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I see this book has a nice new cover now. It has had some awfully bland covers. This one instantly catches the ey.


The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

I'm responding to Chris' question regarding Shogun:

Chris wrote: "Diana wrote: "They had planned to cast Sean Connery as Blackthorne. For whatever reason, he bowed out. Toshiro Mifune did a fabulous job as Toranaga, and Rhys Davies (with that splendid voice) pl..."

I'm sorry, Chris - I just saw this.

Yes, Mariko's history was altered. The name was changed (all of them were), but considerable liberties were taken with her. She was married to a man who was cruel to her, but she remained faithful and self-sacrificing. As a Samurai-blood lady, she was very valiant. To the Japanese, having her engaged in an affair with a gai-gin dirty pilot was very disturbing.

This is a series on the Empire of the Moghuls in India. Looks possibly interesting....anyone read it? Or have thoughts on it? Or know anyone who's read it? :)

No, I haven't but they look the goods. I see them around all the time and the covers catch my eye. I think I may have mentioned them in the earlier Asia thread, but maybe I didn't...:-) ..I get forgetful.

Terri wrote: "I see this book has a nice new cover now. It has had some awfully bland covers. This one instantly catches the ey.


The Thousand Autumns of..."

I would recommend this book to everyone. In fact, I would recommend pretty much anything by David Mitchell to anyone. My personal favourite of his (of the ones I've read so far) is Cloud Atlas (don't bother with the film, though - especially if you haven't read the book), but Thousand Autumns comes a very close second.

Hi Richard,
I did not realise this was by the same author as Cloud Atlas. Interesting.
(I have read neither, but I would not mind trying The Thousand Autumns one day)

Jaq wrote: "No fair! My TBR is swelling again!"

it never will stop lols.

TBRs are such weak willed things. They give in too easily.

Set Japan 1541-1573 The Samurai Banner of Furin Kazan by Japanese author Yasushi Inoue.

I read Child of Vengeance recently and really enjoyed it. It's the first in a series about . The second book is due out sometime this year.

I'd like to mention that my The Winged Horse has just been released. I suspect it has too much romance for Terri, but people who enjoyed The Golden Lynx will probably like it.

Featuring descendants of Genghis Khan on the 16th–century steppe, Crimea (now unexpectedly trendy), and Kazan, it is primarily a story of warring brothers and, more generally, the complications introduced into family life by polygamy. And I can swear that where it deviates from the history, it does so by design and only in minor ways: I had it checked by an expert.

So give it a go. How many books on this time and place are you likely to run across?

lol. You are probably right. It is not hard too have too much for this chickie. :)

You had me scared even to mention it! ;-) But I hoped you would let it by if I kept it for the topic thread.

And now that the book is out of the way, I can go back to being a more active participant in the group.

haha. Yeah. We are so much more forgiving when the author is an active group member.
We get a little stricter when the author is a hit and run. Someone who only comes here to promote their book and vanish. With no interest in getting to know us.

We are more than just dollar signs to our active author members. :D

And so you should be! Author or not, I hate being spammed. It's so disrespectful.

Amen to that!

The remains of a summer palace has been found at the Mehtab Bagh garden located opposite from the Taj Mahal



The article has some very nice photos of the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal was built as the tomb of the wife of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It became his tomb as well. There are legends and speculation that he intended to build his own tomb in the Moonlight Garden (Mehtab Bagh) directly across the river, but there is little evidence for that. He was deposed before he had chance to build his own tomb. He is mentioned briefly in Jalendu (as Prince Khurram).

Jalendu is set late in the reign of Khurram's grandfather, Akbar and is a fictional story interwoven with the real events of the time leading up to Prince Salim ordering the assassination of Abul Fazl, the Imperial vizier, in 1602.

Sultan Salim was Khurram's father, Akbar's son and later the fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

Note that this book contains sex scenes between men. It also has a philosophical/spiritual thread.

Mark wrote: "The Taj Mahal was built as the tomb of the wife of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It became his tomb as well. There are legends and speculation that he intended to build his own tomb in the M..."

Hi Mark. I just wanted to say that I learned from The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire that Shah Jahan was a distant heir to Genghis Khan & Borte (from the line of one of their daughters). Another tidbit in the book is that the Taj Mahal was designed to resemble a Mongolian "ger" (yurt).

