The Skull Mantra [Hardcover]

For a first novel, The Skull Mantra is excellent. Shan is every bit as complex and sympathetic a character as Arkady Renko, Marcus Didius Falco, Ian Rutledge, and Smilla Jasperson (both Gorky Park and Smilla's Sense of Snow are cited on my version of The Skull Mantra as comparable debut novels). Yes, there are some coincidences, but one thing life has taught me is that truth really is stranger than fiction, and when authors forget that, and try to edit their storylines to make things seem more plausible, things can really get dull.

The pace is very good, and the dialogue is witty even while being minimalist; there is very little artificial "narration through dialogue" one often encounters while reading fiction in exotic locales. Actually, this may be another reason some reviewers found it confusing. If anything, I personally found Pattison's style more engaging and thought-provoking.

The boldness with which Pattison touches on China's exploitation of Tibet is laudable, and his willingness to play with Tibetan and Chinese spiritualism as plot elements only adds to the unpredictability and entertainment.

All in all, I found this to be an excellent first novel. Though I haven't yet read any of the sequels, they are now on my "Must Read" list.

The mystery is an engaging one, triggered by the bizarre find of a headless corpse under a pile of stones near the worksite of the People's 404th Brigade. The 404th is a forced-labor gang made up mostly of Tibetan monks, but also including former Beijing prosecutor Shan Tao Yung. The case takes a more bizarre twist when the local commandant, Colonel Tan, picks Shan to conduct the investigation because the local prosecutor is away on vacation. Then the body turns out to be that of the supposedly vacationing prosecutor. Colonel Tan wants the case resolved quickly, and a local monk is soon implicated, but Shan isn't satisfied.

Beyond the engaging mystery, this book has a lot to say about the evils of Chinese rule in Tibet. I would be one of the last people to argue against the need for relatively backward societies to come to grips with the modern world as we enter the 21st century, but modernization doesn't begin to justify the attempt to forcefully eradicate a foreign culture at whatever human cost that pursued by China in Tibet. The leadership of China, both past and present, have much to answer for.

THE SKULL MANTRA is an excellent book. It's not the greatest mystery I've ever read, but it is pretty good in that department. Beyond that, however, it has the power to both entertain AND enlighten. That's a powerful combination. I recommend this book highly. It's an experience most readers won't quickly forget. I only hope Pattison's next book is as good.