The Asian Trilogy collects, in a single boxed set, all three of Kerry Collison's best-selling novels on Indonesia's political changes from the rise of Suharto to his downfall. Included in this set are the novels Freedom Square (formerly Merdeka Square), The Timor Man, and Jakarta, covering the sweep of events over four decades in this important and tumultuous nation.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Kerry B Collison
Kerry entered the Royal Australian Air Force in 1962. He was later cleared to the highest level of security and sent to the RAAF Airforce Base at Point Cook where he spent one year, along with a select few friends, learning Bahasa Indonesia. At that time President Soekarno's Indonesia boasted the third largest Communist Party in the world. Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War had just started and there was a growing fear that the threat of an Asian invasion of Australia was becoming a real possibility. Immediately upon graduation, and only 22, Kerry was sent to Jakarta as the Assistant Air Attaché and interpreter in the Australian Embassy during the final stages of the time which became known as the Years of Living Dangerously. This violent period lasted from October 1965 until the end of 1967 resulting in the death of some half a million Indonesians.Kerry spent almost three years in the Embassy before resigning from the Airforce and then establishing his own business in Indonesia. This soon became successful due to his access to the Indonesian Military and his former association with the Australian Government. Kerry was sought after as a commercial representative and was appointed by more than twenty major international groups to oversee their interests in Indonesia. He became involved in such ventures as the supply of helicopters (Hughes) to the Indonesian government, and flew with Lee Archer on the first successful helicopter flight from Singapore to Jakarta in a Hughes 500.
In 1971 President Soeharto granted citizenship to Kerry. This was the first time any foreigner had even been given such status without application. Immediately, due to his former security background the Australian authorities became concerned due to the sensitivity of material he had access to during his term in the Embassy and the Department of Air in Canberra. Kerry's Australian citizenship was stripped from him. Kerry is a sixth generation Australian. Disillusioned, he then went about establishing himself in his adopted country. Within a few short years Kerry had successfully carved a formidable niche in the Indonesian community. Some of those achievements are:
He was founding member of the Young President's organisation in Jakarta. Over a period of 18 years Kerry founded and co-founded more than twenty companies and joint ventures in Indonesia. He built the villa estate in the mountains outside Jakarta known as Coolibah, in Cimacan, and developed other housing estates in Kalimantan. The George & Dragon, The Cellar Bar, Joanne Drew Salons were but a few of the many investments Kerry started. In 1985 Kerry was responsible for the promotion of the first private universities in Australia. He was co-founder of several educational institutions in Australia, including what became known as the Beaufort College in Perth. In 1989/90 Kerry established the first external satellite television service from Australia, Topaz, which was the first private satellite license issued by the Australian government.Kerry commenced working in Indochina in 1991 and currently continues to reside in Asia. Having lived in South East Asia for thirty years he brings unique qualification to writing his chilling novels.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bali through to Borneo,
By Stephen Coleman (Melbourne) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Asian Trilogy: Freedom Square, The Timor Man, Jakarta (Mass Market Paperback)
An exciting, obviously thoroughly researched trilogy of books which not only carry the reader through the exciting periods commencing with the Years of Living Dangerously to the present but also provide a clever insight into the dangerous machinations of our own political leadership with respect to how we have treated emerging Asian powers. A great read!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Authentic, exciting, and compelling,
By "ganjes" (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Asian Trilogy: Freedom Square, The Timor Man, Jakarta (Mass Market Paperback)
In this trilogy, Kerry Collison captures 3 decades of Indonesian political upheaval from the standpoint of someone who has actually lived through most of what he writes about. When I first picked up Freedom Square I felt it must be strongly based on fact - after reading recently declassified State Department documents on the US role in Indonesia at that time, I find that the books are even more fact-based than I had thought. Before reading them, I knew almost nothing about Indonesia except that it sounded exotic. After reading them, I can't understand how I could have been satisfied with that level of ignorance for so many years.Collison writes with authority about a subject he knows as well as anyone else in the world. The books are hard to put down, and I lost a LOT of sleep because I couldn't stop turning the pages. If you are interested in exotic locations in general or Indonesia in particular, you must read these books.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Asian Trilogy,
By Stephen Coleman (Melbourne) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Asian Trilogy: Freedom Square, The Timor Man, Jakarta (Mass Market Paperback)
What an amazing collection of Asian-based stories, so real one would have to believe that there is more truth and fact in these books, than fiction. Kerry Collison provides us with a delightful insight into Asian protocols, and the murky depths of the shadowy world of spies and intrigue. I have learned a great deal from these three titles and look forward to reading the author's "The Fifth Season". Stephen Coleman
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