Soul of the Fire (39 page)

I have been careful not to exaggerate the circumstances of the immolations or the situation of Tibetans overall. The core elements of Beijing's conduct described in this book, starting with its reaction to the immolations but including massive prisons, systematic replacement of beloved images of Buddha with images of Mao, widespread arrests without due process, and strict control of monks, nuns, and religious artifacts, all reflect current conditions in Tibet. It is sometimes painful to put that reality into words, and writing about these particular characters was often distressing. But the victims of these suicides, whom Beijing seeks to punish even after death, deserve to be more than statistics. The profound message in what they do is not only about their despairing struggle, it is also about the rest of the world and its priorities. For those interested in learning, and doing, more, the International Campaign for Tibet maintains a sobering chronicle of the suicides, including such personal details as are available, and offers opportunities to get further engaged in the Tibetan cause.

The more I write mysteries set in Tibet the more I realize that the greatest mystery may be the extraordinary resilience of the Tibetan people. Tibetans sometimes suggest that they draw strength from their rugged, powerful land and the deities that inhabit it. Certainly sacred lands remain a vital feature of the Tibetan landscape and in some form have a role in all my Shan novels. The hidden refuge of Taktsang in many ways becomes another character in this book, embodying both sacred traditions and a dissident stronghold while also offering a comforting embrace to long suffering visitors. Scholars would remind us that such spiritual power places represent one of the many ways that early animistic beliefs blended with the teachings of lamas from India to create Tibet's unique form of Buddhism. But sacred lands are not academic or a thing of the past. Earth deities play an important role in many traditional Tibetan communities, creating a reverence for their powerful landscape that affects many aspects of life at the roof of the world. In such places a modest shrine effectively replaces the volumes of environmental laws needed to protect our own lands, just as a tattered prayer flag flapping defiantly over a monastery speaks far more eloquently about these people than hours of political discourse about them in Western capitals. Perhaps the real mystery is not what happened to the Tibetans but what happened to us.

 

ALSO BY ELIOT PATTISON

THE INSPECTOR SHAN NOVELS

Mandarin Gate

The Skull Mantra

Bone Mountain

Beautiful Ghosts

Water Touching Stone

Prayer of the Dragon

The Lord of Death

Bone Rattler

Eye of the Raven

Original Death

Ashes of the Earth

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELIOT PATTISON
is the Edgar Award–winning author of
The Skull Mantra
and six other previous Shan novels. A frequent visitor to China, he has published books and articles on international policy issues around the world. He lives in Oley, Pennsylvania.

 

 

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

 

SOUL OF THE FIRE.
Copyright © 2014 by Eliot Pattison. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

 

www.minotaurbooks.com

 

Cover designed by David Baldeosingh Rotstein

 

Cover photographs: mountain © Vadim Petrakov /
Shutterstock.com
; figures on bridge © Steven Goethals

 

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The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

 

Pattison, Eliot.

    Soul of the fire / Eliot Pattison.—First edition.

        pages; cm—(Inspector shan tao yun; 8)

    ISBN 978-0-312-65603-4 (hardcover)

    ISBN 978-1-250-03647-6 (ebook)

  1.  Shan, Tao Yun (Fictitious character)—Fiction.   2.  Ex-police officers—Fiction.   3.  Buddhist monks—Fiction.   4.  Murder—Investigation—Fiction.   5.  Tibet Autonomous Region (China)—Fiction.   I.  Title.

PS3566.A82497S67 2014

813'.54—dc23

2014031495

eISBN 9781250036476

 

First Edition: November 2014