Customer Reviews

Dream of the Dragon Pool

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The great poet, Li Bo, has been ordered into exile, but on his way out of the Empire he decides to stop at Dream Temple, "a place where dreams bring peace to troubled hearts." But, the dream vision he receives sends him and his friend Ah Wu on a quest to bring the magical Dragon Pool Sword to the Rain Goddess on Mount Wu. And so, Li Bo sets out on an epic quest that will lead him through life and death, and choices...and back again.

OK, Where do I start? I have read and enjoyed a few pieces of Chinese literature before, and found them interesting, if heavy, going (most notably Chang Hsi-kuo's city trilogy). This book was written by Albert A. Dalia, a Western scholar and traveler with two masters degrees and a Ph.D. in Chinese history and religion, and it ably succeeds in bringing a Chinese story home to a Western reader.

The story is set in eighth-century China, but it is the China of legend. Through his quest, Li Bo and the reader meet ghosts and dragons, magical assassins and potent shamanesses, magic swords and Immortals...oh yeah, and a drunken monkey. The story itself is quite excellent, being equal to any of the recent wuxia movies coming out (including House of Flying Daggers, which I highly enjoyed).

So, let me sum up by saying that this is an excellent fantasy story, a wonderful Chinese-style story that brings Chinese culture and religion within the grasp of a Western reader, and a very entertaining read. All this...and a drunken monkey. Come on, you know you *have* to read this book!

I loved this book, and give it my highest recommendations!

I have known Albert over thirty years, and Li Bo longer. And I've been waiting for this book for more moons than I have hairs left on my head. The wait was worth it, though I hope the next one won't take so long to reach me. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this journey. But then again, I'm so out of touch with the times, sharing, as I do, Albert's love of the Tang. Meanwhile, I will be keeping an eye out for the glint of a sword blade, the next time I travel through the Yangtze Gorges.

This is my wife's account, my name is Dawud.

I bought this book because I'm interested in wuxia literature after having been into wuxia films and comics for years. I'd never read a wuxia novel all the way through before. Most of those I knew about don't have English translations and are subject to gradual fan translations online. So when I heard of Mr Dalia's work I was eagerly anticipating it. I was not in the least disappointed.

I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and I've been reading Star Wars novels for the last 14 years and in recent years I've been really noting the similarities between Star Wars and wuxia ever since I became interested in wuxia. So Star Wars novels were a good introduction for me into this genre I'd say, and reading Dream of the Dragon Pool was like putting on familiar clothing with a different design and maybe a bit more vintage.

Dream of the Dragon Pool really drives home for me how wuxia Star Wars is, especially when it comes to the use of chi in the martial arts. The first time Wang Ah Wu uses his chi to boost his awareness of his surroundings I was reminded of the way Jedi are written to use the Force for the same thing. This book is a must read for Star Wars fans. I also highly recommend it to anyone interested in wuxia fiction in general... and people who have an interest in Chinese culture and martial arts.

Wine and dreams are at the heart of this remarkable novel. Frankly I have never read anything like it. Dalia who is a Chinese scholar has recreated a style and a world view long gone from this realm, a style that interprets the world as dream and mystery, a style that celebrates Dao as an occult religion.

The form of the novel is a quest. Li Bo, a celebrated poet from the eighth century of the current era, whose drunkenness has led to his banishment from the imperial court, is the central character. He has lost his power with words. He is a poet who can no longer rhyme, to whom metaphors no longer occur. He and his warrior companion, Ah Wu, are traveling west as the adventure begins. What will they find? Will they encounter the Daoist immortals? And what does it mean to acquire the Dragon Pool Sword? Is it a curse as Ah Wu believes or an instrument to bring about heavenly recognition to Li Bo and perhaps a return to the imperial court with his poetic powers restored?

Dalia's prose, like those of a fairy tale master, immerses the reader in the mists of the long ago, into a world in which ghosts and dragons, shamanesses and wondrous magicians, goddesses and monsters, exist in reality as they do in myth. He recalls a vision of this world in which there is no line drawn between the mysterious and the mundane, between the world of spirit and that of mortal flesh. The gods and the goddesses are real. Monkeys can catch ghosts and creatures such as the Albino Swordsman can enter your dreams and kill you while you lie sleeping. The dragon can assume horrific forms, terrible and awesome to the eyes. And mortals can mingle with immortals.

To write such a novel requires a child-like love of mystical adventure combined with a deep understanding of the subconscious of human beings. It requires a love for the legends and the mysteries of the past. Dalia's quest is to take us back to the supernatural world that existed for the people who lived during the time of the Tang dynasty and to allow that consciousness to invade our minds and envelop us in wonder and mystery. His is a splendid accomplishment, a fantasy rich in imagination and history, an atmospheric tale charged with the phantasmagoric.

