This is the first of James Clavell's novels I have ever read. I decided to take up Tai-Pan not only because I liked the 1986 film version but because, looking over all Clavell's film and TV work, I suddenly realized that without reservation I enjoyed them all. From the early productions--Watusi, Five Gates to Hell, and even The Fly; and on to the war films, 633 Squadron, King Rat, The Great Escape; the obscure one-offers, The Satan Bug, To Sir, with Love, and the vastly underrated The Last Valley; and, finally, The Asian Saga series, Shogun, Tai-Pan, and Noble House--each of these captured my imagination and enthusiasm. And now that I have finished Tai-Pan I can see what powered their stories.

Tai-Pan is a surprisingly literate work for such a bestseller. Clavell has a command of language and literary imagery that enables the novel to work on more than one level. It's also intricate, with multiple well developed characters. But what raises the book above similar historical fiction is the storyline. Perhaps this is what made Clavell's work translate so well to film and TV. Clavell is simply a gifted storyteller who weaves the details of people, places, and time into his strong central story. In film terms, he always advances the story. Or to put it another way, he always arrives at the "and then" moment at just the right time--no veering off into lost subplots, no getting too attached to extraneous characterization. Clavell is a clean, crisp manipulator of story and prose. Not something easily achieved in a 700 page book. I'll be interested to see if his other novels meet the same level of success. If his film work is any clue, I should guess they do.

As for the story itself. The relation between Struan and his concubine, May-may, dominates. The only thing I should like to know is if Clavell watched or read The World of Suzie Wong. It must have "influenced" him. For more than a few scenes between Struan and May-may seem a direct echo of Suzie Wong--especially when May-may dresses herself in European clothes. ( )