Terri wrote: "I see this book has a nice new cover now. It has had some awfully bland covers. This one instantly catches the ey.


[book:The Thousand Autu..."

I enjoyed this book until towards the end, when it had some sort of pseudo-mystical episode and a totally unsatisfying ending. It (the conclusion) really disappointed me.

That's a shame. It was one that I was drawn to due to the beautiful cover and yet I had heard it wasn't great from a few people, so I decided this was one i shouldn't read based on looks alone.

Alice wrote: "I just wanted to say that I learned from The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire that Shah Jahan was a distant heir to Genghis Khan & Borte (from the line of one of their daughters). Another tidbit in the book is that the Taj Mahal was designed to resemble a Mongolian "ger" (yurt)."

He was indeed. Also of Timur the Lame/Timur i Lenk/Tamerlane. Lovely book, that. Lovely monument, too.

C.P. wrote: "Alice wrote: "I just wanted to say that I learned from The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire that Shah Jahan was a distant heir to Genghis Kh..."

Yes. The Mughal Empire in India was founded by Babur who was descended from Timur on his fathers side and Genghis Khan on his mother's side. There is however some speculation that Jahangir, Shah Jahan's father, was not actually the biological son of Akbar, Babur's grandson.

Akbar had been unable to produce a (surviving) son and heir. He sought the help of holy men, Hindu Brahmins and Islamic Sufis. He was travelling with his Hindu wife, Heer Kunwari (mistakenly known as Jodha Bai in popular Indian culture) and when returning to Agra, they diverted to visit the camp of a Sufi holy man, Sheik Salim Chishti.

Sheik Salim foretold that Akbar would have three sons and "miraculously", Heer Kunwari soon after fell pregnant. The child, a boy, was named after the Sufi, Prince Salim. He took the name Jahangir when he became emperor.

Akbar build a tomb for Sheik Salim and eventually a whole city on the site of the Sufi saint's camp. That is the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri just south of Agra.

Sheik Salim Chishti's daughter was appointed as Prince Salim's foster mother / wet nurse. Sheik Salim's grandchildren and decedents were considered by Prince Salim and later Jahangir to be his family and raised to high positions in the empire. Yet, Prince Salim seemed to despise his "father" Akbar.

Any monarch asking a Hindu holy man's advice on begetting a male heir would not remain unaware of the ancient Hindu custom / law known as Niyoga. There as several conditions (see wikipedia), but simply put, Niyoga states that any son born of a man's wife is legally his son. It allows for a man who has no son, to appoint another man to impregnate his wife in order to try get a son.

Akbar was very liberal when it came to religion. Though "born" a Moslem, he eventually created his own religion know as the Din I-Ilahi which incorporated elements of Islam and Hinduism. The Sufi's were quite eclectic with spirituality as well.

It may well be that Sheik Salim Chishti did not just bless Heer Kunwari and foretell her pregnancy, he (or more likely one of his sons since he would have been quite old) may have been responsible for it.

Wow, Mark, thanks for sharing the intriguing backstory! I know nothing at all about India's Mughal Empire history. I got interested in Genghis Khan while doing research for my historical epic set in 17th century China, which is about the life and times of a Mongolian-born Qing Dynasty Empress Dowager. Her name is Xiaozhuang and she came from the Borgijit clan (she was the 19th generation descendant of Khasar, Genghis's full brother).

Your book sound's interesting. You are still working on that book? I don't see it in your author list yet. Alice Poon

Let me note that the Mongols and Tatars had a similar view of paternity. For example, Genghis Khan's oldest son, Juchi, was probably conceived while Börte (Genghis's chief wife) was held captive by another tribe—yet Genghis acknowledged Juchi as his eldest son. So it would not be a difficult custom for Babur and his descendants to accept.

That said, I had not heard this story about Jahangir. Proof that there is always more to learn!

Mark wrote: "Your book sound's interesting. You are still working on that book? I don't see it in your author list yet. Alice Poon"

Thanks for your interest Mark - the manuscript has just been completed. My hope is to try to find a literary agent for it, but must admit that I'm not too optimistic... But I'm passionate about the novel, because Xiaozhuang's life was a drama-filled one (being loved by two rivaling Manchu princes and later became the grandmother and adored mentor of the great Kangxi Emperor) and the times she lived in were tumultuous (the Ming Dynasty was collapsing and was to be replaced by the Manchu-led Qing regime and numerous vicious battles were fought). If it hadn't been for her wits and tenacity, the fledgling Qing Empire wouldn't have survived its early days. Sorry for rambling!

