consequently can be a little confusing. On the whole though, the book has not dated too badly, presumably as a result of this ambitious re-imagining.
In summary, the book has political manoeuvring that is intelligent and complex, an impressive range of varied characters, and cultural world-building that is supremely effective. It’s engaging, it’s exciting and it’s great to be back in the Chung Kuo, world. I envy anyone yet to read this for the first time.
Ice and Fire, Book 4 in the series, should be available in December 2012. Can’t wait. If I remember right, things are about to get even more interesting...
Whereas the first two books have been new material in this ambitious twenty-book rewriting, this book is where the original series began in 1989. What we have here is a new introduction, written to connect this book with the previous two, and about half of the original novel. The rest of the original book should make up Book 4, Ice and Fire.
After the setting of the scene in Son of Heaven, and the seriously violent events at the conclusion of Daylight on Iron Mountain , here’s where the story begins to move up a gear and many of the epic story’s main characters are introduced.
Beginning in 2190, the book briefly recaps on the events outlined in Daylight on Iron Mountain: the fall of the US, the nuking of Japan and the subjugation and ethnic cleansing of Africa. These events alone would make an epic story, though they are dealt with here in the matter of a few pages.
Here the tale is of the descendants of those who have gone before and their part in this new world order. It is most of all a battle, both overt and covert, between the main Seven Families, whose coup we read of in Iron Mountain and those who want to break away from their tyrannical grasp.
The Seven’s position is complex, yet fairly stable. By 2196 the domination of the world by the Han has led to a period of relative peace. Those subjugated by the invading Han army are allowed to settle in the new Han cities that cover the world’s surface, whilst those against the new rule are ruthlessly exterminated or left to fend for themselves in the area below the cities, made to live lives of squalor and danger in the world below. In a situation reminiscent of Metropolis we have a multi-layered society from the top-tiered elite to those eking out a poor and miserable existence in the Clay, below the Net (the point that delimits the world below the cities from the world Above).
The book begins with this desire for change on the part of old Hung Mao industrialists, to overthrow the Han leaders and push innovation unrestricted by Han bureaucracy and rule. A Minister of the Edict, Lwo Kang, is assassinated by these Dispersionists, to try and galvanise change.
In addition to this conflict between the Seven and the Dispersionists, there are also more covert tensions within the Seven. Li Shai Tung, T’ang of City Europe, holds an important position within the Seven. As an advocate of the Seven’s policy of Stasis – maintaining order without Change in order to create a Han dynasty for hundreds of years – he finds himself manoeuvring all the different elements in play like an enormous game of Go. This includes the military and the scientists, the politicians and the leaders.
In opposition we have Major Howard DeVore, military strategist and leader, technological revolutionist, who manipulates events to the detriment of the Seven. Of the scientists, creating new genetic creatures for the Seven, Klaus Ebert, the owner of SynGen (met in earlier books) seems to show all that is undesirable about the people in power. SynGen will become increasingly important in its development of genetic ‘supermen’. Klaus’s son, Hans, is in the military and one of those under DeVores’ scrutiny.
Child prodigy Kim Ward will be one of the scientists introduced here who will become a major player in the series later. So too is Gregor Karr is a recruit from the Net whose size belies his skill as a to-the-death fighter. Recruited to the military, to the great annoyance of DeVore, his experience below the Cities is an asset to Li Shai Tung. With Kao Chen, they are the men determined to bring down the Dispersionists.
Of the new generation of the elite, we have the teenage prince Li Yuan and his betrothed, the beautiful Fei Yen. Their impending marriage is both a celebration of order and the solidifying of Stasis, a sign to the revolutionaries that the T’ang are here to stay.
With such a list of characters it should be obvious that this is a complex and lengthy scenario where the reader is expected to be in for the long game and therefore and not everything is resolved here in The Middle Kingdom. What keeps the reader’s interest is the juxtaposition between all these disparate and often conflicting elements. The cultural values of the Han are very different to what we see in our Westernised society today, and the way that the old traditional values are combined with the new way of progress is jaw-dropping in their implementation. (Think of the film Blade Runner for such a similarly intriguing mix of Western and Eastern values.) The Han regime is harsh, from their point of view necessarily so, but the promise for the bright and glorious future makes it potentially worthwhile. Not all in positions of power see it this way, of course, and there are secret plans and counterplots a-plenty in order to both overthrow and maintain the current positions of power.
