Customer Reviews

The Third Peregrination

5 star:		(9)
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Just when you thought everything was OK, the artifacts tell you otherwise! The Third Peregrination manages to be just as exciting and original as the first in this series, The Jade Owl. Now Rowden Gray's echt-academic ex-wife Rose, and overeager assistant Sydney, are added to the mix. Again, even though this story involves triangulations of objets d'art and magic banners, the prose sustains the most rational of readers. This volume can stand on its own, so one needn't have read The Jade Owl beforehand.

"Rowden Gray harbored a secret in the hollow of his soul - a private terror kept from friend and family"

And so starts part II of the Jade Owl series... Once again with The Third Peregrination Mr. Patterson proofs what a brilliant storyteller he is. The plot thickens as the main characters of part I are joined by Sydney and Rose, characters so beautifully drawn you can't help but growing very fond of them. I greatly enjoyed learning more about triangulation, fascinated how each member of the ch'i-t'ang discovers what special powers they have. Sure, special powers not always easy to deal with, but highly needed when faced with dangers of both earthly and the supernatural kind.
This is a thrilling read, I highly recommend it !

Just when you think a series can't get better, sometimes you receive a wonderful surprise that the sequel in its own way outshines the original work.
The Third Peregrination is the sequel to The Jade Owl. Seems that little Jade Owl just keeps them drawing into mysteries that now only affect the meaning of Chinese relics that were part of Rowden Gray and Nicholas Battle's adventure, but they tear the veil of time itself to fulfill their destinies.
Our favorite 'China Hands' masters in the legends and histories of the Chinese culture return back to China to learn about the pull each of the participants and their roles in an ancient mystery that affects life itself as we know it.
The cast of characters, most whom we met in The Jade Owl, Rowden (Rowdy) Gray, Nicholas Battle, son of noted Sinologist John Battle, Simone/Simon, Nick's life partner who are now married, Rowdy's wife Audrey, then Rowdy's ex-wife, Rose, as well as unforgetable secondary characters create an amazing adventure that literally has the fate of the world in their hands.
The New China Hands must return to China with their relics to follow the story/banners of the and uncover what they truly mean and why that Jade Owl seems to be in each one.
So a group of four who eventually becoming a group of five tear thru time itself back to the time where this all began.
But something is happening - Each of the friends seems to be 'gifted' with powers never thought of - from telepathy to telekinesis, to I cannot even begin to tell you - but it will blow your mind. They are satellites around the Jade Owl wanting to pull them to do what has been deemed.
The Third Peregrination is a big book - 661 pages, but don't let that length shy you away from reading. Every page draws you in and puts you in the adventure there with our friends, whom you will care deeply for.
Edward Patterson is an amazing writer. He is a Sinologist and knows China backwards and forwards, and paints a picture of what is happening, the legendary characters our friends meet, and the almost halucigenic (sp) realtime events the characters go through.
If I could order the 3rd in the series right now, I would, but alas I have to wait.
While this book can be said to be a stand alone book, I think the back=story would be a plus and to read The Jade Owl would certainly add to the amazement and fun.
You care for these characters, root for them to succeed AND to fail at their destinies.
A worthy read from an amazingly prolific author, whose books I have read maintain the same quality and care of being true to the plot and character development.
I have a very limited knowledge of Mandarin Chinese, so have to rely on the phrases spoken by the locals or characters when it happens in the book to be understood. I don't think having translations would add to the book, as you can figure what is said by actions and reactions.
Fasten your seatbelts, and enjoy the ride!!!
Did I say I love this book?
A great read.

The China Hands are at it again. Was the Jade Owl just a way for a power hungry Empress to gain immortality, or was there much more to it? Once again, Rowden Gray must go to China, where he contends with both ancient secrets and the modern but still barbaric penal system of the People's Republic. He ex-wife Rose and new assistant Sydney are new characters but quickly become fully rounded people that we care for. Even an obnoxious Italian millionaire proves his worth to the quest and becomes likable. At the end we meet Li K'ai-men and his foul-mouthed servant, wonderful characters from Mr. Patterson's Southern Swallow series. To really get the full story, read both series.

Just finished reading The Third Peregrination. In my opinion the author surpassed his first book in the series on all fronts.

In many ways this book is darker than The Jade Owl. The imprisonment of Rowdy and Nick was one example of this darker overtone as was the systematic torture of Nick.

Yet the book also had its light hearted moments. The competition between Nick and Rowdy to control the pot was one such moment.

The author's visualization, though very good in The Jade Owl, was better in The Third Peregrination. His descriptive narrative of the triangulations was superb as were the descriptions of the climatic last scenes of the battle to save the world.

Mr. Patterson's creation of the character Rose was a great blessing to the book. I found his handling of the relationship between Rowdy and his ex wife Rose to be both realistic and believable.

But most of all the author filled the book with action. As a hard core action adventure lover, this ramped up action had me hooked like a carp. The action scenes did not seem to be contrived or superfluous. I was surprised by two of those action scenes because I can generally tell when an author is leading up to such a scene. Mr. Patterson revealed the ability to take me by surprise in this book. That's not easy to do to a hard core action adventure reader who has read the number of books that I've read.