After working for a couple of months on the rewriting and editing of my manuscript (a historical epic set in 17th century China about the legendary life of Qing Dynasty's first Empress Dowager who was Mongolian by birth, and who was the grandmother/mentor of the great Kangxi Emperor), I can now say that I'm satisfied with it.

Negotiations are ongoing with an independent publisher who is passionate about Chinese history, and I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed :)

Alice wrote: "After working for a couple of months on the rewriting and editing of my manuscript (a historical epic set in 17th century China about the legendary life of Qing Dynasty's first Empress Dowager who ..."

Congratulations Alice, what great news :)

Thanks Ace! It's been a long and winding road. I hope I'm not jinxing myself.

Fingers crossed for you, Alice. :)

Good luck, Alice!

Thank you Margaret and happy :)

Hi All! I'm pleased to announce that the book trailer for my new historical novel "The Green Phoenix", set in 17th century China, is now up on my profile page. My publisher Earnshaw Books will release it on September 1, 2017. Here's the link to the video:-

/videos/1236...

Good luck, Alice.

Thank you, Margaret.

Yea!!! So excited for you! Congratulations!!

The Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ book page is now up for The Green Phoenix: A Novel of the Woman Who Re-Made Asia, Empress Xiaozhuang!

There will be a hardcover and paperback version for this novel.

Congratulations, Alice! You must be very proud of yourself for acheiving your goal. :-)

Thanks Terri! Truth be told, I'm more nervous than proud right now :) Am keeping my fingers crossed...

Yes. I can imagine!

We are very excited for you!!!

Sounds interesting. Congratulations, Alice!

Congratulations Alice - what a wonderful achievement! Your book sounds marvelous.

Congratulations, Alice!
I'm very happy for you and wish you every success with it.

You guys are so great! Thank you, May, C.P., Renata and Tamara. Your support means a lot to me :)

Congrats and good luck with the book Alice!

Hi Alice,
Can you please check out our Author Posting Guidelines.
While we do allow authors who are long term posters in group as a reader, some lenience regarding promoting their books, they still have to try to stick to our author guidelines as closely as possible.

We are primarily a group for readers, and authors have to be respectful of that, especially when it comes to promoting.

Author Guidelines
/topic/show/...

Sorry, Terri! I've deleted the excessive posts.

Research for a novel might include the latest findings.



"Iranian coastal areas along the Caspian Sea have experienced rising and falling sea levels driven by climate variability, exposing cultural artifacts and shipwrecks. Archaeologists discovered the 28-meter-long wreck after rising sea levels eroded part of the three-meter sand dune it was hiding in.

The Caspian Sea is surrounded by five countries that have long used it as an important trading route. The ship, believed to be a three-masted vessel, was likely abandoned in the late 18th or early 19th century. Over two seasons, excavations uncovered structural elements of the hull, masts, and remnants of its cargo, offering researchers vital clues as to its possible origin through cargo composition and construction practices.

"Radiocarbon dating was conducted on three wood samples and buckwheat seeds from a basket found in the ship's lowest compartment to model the ship's likely construction, repair, and wrecking timelines. Botanical remains were processed through water sieving and examined under microscopes to identify species.

Analyses showed that structural elements contained Scots Pine and Spruce/Larch wood, indicating possible sourcing from the Volga basin region or the Caucasus. A poplar wood tool was also recovered.

Radiocarbon dating of the hull's pine wood samples placed the initial construction no earlier than the late 18th century, suggesting the ship was constructed between 1762 and 1808 with additional repairs inferred from younger spruce/larch timbers. Buckwheat seeds dated within a broad range stretching to the early 20th century, matching the ship's final period of use."

More information: Lorenzo Costantini et al, The Shipwreck of Zaghemarz, Mazandaran, Iran: Archaeology, Archaeobotany and Absolute Dating of an Eighteenth-Century Vessel of the Caspian Sea, Journal of Maritime Archaeology (2024).