In the hands of a lesser writer, the different perspectives – Han and non-Han, technological and cultural, political and social – would degenerate into stereotypes. Instead what we get here is a narrative that allows the reader to see that in each character what they do and think is acceptable. The differences between right and wrong are blurred and what we see as readers is that each perspective has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Having first read the book about twenty years ago, I’m pleased to type that it is as good as I remembered it. These days, with its broad sweep and many characters with multifaceted personalities, somebody, somewhere will label it as ‘SF’s equivalent of A Game of Thrones’, though Chung Kuo was first published seven years before. Perhaps it is more ‘A Game of Go’, (one of the key games in Chung Kuo) rather than A Game of Thrones. As David is a fan, I’m sure he’d be pleased with that comparison.
Actually, with the benefit of hindsight, that’s not a bad comparison. Like the individuals in Martin’s novels, not all the characters you think will survive do so, and those who have been in the background so far become more prominent as the full scope of the plots become apparent. Like Martin’s Westeros, Chung Kuo is violent, ruthless, nasty, and complex, both politically and culturally.
It is a book that benefits careful reading, simply because of everything going on. Some readers may initially find that the names may become a little interchangeable, especially amongst the Han, though I personally found it wasn’t long before I got back into it, and David kindly provides a character summary at the back of the book.
There are a couple of points that have dated and show how far we have come since the books were first published. Characters listen to information on tapes, whereas these days I guess it would be a download. (We can reason this by allowing for the societal collapse back in Son of Heaven and the world taking time to recover.) The name ‘The Net’, has become synonymous with the internet these days and consequently can be a little confusing. On the whole though, the book has not dated too badly, presumably as a result of this ambitious re-imagining.
In summary, the book has political manoeuvring that is intelligent and complex, an impressive range of varied characters, and cultural world-building that is supremely effective. It’s engaging, it’s exciting and it’s great to be back in the Chung Kuo, world. I envy anyone yet to read this for the first time.
Ice and Fire, Book 4 in the series, should be available in December 2012. Can’t wait. If I remember right, things are about to get even more interesting...
November 23, 2012
I first read the original version of “The Middle Kingdom” back in the mid-1990s, while at university. I was immediately hooked on this incredibly detailed, brutal vision of the future. The original Chung Kuo series was set to last nine huge volumes, but by the time that the seventh volume came out, support for Wingrove’s magnum opus collapsed. The series came to an abrupt (and very hard to find) conclusion in a rushed eighth volume.
Fast forward 15 years, and things have changed dramatically. A small publishing house in the UK has been working with Wingrove to resurrect the original vision of Chung Kuo. Instead of nine large volumes, the story will now sprawl over a total of 20 slightly shorter novels. Two volumes have already been released (“Son of Heaven” and “Daylight on Iron Mountain”), which were completely new prequels setting the stage for the original starting point of the story.
“The Middle Kingdom” is now technically Book 3, as evidenced by the fact that it starts with Chapter 26, after a short prologue. Despite being recast as the continuation from the first two novels, this is essentially Wingrove’s revision of the first half of the original. This wouldn’t be evident to newer readers, though it’s very clear that Wingrove’s writing has improved over the intervening years.
Chung Kuo, as a saga, is not unlike “A Song of Ice and Fire” (the George R.R. Martin’s series that inspired “Game of Thrones”) in that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of characters, constantly moving with and against each other, vying for control over humanity’s future. The Chinese have taken control of the world, wiping out all of Western civilization in the process and establishing a new “history” for the people. The main ideal of the Chinese ruling body, the Seven, is to manage change in society to such a degree that the threat of unfettered technology and greed can no longer take hold. But there are those who remember the “good old days”, and they have chosen to resist. (If this sounds like the story of “Earth That Was” from “Firefly”, it could easily work as such!)
What’s remarkable about the story is that this does not turn into the Good West vs. Evil East conflict that one would imagine. Both sides have their good and bad sides, and both sides commit atrocities in the name of the “greater good”. The author consistently challenges the reader by making most, if not all, of the characters sympathetic to some degree. Yet the violence escalates slowly but surely, and there’s little doubt that things will get much worse before they get better.
Because of the number of characters and the liberal use of Chinese terms, there is a massive glossary and character guide in the back of the book. This is invaluable, since there are a ton of Chinese names, and many of them are related in some way, so names can be very similar. It’s also highly recommended that the first two volumes be read before jumping into this novel.
