Kingdom

by Tom Martin

The Deputy glanced down at the white man and then muttered, almost to himself. 'But how did a Westerner travel into Pemako in the first place?'

When the Abbot spoke, his voice was thin and resigned. 'It is the end of our monastery. By nightfall I will be dead and our walls will lie shattered. A terrible evil is coming from the forest...'

A monastery in Tibet is overrun with Chinese soldiers searching for a sacred relic. The monks flee to seek refuge in hidden caves, but their progress is hampered by an injured stranger, whose presence threatens them all...

Jouralist Nancy Kelly receives a parcel containing a mysterious trumpet made of bone, and hears an account of a Westerner penetrating into a hidden kingdom in Tibet, where orchids cover the earth, pagodas hug the hills and soaring cathedrals hide underground.

Soon she embarks on a dangerous journey into an ancient land of myth and legend, in search of a secret older than time itself...

Genres: Adventure, Thriller, Fiction, Action, Historical Fiction, Mystery

500 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Nick]

Tom Martin's "Kingdom" is a book about Shangri-La. In this book, a man and a woman go to Shangri-La in Tibet to pursue the knowledge of the ages. Are they successful? That's for you to find out!

[Mekare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non è il solito romanzo sul Tibet !! I colpi di scena non mancano

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the plot my seen far fetched at the outset, Tom Martin nonetheless spins a gripping and intriguing tale that goes someway to convincing the reader. Wonderfully descriptive throughout, this novel falls on its sword drawing to a close, as it does, in far too hurried and abrupt a manner.

[Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a tale of the hunt for the fabled city of Shangri-La in the Himalayas, this was pretty run-of-the-mill stuff. When it started to involve Nazis and the yeti, it started to get a little off the trolley.

That said, it's not a bad read but it could've done some decent action and perhaps a little sex to spice it up a bit.

[Cris Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just started this as one of the 6 book challange 2011. It seems quite good so far but it's early days yet. I've a good feeling about this one.

[Gopal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book caught my interest because it was based on Tibet. A problem prone and intriguing area geo-politically. The combination of Tibet and Shangri-La in 1 book; it was a given that I was gonna pick this one to read.

I expected something along the lines of adventure cum thriller, but it was a book that was deep in the mysticism, occult, black magic and shamanism. The expose on Shangri-La was much awaited through out the book, but when the characters reach the point we expect them to reach the mystical land all that we find is a third person description of it rather than a first person view point and the story just doesn't work for me.

It has potential but somewhere in the narrative the author was playing with too many angles, occult, Nazism, Shamanism, Tantric Yoga and what not. As a result the plot was sacrificed and the end is not just upto the par on which the story starts.

Overall a disappointment.

[Andronicus Kok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kingdom by Tom Martin. A news paper editor is being detained as a spy in which her possession is a bone trumpet from Tibet. What does it mean? why is she getting such an item? Questions are raised as Nancy seeks out the man who sent her this item at the same time searches for him as he goes "Missing". Through her journey she discovers more shocking "Truths" of which the end has left me speechless and spell bound!! :)

[Ryan Barretto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and surreal - the author walks you into the Himalayas, Tibet and then some.

[Trine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Topics debated in this new thriller:

Knowledge in the service of good or evil?

Free will or predestination?

Here debated in the context of a somewhat controversial divinatory twist involving an object described as the Oracle, resembling the I Ching.

Also, a new and quite shocking twist to the Shangri-La legend as well as a brief detour into the darker times of recent European history.

All in all, a very thought-provoking read and another great addition to this particular genre.

[Gus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another thriller/mystery and very slow off the mark, painfully so. This novel didn’t have

that explosive start ­ and it took about 200 pages for it to get going. The characters were

shallow and not very well formed. Some of the ideas were pretty good but I am getting

tired of these books being so unbelievable. I’ll give the author a bit of credit he did do a

bit of research, I just hope these writers take a leaf out of Stieg’s book and add a bit of

believability and they could go a long way.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
This was quite a mixed book for me. It took a while to get into it but then loved the middle section and galloped through it. However I felt a little disappointed and let down at the end. This certainly has all the themes going for it that I loved, a bit of a puzzle, a search for Shangri La, some occult nazism and an interesting couple of characters. Whilst overall it was quite an enjoyable read it is certainly far from my favourite read in the genre and I preferred the previous book I read by Tom Martin - Pyramid.

[Riayl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird is my thing. I like weird. But the last part of this just felt incoherent and too bizarre for belief - and I love reading about the supernatural, so I'm pretty good at stretching belief out. On top of that was a cast of characters I had little sympathy or liking for, especially the main character, Nancy.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story that immerses you in the issues of modern Tibet and mysteries of the past.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book, the a blurb that reads somewhat like many of the Davinci Code/archaeology knock offs. However I was pleased to find within quite a compelling an interesting story to the point that I was unable to put it down until I had read it cover to cover, finishing the entire book in a single day.

