Singapore Saga Vol 2: Chasing the Dragon

Singapore Saga

by John D. Greenwood

Chasing the Dragon is volume two in the Singapore Saga, a series of historical fiction that spans the first 100 years of Singapore, and follows Forbidden Hill.

Genres: Fiction

496 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2019

About the author

John D. Greenwood was born in Elgin, Scotland, and educated at the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford. He is currently a professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, where he specializes in the history of psychology. He is the author of six books and numerous academic papers. He was a lecturer in the department of philosophy at the National University of Singapore from 1983-1986, when he first fell in love with Singapore, her people and her history. He returned as senior visiting scholar in 1999-2000 and as visiting professor in 2008-2009. He considers NUS to be his second academic home. He also returns regularly to Singapore to visit old friends and old haunts, and considers a trip to Pulau Ubin followed by chilli or pepper crab at in the evening at Changi Village to be a perfect day. He lives in Richmond, Virginia, USA.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book more than the first, though the rating is the same (should really be 3.5 stars). Although the series is called Singapore Saga, the stories expand beyond the shores of the island to neighboring places like Borneo, Hong Kong and China. Some of the characters based in Singapore travel to those places and have adventures, most notably one that tagged along with the infamous James Brooke in Sarawak where he violently dealt with local pirates. This is quite a lengthy novel filled with many more minor characters and their short stories, all loosely tied together merely due to locality. Some stories were more interesting than others, and I noticed Greenwood has a penchant for describing extreme violence, some readers may find it over done, and even gratuitous at times. Undoubtedly mostly based on actual historical events, it is difficult to tell who are real persons and who are fictional, other than the more famous ones. At one instance I found the story of a historically notable person so melodramatic that I googled and found it wasn't accurate, calling into question which other parts did the author let his imagination take over from historical fact.

[Annette Chidzey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having completed the second book in this six series saga that explores the history and development of Singapore, I continue to be intrigued by the depiction of the unfolding experiences for families such as the Simpsons as well as those of Tan Kim Ching, Captain Mehmood, Sadad bin Badang, in conjunction with individual lives such as James Brooke, Father Beurel and others.
I am struck by the repeated brutality of life as it evolved in Singapore - commercial growth and massive entrepreneurial opportunities but growth at great human cost accompanied by brutal power struggles. The facade of oriental beauty and charm is countered by butchery and reckless taking of life typified by continual power struggles approached very differently depending on the cultural origins of the individuals involved.
The next volume entitled Hungry Ghosts will continue the exploits in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Borneo and Vietnam referred to in the first two volumes. It will be interesting to see what unfolds.

[David Frazier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novelized history of Singapore, with narratives -- some fascinating, others less so -- that follow a definite chronology researched from 19th century newspapers and contemporaneous accounts. It's interesting stuff if you're at all interested in the history of Singapore or more broadly European colonialism in Asia. Definitely start with Vol. 1.