When it comes to taking the complexities and depths of the best long-form fantasy sagas on the shelves, and applying the same attention to detail to a “hard” science fiction epic, there aren’t many better examples that come to mind. This would be amazing material for an HBO or Starz adaptation. Consider it highly recommended!
Fast forward 15 years, and things have changed dramatically. A small publishing house in the UK has been working with Wingrove to resurrect the original vision of Chung Kuo. Instead of nine large volumes, the story will now sprawl over a total of 20 slightly shorter novels. Two volumes have already been released (“Son of Heaven” and “Daylight on Iron Mountain”), which were completely new prequels setting the stage for the original starting point of the story.
“The Middle Kingdom” is now technically Book 3, as evidenced by the fact that it starts with Chapter 26, after a short prologue. Despite being recast as the continuation from the first two novels, this is essentially Wingrove’s revision of the first half of the original. This wouldn’t be evident to newer readers, though it’s very clear that Wingrove’s writing has improved over the intervening years.
Chung Kuo, as a saga, is not unlike “A Song of Ice and Fire” (the George R.R. Martin’s series that inspired “Game of Thrones”) in that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of characters, constantly moving with and against each other, vying for control over humanity’s future. The Chinese have taken control of the world, wiping out all of Western civilization in the process and establishing a new “history” for the people. The main ideal of the Chinese ruling body, the Seven, is to manage change in society to such a degree that the threat of unfettered technology and greed can no longer take hold. But there are those who remember the “good old days”, and they have chosen to resist. (If this sounds like the story of “Earth That Was” from “Firefly”, it could easily work as such!)
What’s remarkable about the story is that this does not turn into the Good West vs. Evil East conflict that one would imagine. Both sides have their good and bad sides, and both sides commit atrocities in the name of the “greater good”. The author consistently challenges the reader by making most, if not all, of the characters sympathetic to some degree. Yet the violence escalates slowly but surely, and there’s little doubt that things will get much worse before they get better.
Because of the number of characters and the liberal use of Chinese terms, there is a massive glossary and character guide in the back of the book. This is invaluable, since there are a ton of Chinese names, and many of them are related in some way, so names can be very similar. It’s also highly recommended that the first two volumes be read before jumping into this novel.
When it comes to taking the complexities and depths of the best long-form fantasy sagas on the shelves, and applying the same attention to detail to a “hard” science fiction epic, there aren’t many better examples that come to mind. This would be amazing material for an HBO or Starz adaptation. Consider it highly recommended!
January 31, 2023
I haven’t read the original series so this story is new to me. David Wingrove has created a massive tale full of chunky interesting story lines, well thought out meaningful characters and well woven plot lines. He has a masterful grasp of a complex and really interesting world. I’m totally surprised that no one has tried to do a TV series. Although I suspect it would, like Lord of the Rings, struggle to be well told in the first few tries. There is a lot going on.
In essence China has taken over the entire world. Subjugating the whole planet. They have been ruling for thousands of years, essentially unchallenged, until …. Well I’ll let him tell the story for you.
Highly recommended. I am off to take on Book 4!
In essence China has taken over the entire world. Subjugating the whole planet. They have been ruling for thousands of years, essentially unchallenged, until …. Well I’ll let him tell the story for you.
Highly recommended. I am off to take on Book 4!
March 14, 2021
Better than the original
I read this series years ago. When reading this recast version the memories started flooding back. The mix of the old and the new material is well done and kept me fully engaged. And to think that the story is just about to shift into high gear.
I read this series years ago. When reading this recast version the memories started flooding back. The mix of the old and the new material is well done and kept me fully engaged. And to think that the story is just about to shift into high gear.
September 5, 2017
Brilliant and immersing. I liked it tremendously.
May 13, 2021
Quite the epic world-building.
December 15, 2022
Corvus 48/150
December 17, 2012
The Middle Kingdom by David Wingrove is the third book out of twenty in the Chung Kuo series. If political intrigue and betrayal set in a futuristic world where the Chinese people rule the entire Earth, then look no further than the Chung Kuo series! Yes you read right. This is only the third book out of a whopping twenty. Originally, the author finished the series with just eight books. This recast series was written according to how the author first saw fit to tell his story with no constraints such as being forced to cut things short due to publisher demands. I've read the first two books and I'm glad to say that although it adds much more depth to the entire story overall, it is absolutely not mandatory that you read those beforehand. In the original series, The Middle Kingdom was actually the first book and so in the recast series, the first two books can actually be considered prequels. Whatever the case may be for you, this is not a series that you'll want to pass over.
