Eight years ago Russia had compelled Turkey to sign a treaty which gave Russia joint suzerainty over the Dardanelles, and international tension had been acute ever since. On top of that, four bronze coins were broken in half, with Dirk Struan given all halves of each coin.

This is not a historical tome. It is a fictionalized account of the first year of the British colony of Hong Kong (1841). The characters are all loosely based on actual people - as are their trading companies. That is what Clavell did in his novels and it's important that one understand that. There are better options, half a dozen at least of the women/girls he knows who would help to open more doors for him, but there is just one damn problem...HE...LOVES...May-May. He will marry her and let them be damned if they dinna like it. He has never met a problem that a cascade of silver won’t fix, by God! Much more happily, the book is a lot shorter than Shogun. They cut off most of the romance stuff, and what romance there is, they've got a lot better chemistry and spend much less time just dully telling each other how much they're in love, or "pillowing", or talking about dildos. Worth a half star more all on its own. For me though, my introduction to James Clavell was Tai-Pan and the unforgettable character, Dirk Struan.The interior was entrusted to Don Ashton, a Hollywood Art Director most noted for his work on such films as Billy Budd (1962), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) and Young Winston (1972). Being aware of the before mentioned details are important. They all play a major part in Clavell's writing. Norwegian novelist Jacobsen folds a quietly powerful coming-of-age story into a rendition of daily life on one of Norway’s rural islands a hundred years ago in a novel that was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize. I had not read James Clavell’s Shogun, so I was unaware of the other books in his Asian Saga. Until Printre Randuri suggested I read Tai Pan. Especially for one who has read Gai-jin (and probably for anyone who hasn't), Tai-pan is a terrible disappointment.

Prescott, Orville (4 May 1966). "Books of The Times: The Founding of Hong Kong in Brilliant Technicolor End Papers". The New York Times. p.45. The sweeping epic novel of the founding of Hong Kong, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell First, of course, there is Jardine House (originally called Connaught Centre), located at 1 Connaught Place. It is the fourth Jardine House to be built in Hong Kong. The previous three have all been demolished. If you ever stayed in a Mandarin Oriental Hotel, did you know that the famous chain is part of the Jardines conglomerate? About Democracy) “Yes. It’s a great and glorious experiment, one fit for the splendid attributes of your country, sir. But it’s not suitable for all nations. Wasn’t it the ancient Greeks who came to the conclusion that the most perfect form of government was a benevolent dictatorship? The rule of one man?”

May-May is breathtakingly lovely, descended from an honorable and rich family who made the decision to sell her to the Tai-Pan to have someone they trust close to the source of English power. This is 1841 and the first Opium War is in full flower. Concessions to the barbarians will have to be made (Hong Kong) and Struan, the devil man, has the ear of the English politician Longstaff or as the Chinese refer to him Odious Penis. Tai-Pan is an excellent historical fiction about the early days of Hong Kong and British-Chinese trade. Technically taking place in the same (slightly) alt-timeline of Shogun, Tai-Pan easily on its own merits and, truth be told, has little to no direct linkages to the events in Shogun. It is a wide ranging story about Western trade interests in China and the establishment of Hong Kong as a British colony.