As a high school English teacher whose specialty lies in British Literature, I could not put this book down; I wanted so much to finish reading it. Aside from the lush imagery and mystical setting, one cannot fail to see the unversal archetypal theme in the story; the fundamental importance of enjoying and participating in all aspects of life that can only come by creating and sustaining a balance. You will find yourself empathizing with the characters, both male and female, whose flaws closely mirror our own. This story is a craftful and beautiful story whose narrative is reminiscent of early epic stories in any mythology, not to mention, I learned a few concepts about Daoism that I hope to pursue and incorporate in my own teaching.

Dream of the Dragon Pool is a tale in the classic Chinese genre of wu-xia xiao-shuo - "heroic fiction" - based upon the real-life bard Li Bai (A.D. 701-762), the famous, prolific Chinese poet who supposedly drowned while trying to embrace the moon's reflection in a river after a night of hard drinking. Branded an outlander after being dismissed for an unknown indiscretion, Li Bai was exiled for a second time to the province of Yelang in southernmost China following an attempted coup but was pardoned by Emperor Xuan-zong of Tang and allowed to return before reaching Burma. Dream of the Dragon Pool is Albert Dahlia's exciting, compelling narrative about what might have happened during the period of Li Bai's second exile.

Dahlia, an expert on Daoism and Daoist history, does a masterful job of threading his characters into a colorful tapestry woven on the loom of Chinese medieval history from the twin strands of speculation and truth. He portrays Li Bo as a talented but flawed man with a taste for adventure, liquor, and women. Nevertheless, the all-too-human Li Bo proves to be a virtuous warrior as he shows courage, grace under pressure - and ultimately, wisdom - during his dangerous journey up the Yangtze River to reach an evil dragon's lair called the Dragon Pool.

Seeking spiritual advice and direction from a Daoist Immortal, Li Bo travels to the Dream Temple with his friend Ah Wu, a veteran sharpshooter known as the "Steel Talon" because of his lethal prowess with a crossbow. There the Immortal presents him the magical Dragon Pool Sword and sends Li Bo on a mission that when successfully completed will rejuvenate the poet's literary powers. To fulfill his quest, Li Bo must deliver the sword to a Rain Goddess whose home is a mountain in the Yangtze River's Three Gorges region, distinguished by twelve peaks. Along the way, Li Bo is pursued by the dark forces of the Blood Dragon and its ghostly slaves and other phantasmagoric creatures, including an albino swordsman with special powers. Also headed toward the twelve-peaked mountain is Luo Jhu-yun, a beautiful Grand Shamaness to the Chinese Emperor Xuan-zong and who is on a spiritual quest of her own.

Add to the cast of characters a few shrewd and sylphlike nymphs, some vicious monsters, an ethereal assassin whose killing fields are the dreamscapes of mortals, plus a "wandering blade" minstrel accompanied by his ghost-catching drunken monkey, and you have the makings of a truly spellbinding and entertaining yarn. Albert Dahlia's skillful combination of mythic symbolism, supernatural forces, and historical fact makes Dream of the Dragon Pool a rich, multi-faceted novel that adult readers will discover is a joy to read - and reread.

Fantasy has had its share of writers that love to use ancient China as a setting. It is a world where the culture seems almost as mythical as the dragons and deities that often lurk around the edges. Those of us who have been around for a bit fondly remember Van Gulik's Judge Dee and Ernest Bramah's Kai Lung. Kai Lung, of course, was completely imaginary, but Judge Dee was based on a real Chinese character. Adding to this body of English 'Chinese' stories is Albert Dalia's story of Li Bo, also based on a real character a poet and sometimes adventurer living eighth century. We are invited to join Li Bo on his voyage of exile after a life of drunken poetry writing at the Chinese court. A trip full of ghosts, beautiful goddesses, harrowing monsters, and an unending supply of cheap rice wine.

Albert Dalia is a scholar of Chinese literature who is quick to inform us that The Dream of the Dragon Pool is written in a style known as wuxia xiaoshuo, what we might refer to as heroic fiction. Li Bo, who seems equally at home drinking, discussing Daoism and wielding weapons, isn't quite the heroic material we've grown used to in western fiction, but he quickly ingratiates himself to the reader, as do many of the other characters in the story. Characterization is one of the most important factors in the success of the story, that and a pleasant attention to setting that marks much of oriental fiction, and provides a contrasts to the often horrific events taking place on that backdrop.

Li Bo, who seeks to restore meaning to his life, pauses in his journey to spend a night in a tomb on a nameless mountain, seeking a dream that will help him set things right in his life. A dream he gets, but not necessarily on he expects. A mysterious woman gives him the Dragon Pool Sword and requires that he bring it to the Rain Goddess. Evil is on the move, and the sword must go to where it will be best protected. Li Bo and his faithful companion Ah Wu set out, only to run into complications at every turn. A blood dragon sends his minions after the sword. An albino assassin who kills in one's sleep starts a rain of terror. Good friends become ghosts, and ghosts become good friends. A mysterious swordsman with a monkey in tow might be a friend or maybe he isn't.