Set in the futuristic world, the Chung Kuo series depicts the Chinese people ruling over the entire Earth and its population. If you really want to read about how this came about, then I highly urge you to first read The Son of Heaven and Daylight on Iron Mountain before embarking your journey here. Again, although that is not mandatory, you'll definitely get a much better experience if you do. Certain sections of the book here mention of the tyrant Tsao Chun. He is a very important figure in the Chung Kuo series and so if you want to know how it is he came to bring the entire world and its population to its knees, then go ahead and read the prequels. With The Middle Kingdom, the timeline has been forwarded ahead many, many years from the prequels and it is here that you will realize that the author will slowly pull you in to his world and resistance is definitely futile!
What makes things more interesting is that the Chinese people (the Han's) of Chung Kuo also live alongside the Europeans (the Hung Mao's). Tensions often run high and it is the job of the T'ang to maintain order. However, with billions of billions of people within Chung Kuo itself which can be considered a massive pagoda stretching miles and miles across the earth with many different "levels", it is becoming increasingly difficult to do just that. Change is something that the rulers of Chung Kuo is trying to hold back and suppress. But with certain powerful men at the forefront, it seems as if change is just what they will get.
With such a series, you would expect characters galore and well, that is exactly what you get! The story is told through a bunch of characters ranging from assassins, scientists, princes, generals, soldiers and to one of the rulers of Chung Kuo himself. Each character is very interesting in of itself and lends to the identity of the overall story very well. In a story of this magnitude, there are bound to be conflicts from many different sides and factions. Sometimes the author makes it difficult to tell who is right or wrong. Are the Hung Mao people so wrong for pushing for a change? They didn't specifically ask to be in Chung Kuo. They had no other choice. But at the same time, how many sacrifices are necessary to get what they want? Characters range from the loyal to the disloyal and everything else in between.
The Middle Kingdom is not a book with many action sequences save for some towards the end. I can't say the same for future books in the serious obviously but The Middle Kingdom seems more on the side of world building and fleshing out the necessary characters that will play a much more vital role in the future. When others have compared the Chung Kuo series to George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, I can immediately see why. The Chung Kuo series is just massive no matter how you cut it. Spanning 20 books, I honestly can't see what the author has in store for us but I'm definitely all in for this one!
Set in the futuristic world, the Chung Kuo series depicts the Chinese people ruling over the entire Earth and its population. If you really want to read about how this came about, then I highly urge you to first read The Son of Heaven and Daylight on Iron Mountain before embarking your journey here. Again, although that is not mandatory, you'll definitely get a much better experience if you do. Certain sections of the book here mention of the tyrant Tsao Chun. He is a very important figure in the Chung Kuo series and so if you want to know how it is he came to bring the entire world and its population to its knees, then go ahead and read the prequels. With The Middle Kingdom, the timeline has been forwarded ahead many, many years from the prequels and it is here that you will realize that the author will slowly pull you in to his world and resistance is definitely futile!
What makes things more interesting is that the Chinese people (the Han's) of Chung Kuo also live alongside the Europeans (the Hung Mao's). Tensions often run high and it is the job of the T'ang to maintain order. However, with billions of billions of people within Chung Kuo itself which can be considered a massive pagoda stretching miles and miles across the earth with many different "levels", it is becoming increasingly difficult to do just that. Change is something that the rulers of Chung Kuo is trying to hold back and suppress. But with certain powerful men at the forefront, it seems as if change is just what they will get.
With such a series, you would expect characters galore and well, that is exactly what you get! The story is told through a bunch of characters ranging from assassins, scientists, princes, generals, soldiers and to one of the rulers of Chung Kuo himself. Each character is very interesting in of itself and lends to the identity of the overall story very well. In a story of this magnitude, there are bound to be conflicts from many different sides and factions. Sometimes the author makes it difficult to tell who is right or wrong. Are the Hung Mao people so wrong for pushing for a change? They didn't specifically ask to be in Chung Kuo. They had no other choice. But at the same time, how many sacrifices are necessary to get what they want? Characters range from the loyal to the disloyal and everything else in between.
