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 Williams offers fascinating lessons on what makes Oriental mythology and politics important. For example, when communists took over the lands, dragons sought sanctuary in the mountains, being entirely non-communist, and showing that Chinese characters weren’t the only thing changing.
Reviewed by Jacob Malewitz
Precious Dragon
By Liz Williams
Night Shade Books 2007
978-1597800822, 24.95, 256 Pages
There is a hole in the fantasy writing world. All the mythology appears to come from the Christian/Western mindset. We have “Beowulf” and “Hercules,” but few stories of witchcraft in the Chinese dynasties or of Shangdi (a supreme god of ancient China). What happens when a writer goes into Oriental mythology, taking a peak into a world few have traveled? You get something far from “a hero goes for the amulet.” Instead it is a work of art that is different, flawed, and powerful on its own level.
Inspector Chen is a detective hired to handle cases from heaven, earth, and hell. Already the celebrated character of three novels, Chen acts not like the normal detective—mainly because he deals with hellish mysteries. But Pin, a mere boy, holds much of “Precious Dragon” together, allowing author Liz Williams a co-protagonist. There is no clear hook in the beginning, but the high concept is worked in by author Liz Williams. She uses Pin’s desire to escape to another world, where life is easier, as a beginning for “Precious Dragon.” Soon he finds himself searching through the hellish world he sought to escape searching for a girl he doesn’t know. Pin becomes distraught. The world gives him something when Inspector Chen, offers him a job. A girl has gone missing. And so a journey begins; nothing special for Chen, downright scary for Pin. Once Williams brings in the mythology of the Pin’s world, all the power and choices, it can be hard not to see Williams point in writing this character in. He breathes life into the novel.
The world is not pretty, the hero quest not predictable. There are drugs and prostitutes accompanying the demons of the world Pin and Chen travel. Pin seeks to leave the place, wanting a new career. But what makes him different is he isn’t high minded. Like a true character of hell, he doesn’t look down on taking advantage of sex/drug lounges, even with a sense of decency. One character asks if Pin is suitable for this job. “He comes from the chorus. An artist. A sensitive person. Of course he will be suitable.”
A mission into hell is called for, Inspector Chen the leader and Pin the follower. Problems occur when a demon named called Zhu joins the mission. True to his name, in the past this demon has slept with suspects, took bribes, intimidated witnesses, and acted unlike a nice cop from hell. It can be confusing, as Zhu looks and acts much like a man, and Williams offers to details on whether he has, say, horns and red skin. A reading of the previous novels would likely solve that question. These ideas of demons and dragons walking the earth much like people forms the basis for the hellish world that the characters of “Precious Dragon” inhabit.
The case of the missing girl takes a toll on Inspector Chen; he cannot seem to let it go, along with the demon Zhu. “I had a dream last night,” says Zhu, “in which we were wandering through hell, looking for her, but she wasn’t there.” Chen finds there may be many possibilities for war in hell and heaven. Yet, even with his detective abilities, he is unsure of what is really going on. Williams plays with this: one of Hell’s leaders says, after a battleship of the skies flies over, that it is going to get really “chilly” in hell.
Traveling through heaven and hell has never been so fun. To see the damned smiling would have just upped the levels of this story, but Williams mixes in comedy, pushing her short chapters along with a certain grace. Combining hell with Chinese mythology, the traditional western gumshoe with a keen eye for evil, and a lowly character who could meet his ego at the door, readers have found an interesting world.
Williams offers fascinating lessons on what makes Oriental mythology and politics important. For example, when communists took over the lands, dragons sought sanctuary in the mountains, being entirely non-communist, and showing that Chinese characters weren’t the only thing changing.
Chen, when going through hell, finds himself disturbed to see the damned. He says: “I am not sure this ties in with our missions statement of learning about equal opportunity policies.” The demon Zhu responds candidly: “Everyone is equally miserable here.” Not a timeless classic, but a stiff wooden one that just refuses to disappear into the night. “Precious Dragon” values the stories that came before it, pushing its very own path through the fantasy world.
About the Reviewer: Jacob Malewitz is the author of the book, The Writer Who Smiles, available at http://www.booklocker.com/books/3288.html. It’s a spiritual guide to creativity for writers, readers, those interested in creativity, and those looking for inspiration in life. He has a blog for writers, A Writer’s Eye, a blog for readers called A Reader’s Eye, and one for comic book junkies at A Comic Eye.
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