The Magician of Lhasa

Digital Audio read by the Author; 9 h 56 m

English language

Published Jan. 22, 2021 by Bolinda Audio.

(1 review)

When novice monk Tenzin Dorje is told by his lama that the Red Army is invading Tibet, his country's darkest moment paradoxically gives him a sense of purpose like no other. He accepts a mission to carry two ancient, secret texts across the Himalayas to safety.

Half a century later, in a paradox of similarly troubling circumstances, Matt Lester is called upon to convey his own particular wisdom as a scientist, when Matt's nanotech project is mysteriously moved from London to a research incubator in Los Angeles.

Tenzin and Matt embark on parallel adventures which have spine-chilling connections. Tenzin's perilous journey through the Himalayas, amid increasing physical hardship and the ever-present horror of Red Army capture, is mirrored by Matt's contemporary, but no less traumatic challenges, as his passionate relationship with his fiancée, Isabella, and his high flying career undergo escalating crises.

It is at the moment when both Tenzin …

When novice monk Tenzin Dorje is told by his lama that the Red Army is invading Tibet, his country's darkest moment paradoxically gives him a sense of purpose like no other. He accepts a mission to carry two ancient, secret texts across the Himalayas to safety.

Half a century later, in a paradox of similarly troubling circumstances, Matt Lester is called upon to convey his own particular wisdom as a scientist, when Matt's nanotech project is mysteriously moved from London to a research incubator in Los Angeles.

Tenzin and Matt embark on parallel adventures which have spine-chilling connections. Tenzin's perilous journey through the Himalayas, amid increasing physical hardship and the ever-present horror of Red Army capture, is mirrored by Matt's contemporary, but no less traumatic challenges, as his passionate relationship with his fiancée, Isabella, and his high flying career undergo escalating crises.

It is at the moment when both Tenzin and Matt face catastrophe that their stories converge, spectacularly transforming our understanding of all that has gone before.

6 editions

Sasu reviewed The Magician of Lhasa by David Michie (Matt Lester, #1)

Slow Start, then Exciting and Inspiring

3 stars

Content warning Some low-detail discussion of plot structur

I thought I'd give this one a try because I liked David Michie's Instant Karma so much.

The Magician of Lhasa was a bit slow to get started for me and if I hadn't been quite sure that what I was looking for was very likely to show up later, I probably wouldn't have kept at it so long and likely would have put the book down. Now having read the whole thing I understand that the slow start does a good job of setting things up for later developments, I still think that the beginning could have been tightened up a fair bit without sacrificing the necessary foundation building. There is also a bit of awkward phrasing which charms at the same time as it distracts a bit from the story.

After all that complaining, I should say that I still really liked the book and am glad to have spent time with it. It's less of an overt teaching book when I compare it to Instant Karma, but what it does even better than Instant Karma does is to build towards a more insightful and expansive revelation at the climax, which reveals the story as a whole to be a teaching device supportive of inspiration and a change in perspective.

A definite recommendation for anyone interested in Buddhism or Tibet or both. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

#karma #meditation #Buddhism #Tibet #nanotech #quantumscience #mindfulness

Subjects

Fiction, thrillers, general
Fiction, visionary & metaphysical
Monks
Fiction
Scientists
Nanotechnology