The Middle Kingdom is not a book with many action sequences save for some towards the end. I can't say the same for future books in the serious obviously but The Middle Kingdom seems more on the side of world building and fleshing out the necessary characters that will play a much more vital role in the future. When others have compared the Chung Kuo series to George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, I can immediately see why. The Chung Kuo series is just massive no matter how you cut it. Spanning 20 books, I honestly can't see what the author has in store for us but I'm definitely all in for this one!
August 3, 2016
The third volume in Wingrove's revised epic future history is the start of the original series published in 1989. An overview of this can be found in my original review of the first novel.
I imagine that the 1989 version has been split into two for this new release. The original series comprised of eight hefty volumes while the new 're-cast' version is twenty smaller issues with two new volumes at either end. I can't determine how much this has been revised if at all. One wouldn't have thought the series needed any revision until perhaps the last two volumes of the original release, which had major flaws due to publishers' interference.
Those new to Chung Kuo who have read the first two 'recast' volumes would be advised to persevere. I am dubious as to whether volumes one or two added anything valuable to the series. They had that feeling of having been 'bolted on' for no good reason.
Here, however, the story really kicks off and I am taken back to my first addiction to this brilliant series. Wingrove handles the multi-character storyline with aplomb and the pace is generally fast. It's a master class in world-building if nothing else as one does get immersed in this highly detailed dystopia from the outset. Page-turningly good and highly recommended.
I imagine that the 1989 version has been split into two for this new release. The original series comprised of eight hefty volumes while the new 're-cast' version is twenty smaller issues with two new volumes at either end. I can't determine how much this has been revised if at all. One wouldn't have thought the series needed any revision until perhaps the last two volumes of the original release, which had major flaws due to publishers' interference.
Those new to Chung Kuo who have read the first two 'recast' volumes would be advised to persevere. I am dubious as to whether volumes one or two added anything valuable to the series. They had that feeling of having been 'bolted on' for no good reason.
Here, however, the story really kicks off and I am taken back to my first addiction to this brilliant series. Wingrove handles the multi-character storyline with aplomb and the pace is generally fast. It's a master class in world-building if nothing else as one does get immersed in this highly detailed dystopia from the outset. Page-turningly good and highly recommended.
December 5, 2012
I wish I had read this series years ago. So far, I'm very impressed. Having recently read a number of the Chinese classics, I was struck by the similarity of this epic to "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms." I am assuming that the intention was to create a sci-fi version of this in much the same way Julian may redid "the Tain" as "The many coloured land" series. I'll be interested to see how closely/loosely it stick to the original.
I have read a couple of reviews that criticised this series as being "historically implausible" - I really don't think that matters if the intention was to rework the "Three Kingdoms" for a contemporary Western audience. I am curious what Chinese readers thought of this series when it originally came out.
My only concern with this book is that it doesn't really examine the (many) flaws in the neo-confucian society it illustrates - OK neither do the Chinese classics it pastiches - but I would have liked a sharper critic of the role of women and treatment of sexuality. There are a lot more books for me to get through ... so I'm hoping my concerns are going to be addressed.
Just setting out on this journey
I have read a couple of reviews that criticised this series as being "historically implausible" - I really don't think that matters if the intention was to rework the "Three Kingdoms" for a contemporary Western audience. I am curious what Chinese readers thought of this series when it originally came out.
My only concern with this book is that it doesn't really examine the (many) flaws in the neo-confucian society it illustrates - OK neither do the Chinese classics it pastiches - but I would have liked a sharper critic of the role of women and treatment of sexuality. There are a lot more books for me to get through ... so I'm hoping my concerns are going to be addressed.
Just setting out on this journey
August 4, 2013
Now past the prequels, The Middle Kingdom begins about 100 years where Daylight on Iron Mountain left off. A new cast of characters is introduced. The legacy of the main characters from the prequels is so muted I’m not sure there was much point in learning about them. It takes awhile to get a feel for who is relevant in this new cast, but it starts to come together well at the end. Anyway, this is a massive and respectable undertaking by Wingrove and I will patiently wait and see how this all plays out.
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In my review for Daylight, I questioned why Wingrove did not use Pinyin. Coincidentally, at the back of this book, Wingrove provides an explanation for his use of the Wade-Giles phonetics. He believes it is a more elegant, softer and poetic system. Since he put it that way, I see it as well.
