THE MIDDLE KINGDOM. The year is 2196. After more than a century of peace and stability, Chung Kuo - the great Empire of Ice controlled by seven ruling kings, the T'ang - has finally been shaken. Lwo Kang, Minister of the Edict - the legal instrument that prevents change - has been assassinated; blown away while in the imperial solarium. As the T'ang strive to maintain peace through what many see as a stagnating tyranny - their seven great mile-high, continent-spanning cities descend into chaos. As a small group of European elite, calling themselves the Dispersionists, seize the opportunity to effect change, so others emerge, like the politically-motivated Ping Tiao, the Sons of Benjamin Franklin - rich sons of powerful men who wish to re-establish the American Empire - and The Black Hand, brutal killers from amongst the teeming dispossessed. But the assassination was orchestrated by those far closer to the ruling power; far closer to those in 'The Above', sparking a devastating conflict and the world-shattering War of Two Directions.
The Middle Kingdom (Chung Kuo 3)
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"The achievement of a master world-builder." --"Omni"
About the Author
David Wingrove is the Hugo Award-winning co-author (with Brian Aldiss) of The Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction. He is also the co-author of the first three MYST books - novelizations of one of the world's bestselling computer games. He lives in north London with his wife and four daughters.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Eddy Young
Format:Hardcover
It's as good as the original, which I read circa 2002. There are some striking scenes that I can still remember from all those years ago, but a lot of this new version feels new. Still, it remains a very good read.
Unlike the other reviewer, my Kindle book was perfect with all chapters present.
Unlike the other reviewer, my Kindle book was perfect with all chapters present.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By RAW
Format:Paperback
If you are new to Chung Kuo...buy the these books, you'll love them! Read the prequels too.
If you've read the original series...still buy the new books, you'll love the story all over again and these new versions are even better than the originals.
The story is terrific and very original (and not a little frightening due how prophetic the premise seems to be becoming!). They are incredibly ambitious works and are always interesting and exciting. Can't wait for the next one - already have it on pre-order.
If you are a fan of Frank Herbert, James Clavell, Peter F Hamilton, David Feintuch, Orson Scott Card etc (like me) then give these a try. The series is like Dune meets Shogun...
For fans of the original series who are unsure whether to read these new versions, I was in the same boat but decided to try them and am so glad I did. There is plenty of new material in here and the re-writes improve the excellent originals.
Looking forward to the remainder of the series and also hopefully some other new original novels by a great writer in David Wingrove...
If you've read the original series...still buy the new books, you'll love the story all over again and these new versions are even better than the originals.
The story is terrific and very original (and not a little frightening due how prophetic the premise seems to be becoming!). They are incredibly ambitious works and are always interesting and exciting. Can't wait for the next one - already have it on pre-order.
If you are a fan of Frank Herbert, James Clavell, Peter F Hamilton, David Feintuch, Orson Scott Card etc (like me) then give these a try. The series is like Dune meets Shogun...
For fans of the original series who are unsure whether to read these new versions, I was in the same boat but decided to try them and am so glad I did. There is plenty of new material in here and the re-writes improve the excellent originals.
Looking forward to the remainder of the series and also hopefully some other new original novels by a great writer in David Wingrove...
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
2196. For more than a century, the Earth has been under the rule of Chung Kuo, a world-spanning civilisation founded by a Chinese warlord using advanced technology. That warlord was later deposed by the T'ang, seven senior rulers who feared his insanity. The T'ang now rule a strictly hierarchical world at peace, but one where the powers of the privileged few are built on a pyramid of oppression and strictly-enforced order. With thirty-six billion people packed into the vast, continent-spanning cities of 'ice' (a nanotech-based material with super-strong properties), the dangers of chaos are all too apparent.
But there is growing discontent in Chung Kuo. Wealthy industrialists and ambitious scientists want change and growth to prevent stagnation. The enforcers of order will not stand for this. When the Minister of the Edict, whose job it is to prevent any drastic change to the order of things, is assassinated, it becomes clear that a war is coming. The War of Two Directions, which could spell a new dawn for humanity or spell its utter extinction.
The Middle Kingdom is the third novel in David Wingrove's revamped Chung Kuo mega-sequence. Originally published in eight volumes in the 1980s and 1990s, the series was abruptly cancelled and the author forced to write a highly unsatisfying quick ending which satisfied no-one. With new publishers Corvus at the helm, Chung Kuo has been recast in twenty volumes, including an all-new beginning and ending. The first two novels, Son of Heaven and Daylight on Iron Mountain, showed the foundation of Chung Kuo and the destruction of the world before, serving as scene-setting prologues. The Middle Kingdom, picking up a hundred years later, is where the story itself really gets started.... Read more ›
But there is growing discontent in Chung Kuo. Wealthy industrialists and ambitious scientists want change and growth to prevent stagnation. The enforcers of order will not stand for this. When the Minister of the Edict, whose job it is to prevent any drastic change to the order of things, is assassinated, it becomes clear that a war is coming. The War of Two Directions, which could spell a new dawn for humanity or spell its utter extinction.
