The last Mandarin, Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung, authors
I have read Louise Penny’s “Three Pines” novels and fallen in love with Inspector Gamache and all the other characters with their flaws and quirks. Absent her sometimes too left-wing political bias, I look forward to every one of them as they are published. I was not sure how I would feel about this book, but to coin a phrase, this book was “a great leap forward”.
This collaborative novel kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. However, the reader must suspend disbelief to relax and enjoy the ride. It might be necessary, also, to have some knowledge about China’s history and the protests in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, in 1989. There are many scenes that, while really exciting, actually seem to defy common sense and/or reality, but they still play well. The reader will surely wonder, now how did that just happen? Without a real explanation, the story simply seems to move on smoothly as the reader accepts the narrative, even when it is a bit illogical. It just seems to consistently move forward.
Alice Li was meeting her mother Vivien for brunch in Washington DC. Their relationship had never been warm and fuzzy. Alice always felt like a disappointment to her mother. When Wi-Fi, internet, and all forms of communication were interrupted, occurring concurrently as alarms suddenly went off in the restaurant and all over the world, Alice and Vivien were rescued, much to the surprise of Alice. Further, they were soon whisked to the White House. The President wanted to know about Alice’s last email from her friend, Liam Palmer, an account rep at a food distribution company. Alice was a food blogger. Alice was confused. How did they know about her email? What did it have to do with the “cyberverse” terror attack that just occurred setting alarms off everywhere, at the exact same moment? It caused mayhem, accidents and injuries. How could she or Liam be involved? Alice did not receive many answers to her questions, except for the fact that Liam knew her mother, was working for the CIA, and they think he was murdered because he had discovered some vital information in his recent travels.
Using the clues in her email and the clues she spotted in the painting on a Chinese souvenir, a “li bien ball”, an artistic achievement in which a very thin brush is inserted into a glass sphere and a painting is made from the inside, Alice and her mother proceed to try and help the government find out who was responsible for setting off the alarms. Then, all over the world, the elevators stopped, successively. Soon they all began to fall resulting in mass casualties and deaths. Were there spies within the American government behind this? When the investigation discovered the technology causing these events came from China, it became obvious that there were spies/traitors in China as well. However, no one knew who or why these people were creating havoc with terror attacks.
The latest research in technology was into Artificial Predictive Artificial Intelligence. Might some rogue country or group have achieved that goal? It was thought to be the ultimate weapon as it could research all historical data and determine all future behavior. It was soon suspected that a group called Pangu had risen again to cause the havoc, but how would they obtain the enormous funds necessary for such research?
There is a back story to this conundrum. Alice’s parents, Liu Tongzheng, Vivien Li and her brother Kai-wan were activists during the riots of 1989, in and around Tiananmen Square. Kai-Wen, the still unidentified “Tank Man”, had stood in front of the approaching tanks and temporarily stopped them; he had been captured and was believed to be dead. When their protests failed, the activists/rioters started a group called Pangu to peacefully bring about change to China, but as time passed, Pangu was supposedly destroyed by Vivien when she realized it was moving in a more violent direction. There were however, unintended consequences. Some members remained loyal and it now seemed that it might once again be active, but this time, “peacefully” was not the group’s intent.
So, who was the leader of Pangu now? They must find out! Could Alice’s father be behind it? She always hoped he was alive, but she was told he was dead. What if he wasn’t? Could he be a traitor? Alice’s mind gropes for answers. None were satisfying. Can two unprepared, untrained women, a mother and a daughter, who have a fraught relationship, help stop a terrorist organization from achieving its goal? Can they actually outwit espionage and artificial intelligence specialists? Well, dear reader, you will have to read it to find out. The story is really creative as it utilizes so many real historic facts and even delves into the world of future technology and science fiction. I believe that it will captivate the reader as it travels from Washington DC to Hong Kong, to China, to Xi’an, to Taiwan, and Fish Bowl Island. It will not be a merry chase, but it will be an exciting one. The reader will be introduced to some interesting history and folk lore. The reader will enter a magnificent archeological site, filled with terracotta soldiers and find out why they are there.
The thrills and even the appropriate use of wit, in the midst of all the violence, will entertain the reader. It is a very creative thriller. Sentences were crafted to make the reader rush hither and yon, in one direction or another, always guessing. Innuendos were planted to create confusion and conflict. It examines human nature, the effects of protests, and the threat of our burgeoning, uncontrolled developing technology on society, as well. In the end, were fortune cookies messages superior to all the technological advances society has made? Further, have we reached the point where no one and nothing can be trusted?