1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Written how a novel should be - exciting from page 1 to the end., March 21, 2009
I read this novel in 1989 while I was living in Bangkok for a short while. This novel is written the way a novel should be - exciting from page 1 to the end.
The delicate balance of a forang (foreigner) in Thailand, is between what is and what should be, and what one hopes for and what must be. Traditions are as rich as the Imperial Monarchy... and the people, then and now, are genuine in any circumstance they may find themselves.
Axel Aylwen weaves the essences of all that is Thailand with the true story of Constantine Phaulkon, a traveler, an adventurer, a witting businessman, and calculating rogue. Phaulkon arrives in Thailand via the East India Trading Company, and rises to unthinkable heights in the Kingdom of Siam, under the rule of King Narai. This elaborate story is engaging from start to finish, and in the end, it leaves you wishing there were many more pages to read.
It is a novel that, in part, inspired me to become a writer.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very engaging read, September 5, 2007
I picked this book up at the Peninsula Hotel Bangkok on my most recent trip to Bangkok. Not since the latest Harry Potter book have I been so engrossed in a book. I could not put it down. The story is set in the late 1600s in the Kingdom of Siam. It is the story of an English (born Greek) trade merchant rising to power in the Kingdom of Siam. He loves his adopted country and does whatever it takes to rise through its ranks to increasing positions of power. The book provides a wonderful view into the country (Thailand today), its culture and world around it in that day. It is at the same time a love story, an adventure, a view into a culture, a view into politics and statesmanship and just a very entertaining story. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves Thailand, its people and its culture. You will find this book to be a very rewarding read.
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1.0 out of 5 stars
Falcon of Siam, October 21, 2010
I would like to review this item, but as it has still not arrived, even though it was purchased on the 19th September, I am unable to.
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