__________________________________________
In my review for Daylight, I questioned why Wingrove did not use Pinyin. Coincidentally, at the back of this book, Wingrove provides an explanation for his use of the Wade-Giles phonetics. He believes it is a more elegant, softer and poetic system. Since he put it that way, I see it as well.
April 3, 2013
There is a lot going on in this novel, which makes a pretty much clean break with the the backstory presented in the first two novels in the series. This isn't a bad thing in itself - and Wingrove certainly handles it all very well indeed - but you do have to pay attention to keep track of what is going on.
I will be picking up the next book in the series at some point but, right now, I can't help feeling that the events in the first two novels were more interesting that the dynastic power struggles we are now into.
I will be picking up the next book in the series at some point but, right now, I can't help feeling that the events in the first two novels were more interesting that the dynastic power struggles we are now into.
May 25, 2019
2019 - Read this yet again. Thoughts from 6 years ago still stand.
2013 - My goodness! This book is freakin good! I remember reading Chung Kuo back in the day, and liking it, but I was nevertheless unprepared. The new prequels were an enjoyable lead up to the beginning of this, the epic saga of Chun Kuo. But dipping now into the main story is a true delight! Time to crack the next book open!
2013 - My goodness! This book is freakin good! I remember reading Chung Kuo back in the day, and liking it, but I was nevertheless unprepared. The new prequels were an enjoyable lead up to the beginning of this, the epic saga of Chun Kuo. But dipping now into the main story is a true delight! Time to crack the next book open!
July 13, 2013
I was very impressed when I read this 20 years ago, and have been looking forward to the re-cast since I heard of its re-launch. Whilst I enjoyed reading this again, I'm not convinced that this is any different from the original version. I've got the next one in the serious buy may need some convincing to continue buying the 'new' versions.
January 17, 2013
I am loving this series. This is Book 3 and if you haven't seen these yet, it's time to get into your bookstore and pick up number 1. I am already looking at finishing off the other books I am reading so I can move on to #4!
September 15, 2016
It's an interesting world, with some compelling themes and plot threads, but this re-released edition is simply not a complete story in its own right and that frustrated me enough to leave me unsure whether to read the series any further.
Read
May 10, 2013This is a reread for me, one of my favorite series of all time. Want to see how he stretches out the series or compliments it.
September 1, 2014
Amazing story :) each book gives new inside about an Earth covered by an ice-city rules by the Han.
October 15, 2013
now it gets better. It starts the ark with Kim and Major DeVore
March 27, 2013
So glad that the re-release has lived up to my memories of the original series!
April 16, 2017
2196. For more than a century, the Earth has been under the rule of Chung Kuo, a world-spanning civilisation founded by a Chinese warlord using advanced technology. That warlord was later deposed by the T'ang, seven senior rulers who feared his insanity. The T'ang now rule a strictly hierarchical world at peace, but one where the powers of the privileged few are built on a pyramid of oppression and strictly-enforced order. With thirty-six billion people packed into the vast, continent-spanning cities of 'ice' (a nanotech-based material with super-strong properties), the dangers of chaos are all too apparent.
But there is growing discontent in Chung Kuo. Wealthy industrialists and ambitious scientists want change and growth to prevent stagnation. The enforcers of order will not stand for this. When the Minister of the Edict, whose job it is to prevent any drastic change to the order of things, is assassinated, it becomes clear that a war is coming. The War of Two Directions, which could spell a new dawn for humanity or spell its utter extinction.
The Middle Kingdom is the third novel in David Wingrove's revamped Chung Kuo mega-sequence. Originally published in eight volumes in the 1980s and 1990s, the series was abruptly cancelled and the author forced to write a highly unsatisfying quick ending which satisfied no-one. With new publishers Corvus at the helm, Chung Kuo has been recast in twenty volumes, including an all-new beginning and ending. The first two novels, Son of Heaven and Daylight on Iron Mountain, showed the foundation of Chung Kuo and the destruction of the world before, serving as scene-setting prologues. The Middle Kingdom, picking up a hundred years later, is where the story itself really gets started. It's also where the series catches up to the original series, and in fact The Middle Kingdom consists of the first half or so of the original novel of the same name, published in 1988.