The story begins with an unconscious unknown white man arriving at a monastery in Tibet, the Abbott at the monastery forsees the approach of evil and orders his deputy and all the monks to take the new arrival and flee. Shortly thereafter Chinese troops arrive and systemically destroy the monastery by roughly searching throughout the property.

A missing journalist over the border in nearby India has a replacement flown in who is arrested hours after arrival and accused of espionage, and the newspaper appears unwilling to look for answers regarding the missing journalist. As such the replacement takes it upon herself to seek answers and establish what has occurred to her predecessor.

It really was quite an excellent story invoking quite a bit of Tibetan mythology as well as highlighting the pretty crap conditions Tibetan people now find themselves in under the annexation of China.

Would recommend for people who enjoy adventure novels.

[P.Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

สนุกระดับหนึ่ง และอ่านง่าย เป็นการพจญภัยที่ระทึกดีที่เดียว แต่บางช่วงอาจจะยืด ๆ ไปหน่อย เนื่องจากเป็นการวางโครงเรื่องการเชื่อมโยงต่าง ๆ แต่เนื้อเรื่องในช่วงกลาง ๆ นั้นตื่นเต้นดีมาก เรียวว่ารู้จักทิเบตในแง่มุมที่โหดร้ายตามจิตนาการของนักเขียนเลยทีเดียว โดยรวมอ่านได้.....

การแปล ทำได้ดีถึงจะมีคำผิดเล็กน้อย อ่านง่าย โดยรวมดี

เนื้อเรื่อง สาวนักหนังสือพิมพ์ ถูกส่งตัวมาแทนคนเก่าที่หายตัวไปอย่างลึกลับ ในประเทศอินเดีย แล้วเธอจึงได้คนพบว่าเขาอยู่ในทิเบต นั้นทำให้เธอสงสัยว่าอาจจะเกิดเหตุร้ายขึ้นกับเขา เธอจึงตัดสินใจหาทางเพื่อที่จะไปตามหาเขา แต่เนื่องจากสถานะการณ์ทางการเมืองระหว่างอินเดียและจีนยังคงคุกรุ่น ทำให้เธอไม่สามารถเดินทางเข้าไปยังเส้นทางปกติได้ เธอจึงได้ว่าจ้างคนนำทางหนุ่มอเมริกันผู้ที่จะทำหน้าที่พาเธอไปค้นหาคนที่เธอต้องการพบ การต่อรองและอุปสรรคยังคงมากมายแล้วเธอจะผ่านไปได้หรือไม่ ความตายจะรอเธออยู่หรือว่าเธอจะพบในสิ่งที่ต้องการ....

#Panอ่าน

[Pavan Reddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mythology itself is a confusion when we don't know what is right and wrong but to mix Hinduism and Buddhism and to write about Shambala - The mythical city where only sages can go is very interesting to read even if it may not be real (who knows). The story it was written in a way of Indian streets and surrounding it was easy grasp everything and to relate it. The travelling sometimes exciting and sometimes boring. Started as very intriguing and excited as secrets were revealed about the mythical city

In short it has very good start bht it wears off in the end as it reads very unconvincing but it was made dark to make it believable.

[Kyle C · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me this book was simply ok.

It started off slow. I almost gave up on it but it picked up around page 180. The middle section was intriguing and the pace picked up. It kept me engaged until the end where I was disappointed. It felt like there was no real resolution, no action and ultimately no real point to the story.

If you have nothing else to read it could be worthwhile but otherwise I wouldn’t read it again or recommend it.

[Sharon Hackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t believe this is the same author who wrote the dreadful book Pyramid. I have had this one in my tbr pile for a long time and realised I had read it before. I did not recognise the name to begin with.
Compared with his first book the author has out done himself. This was much better written and a good story to follow.
I have to say I enjoyed reading this one.

[Jefferson Alves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saudações do Rei de Shagri-La

[Marina.Downing · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok

[Phoebe Dibben-Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh wow this was terrible. Read it on my lunch brakes at work so at least I didn’t waste any life

[Kim Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent storytelling and very interesting unusual plot

[Bianca · Rating 2 out of 5]

so so. light reading. have no idea how it ended...

[Marie-Antoinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time reading anything from this author and I really enjoyed this book.

[Mariela Uzunova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Интересна и увлекателна история, която се чете на един дъх. Един по-различен поглед върху живота и традициите на тибетските монаси. Необичайни герои, заплетена история, мистика, тайнствената Шангри Ла...