Comments on: REVIEW: The Map Thief by Heather Terrell

By: Jayne

Jayne — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:38:05 +0000

Mrs G, there is a scene after the Armada sets sail from China set in Malacca. Ma Zhi discovers a sailor willing to be his friend – poor guy, as a eunich not many wanted anything to do with him – who takes him ashore to show him the sites.

By: Mrs Giggles

Mrs Giggles — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:25:30 +0000

Oh my, now this is a book that I am intrigued by. Zheng He was a prominent player in the history of Malacca, a state in Malaysia, and I’ve always been interested in learning more about him. Ugh about it being in hardcover though – I’ll wait for the more affordable paperback.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:49:19 +0000

Katja, I had no idea who Zheng He was or what he had done with the Armada but I plan on more googling in the future. Besides Jade Lee’s “Tiger” series, I can’t think of many other romance books which utilize China as a setting. There was one Inspirational I read called “All the Tea in China” by the late Jane Orcutt. And I have another older book called “Love Song on a Chinese Flute” by Charlotte Ogilvie set during the Boxer Rebellion which I’ve never got around to reading yet but beyond that….pickings are slim.

By: Katja

Katja — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:06:38 +0000

What a coincidence! I just watched a TV documentary (German, I think) on Zheng He and the “Chinese Armada”. Fascinating stuff! And Terrell’s book has the ebook option -’ Yes! Will definitely read this story.

By: SonomaLass

SonomaLass — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:55:53 +0000

Oh man, this SO goes on the TBR list! Historical fiction, huge cast of characters, storyline and conspiracy spanning centuries, this is right up my alley. Thanks, Jayne!

ETA: I see from checking my library’s web site that this is Ms. Terrell’s second book featuring Mara Coyne. Maybe I will read them in order — TWO books for the TBR list.

By: Laura Vivanco

Laura Vivanco — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:01:19 +0000

Is your portrayal of da Gama based on recorded observations? The author's written that "I heightened alleged aspects of da Gama's personality and motivations-'and that of Emperor Yongle-'for dramatic effect."