This means that you don't need to have read the first two novels to leap straight into The Middle Kingdom. For those who have read the first two books, The Middle Kingdom features a surprising (and welcome) shift in gear. The first two books were extremely fast-paced, with some character development and worldbuilding having to be sacrificed to get through epic events in a reasonable page-count. The Middle Kingdom is slower-paced, with events more deliberately unfolding. Characters are established and explored, the opposing thematic concepts of change and stasis are set up well and complex conspiracies unfold with relish. This doesn't mean the book is devoid of incident, with several assassinations and bombings, some underworld crime machinations and high-level political intrigue making for a busy novel, albeit one that is not as rushed as its predecessors. The pacing is pretty solid, though the later-novel introduction of a whole new major character and situation does betray the book's status as merely the opening salvo in a much vaster tale.
The characters are split between the Chinese and Western-descended inhabitants of the world (those who've read the first two books will know that Africa and the Middle-East did not fare well during the takeover) and such characters are present on both sides of the central thematic argument of the series. Wingrove's characterisation is pretty good, though he tends to lean a little more towards the broad rather than the subtle. Still, it is effective. Wingrove is also non-judgemental (at least at this stage) about his thematic argument: in a society of almost forty billion people, utterly dependent on technology to survive, the dangers of both change and stagnation are clear. With a few exceptions, his characters are not clear-cut good or bad guys either, with both honourable men and the amoral present on both sides of the debate.
The Middle Kingdom (****½) is a highly enjoyable SF novel that leaves the reader eager to read more. It is available now in the UK, with US readers able to order (with free delivery) from the Book Depository. The fourth volume in the series, Ice and Fire, will be published in December.
But there is growing discontent in Chung Kuo. Wealthy industrialists and ambitious scientists want change and growth to prevent stagnation. The enforcers of order will not stand for this. When the Minister of the Edict, whose job it is to prevent any drastic change to the order of things, is assassinated, it becomes clear that a war is coming. The War of Two Directions, which could spell a new dawn for humanity or spell its utter extinction.
The Middle Kingdom is the third novel in David Wingrove's revamped Chung Kuo mega-sequence. Originally published in eight volumes in the 1980s and 1990s, the series was abruptly cancelled and the author forced to write a highly unsatisfying quick ending which satisfied no-one. With new publishers Corvus at the helm, Chung Kuo has been recast in twenty volumes, including an all-new beginning and ending. The first two novels, Son of Heaven and Daylight on Iron Mountain, showed the foundation of Chung Kuo and the destruction of the world before, serving as scene-setting prologues. The Middle Kingdom, picking up a hundred years later, is where the story itself really gets started. It's also where the series catches up to the original series, and in fact The Middle Kingdom consists of the first half or so of the original novel of the same name, published in 1988.
This means that you don't need to have read the first two novels to leap straight into The Middle Kingdom. For those who have read the first two books, The Middle Kingdom features a surprising (and welcome) shift in gear. The first two books were extremely fast-paced, with some character development and worldbuilding having to be sacrificed to get through epic events in a reasonable page-count. The Middle Kingdom is slower-paced, with events more deliberately unfolding. Characters are established and explored, the opposing thematic concepts of change and stasis are set up well and complex conspiracies unfold with relish. This doesn't mean the book is devoid of incident, with several assassinations and bombings, some underworld crime machinations and high-level political intrigue making for a busy novel, albeit one that is not as rushed as its predecessors. The pacing is pretty solid, though the later-novel introduction of a whole new major character and situation does betray the book's status as merely the opening salvo in a much vaster tale.
The characters are split between the Chinese and Western-descended inhabitants of the world (those who've read the first two books will know that Africa and the Middle-East did not fare well during the takeover) and such characters are present on both sides of the central thematic argument of the series. Wingrove's characterisation is pretty good, though he tends to lean a little more towards the broad rather than the subtle. Still, it is effective. Wingrove is also non-judgemental (at least at this stage) about his thematic argument: in a society of almost forty billion people, utterly dependent on technology to survive, the dangers of both change and stagnation are clear. With a few exceptions, his characters are not clear-cut good or bad guys either, with both honourable men and the amoral present on both sides of the debate.
The Middle Kingdom (****½) is a highly enjoyable SF novel that leaves the reader eager to read more. It is available now in the UK, with US readers able to order (with free delivery) from the Book Depository. The fourth volume in the series, Ice and Fire, will be published in December.
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