The Middle Kingdom is the third novel in David Wingrove's revamped Chung Kuo mega-sequence. Originally published in eight volumes in the 1980s and 1990s, the series was abruptly cancelled and the author forced to write a highly unsatisfying quick ending which satisfied no-one. With new publishers Corvus at the helm, Chung Kuo has been recast in twenty volumes, including an all-new beginning and ending. The first two novels, Son of Heaven and Daylight on Iron Mountain, showed the foundation of Chung Kuo and the destruction of the world before, serving as scene-setting prologues. The Middle Kingdom, picking up a hundred years later, is where the story itself really gets started.... Read more ›
By Jonah
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a great writer for an awesome time period.
I love the humanity a well as the science parts, most of which seem very likely.
I love the humanity a well as the science parts, most of which seem very likely.
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Not quite as good as the first 2, Takes time to get used to new characters but still a fantastic read. I have no idea where this is heading, that's what makes it good, keeps me guessing.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I can remember when I first discovered Chung Kuo- it was late 1997 and two pages into it I knew I had found something special. As I raced through the books I was inspired and amused and shocked and, in the end, puzzled. This reboot of the series (which promises finally getting the ending it deserves!) is proving to be everything I hoped it would be. Mr. Wingrove's style is fluid and assured, the pacing is by turns frenetic and luxuriously slow, the characters are memorable and true to life, and the grand scheme is jaw-dropping in scale. If you are looking for a world you can disappear into for 20 volumes, this is it. So far there are no weak spots, and the world of Chung Kuo is becoming more and more intriguing with each chapter. I see the next two books are coming out in rapid succession, and this is good news indeed to those of us who have been waiting for so long to return to Chung Kuo. Kudos, Mr. Wingrove!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By tigprincess
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved the first two in this series but did not like this book. I kept waiting for something to happen and to join the various threads of the story. It took a long time to get started and whilst the author must know the various relationships and families it was difficult for me to follow. I couldn't identify or feel for any of the characters - apart from the young boy and he only appeared three quarters of the way into the book.
Such a pity since the first two books held my attention and worked on a really interesting theory and twist of events.
Such a pity since the first two books held my attention and worked on a really interesting theory and twist of events.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By lachesis
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Competent writing and some interesting ideas, but virtually 'Golden Age' in racial and sexual politics. Perhaps would not bother some people, but threw me 'out of the story' multiple times. As a historian, I'm used to reading things according to their time of origin, and this has some interest as an earlyish and ambitious e.g. of the non-western-future concept. But a culture war in which freedom-loving neoliberal white guys battle and/or collaborate with socially ultra-conservative inscrutable 'orientals' - in a world where women are mothers, sex slaves, amazons or secretaries (who mainly get to die and/or be raped), and sons by prostitutes transcend their base origins by the sheer power of European genetics - is not my kink. No doubt there are 'strong female characters' somewhere in this massive series, certainly the Han characters are not individually caricatures, and appear on both sides of the culture war, but I had to put this book down too often to care.
Having previously read another volume of this series at the time of original publication, I was persuaded by blurbs that the series had been 'updated' for this re-issue, and expected this sort of thing to be made at least somewhat self-aware. The fact that it isn't also highlights the degree of handwaving about the practical side of extreme population pressure, which itself dates the book. Non-western-dominated futures and the impacts of exponential population growth were far-future ideas 20+ years ago, but that's no longer so. In a world where these are current factors, this book just doesn't stand up against the likes of 'The Wind-up Girl'. In short, fair play to those who don't mind these kinds of tropes, but if fridging and cultural determinism bother you, not recommended.
Having previously read another volume of this series at the time of original publication, I was persuaded by blurbs that the series had been 'updated' for this re-issue, and expected this sort of thing to be made at least somewhat self-aware. The fact that it isn't also highlights the degree of handwaving about the practical side of extreme population pressure, which itself dates the book. Non-western-dominated futures and the impacts of exponential population growth were far-future ideas 20+ years ago, but that's no longer so. In a world where these are current factors, this book just doesn't stand up against the likes of 'The Wind-up Girl'. In short, fair play to those who don't mind these kinds of tropes, but if fridging and cultural determinism bother you, not recommended.
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