Dalia manages to tell this complex story with striking clarity and natural flow. He comes very close to duplicating the look and feel of the literature from which he draws his inspiration. If fantasy both esoteric and adventurous is to your taste I suggest you seek out Albert Dalia's work.

[Review copy provided by author].

To treat a set of ideas or beliefs as more that just a set of ideas or beliefs is difficult. This is especially so when the beliefs in question are not part of one's own cultural heritage. There is both considerable skill in the writing and considerable knowledge used as background necessary to pull something like this off. Albert Dalia succeeds on both counts. The story, although strange from a Westerner's point of view, moves through its changes smoothly, interestedly, and, perhaps more to the point, believably. Granted, this tale involves the "willing suspension of disbelief," but, that done, it is a good story well told, and well worth the read.

Written by Albert A. Dalia, a scholar of medieval Chinese history and culture for four decades, Dream of the Dragon Pool: A Daoist Quest is an amazing novel based on the historical death-sentence exile of China's beloved poet-adventurer Li Bo (also Li Bai, 701-762 A.D.). A fanciful tale of myth and wonder, told as traditional Chinese-style heroic fiction, Dream of the Dragon Pool follows Li Bo on his journey toward certain death in faraway Burma/Myanmar. Unconcerned about the threat of his imminent demise, Li Bo sees his travels as a quest for poetic inspiration. Along the way he befriends the emperor's most powerful shamaness, accidentally awakens the horrific Blood Dragon and its ghostly slaves, and stumbles into possession of the coveted and legendary Dragon Pool Sword after a dream visit from a Daoist Immortal. Wicked and nefarious enemies and wondrous adventure flow from this exotic and utterly enthralling tale.

Dream of the Dragon Pool: A Daoist Quest, Albert A. Dalia's impressive debut novel, presents readers with a magical blend of fantasy, history, and Chinese mythology. Western literature has only just begun to tap into the wellspring of Far Eastern tradition and mythology, especially China's "tales of wonder," which seem almost tailor-made for the fantasy genre, but Albert A. Dalia has already drunk deeply from its refreshing waters. Don't let that word "Daoist" scare you off; I couldn't have told you what it meant, either - although I do know there is absolutely nothing "simplistic" about it or this novel. Heck, we're talking about universal concepts of existence here, mixing it up with profound insights into the very essence of life and dancing around enlightenment itself.

Dalia builds his story around Li Bo (or Li Bai), one of China's most celebrated poets. History tells us that Li Bo, who lived in the 8th century, got himself exiled from the imperial court, then likely perished in the Yangtze River soon afterward. Dalia's fantasy begins where history ends, introducing readers to Li Bo and his faithful warrior companion Ah Wu as they set out along the Yangtze River on their way to Li Bo's probable death in the dangerous land of his exile. The possibility of impending death doesn't bother Li Bo too much, though, for he is much more concerned with finding the poetic muse that will reawaken the inner poetry he has lost. Whatever inner magic helped him conjure up such immortal poems as Drinking Alone by Midnight is now gone. That is why he makes a point of visiting the mysterious Dragon Pool Temple along the way; the next morning, he leaves the place with the famed Dragon Pool Sword and a mission to deliver it to the Rain Goddess on her sacred mountain. Ah Wu considers the sword dangerous, but Li Bo is determined to fulfill his new, sacred quest.

The men soon meet a fellow traveler and his ghost-catching, alcohol-loving monkey (yes, you read that correctly) both of whom can be good to have around when danger beckons, which it does in the form of an assassin capable of killing people within their very own dreams and a Blood Dragon anxious to get her hands on the unmatched sword. Throw in the emperor's favorite shamaness attempting to flee to the Rain Goddess' sacred mountain, as well, and you've got yourself quite an engrossing adventure. The emotional heart of the story, though, is Chen, the ghost of a young woman. Bound to do the will of the Blood Dragon, she must befriend and betray Li Bo (whose true identity is unknown to her) against her will; what makes her struggle all the more poignant is the fact that her only remaining solace in her ghostly life is Li Bo's poetry.

There is plenty of action and excitement, on both land and sea, as Li Bo attempts to fulfill his quest and deliver the Dragon Pool Sword to the Rain Goddess on Mount Wu. All of the characters are wonderfully developed, while the backdrop of this ancient land and time makes for a wonderfully exotic setting for such a fantastic tale. As a long-time scholar of medieval Chinese history, Dalia really knows this long-ago world he is recreating and brings it vividly to life. If you're a fantasy fan looking for something a little different, or someone with an interest in Chinese history and mythology, or if you just appreciate a well-written novel, you'll want to undertake this Daoist quest alongside the great poet Li Bo. Dream of the Dragon Pool is a wonderfully engaging novel.