I recommend this read to any serious action adventure fan. I also recommend it to any fantasy fan. In many ways this is a great crossover book. There's enough science for the science fiction fan, action and adventure for the action adventure fan, and magic for the fantasy fan. Whether the manipulation of Chi is magic or science is up for debate. I found myself recalling something I once read. I know I'll get the quote wrong. It's been years since I read the passage but here's an attempt. "Science, if sufficiently advanced, becomes indistinguishable from magic."

sincerely,
Ricky Sides

When Rowden Gray and his group of New China Hands fulfilled the first warrent at the end of The Jade Owl, they expected to return to San Francisco and live their respective lives in peace. After all, wouldn't one expect flying to China with a recalcitrant relic, discovering the secret tomb of the Empress Wu Tze-t'ien, and ending the 1300-year life of said empress, to be enough excitement for one lifetime? Evidently not. The Jade Owl is restless again. It is up to Rowden Gray and Nick Battle (the son of Old China Hand, John Battle)to return to China and, quite literally, save the world.

Nick receives a relic, a ring, which, when exposed in proximity to the Jade Owl and a silk banner (one of seven known as the Seven Sisters that depict scenes from the life of Li K'ai-men), creates a triangulation, a mystical portal in time and space. Nick and Rowden are drawn back to China, this time accompanied by Rose Whitaker, Rowden's ex-wife, and Sydney Firestone, his assistant at the museum, to solve the riddle of the triangulations. As they follow the clues left by the Sisters, other things are happening to the New China Hands: inexplicable physical and psychic phenomena begin to manifest themselves. Nick, especially, is changing, his personality becoming darker, more threatening as the mystery of the Sisters is revealed.

Half-way through the novel, our intrepid Sinologists are joined by a fifth person, the renowned historian and Buddist monk, Meng Ka-bao, who exhibits a psychic gift of his own. Together, these five become ch'i-tang, a spiritual group, whose warrent is to both set in motion and to stop the destruction of the world as we know it.

Edward C. Patterson has upped the ante in this, the second book in his Jade Owl Legacy series. More is at stake and more is revealed, the action is more fierce and the fantasy is more imaginative than ever before. As was apparent in the first book, Patterson's knowlege of China and Chinese history is extensive and he uses his knowledge to good effect, weaving a complicated--yet ultimately rewarding--tale. Patterson's ability to evoke a scene is wonderful, whether that scene takes place in the Old Sheep prison in modern Beijing or along the banks of the Li river centuries ago.

Although this book could stand on its own as a spectacular tale, reading the first book in the series, The Jade Owl, will add to the enjoyment and deepen the knowledge of China for those of us who do our traveling via the written word.

After vanquishing the evil empress Wu Tze-t'ien, Rowden Gray and Nick Battle believed the Jade Owl to be forever tamed. But both are wrong. One year has passed and Nick receives an artifact, an opal ring, which awakens these ancient relics. Once again The Jade Owl and Joy of Finches are drawn to one another but this time things are much different. Interacting with a silken banner depicting life of long ago China, they unlock a hidden message. Learning this banner is one of seven sisters, they set off on an adventure to find the remaining sisters and solve yet another China mystery.

However, it is not only the relics that have changed, but Nick and Rowden as well. Something is happening to them. Haunted by dreams and mental glimmers which direct their path forward, they soon realize they are not just solving a mystery but are carrying out an ancient prophecy - a prophecy which could destroy the world.

In The Third Peregrination, Edward C Patterson continues The Jade Owl series. This installment brings back the wonderful characters introduced in the first book but also offers some new comers including Rowden's ex-wife. These characters add to the adventure by providing appropriate emotional conflict and story arcs to augment the driving fantasy mystery they are to solve. Where the first book was more cerebral and even paced, this 600 plus page novel really amps up the action and fantasy elements. As always, Patterson's accomplished technique and writing style are spot on. His characters are real and descriptions vivid. Similar to the first novel, I enjoyed the historical fiction and cultural lessons imparted throughout this novel.

This is the second of a multiple book series and while the ending is completely satisfying, Patterson introduces the thread which teases at the next installment. The Third Peregrination is a great read - 5 stars!

Just when you thought everything was OK, the artifacts tell you otherwise! The Third Peregrination manages to be just as exciting and original as the first in this series, The Jade Owl. Now Rowden Gray's echt-academic ex-wife Rose, and overeager assistant Sydney, are added to the mix. Again, even though this story involves triangulations of objets d'art and magic banners, the prose sustains the most rational of readers. This volume can stand on its own, so one needn't have read The Jade Owl beforehand.

"Rowden Gray harbored a secret in the hollow of his soul - a private terror kept from friend and family"

And so starts part II of the Jade Owl series... Once again with The Third Peregrination Mr. Patterson proofs what a brilliant storyteller he is. The plot thickens as the main characters of part I are joined by Sydney and Rose, characters so beautifully drawn you can't help but growing very fond of them. I greatly enjoyed learning more about triangulation, fascinated how each member of the ch'i-t'ang discovers what special powers they have. Sure, special powers not always easy to deal with, but highly needed when faced with dangers of both earthly and the supernatural kind.
This is a thrilling read, I highly recommend it !