Farewell The Dragon
S. Lee Barckmann
Barckwords Publishing (2020)
ISBN: 9781735251400
Lily Andrews for Reader Views (06/2021)
“Farewell The Dragon” is an adventure-filled mystery thriller set in the 80s in China, the Land of The Setting Sun. A gruesome double murder of two foreigners, Erika and Sandor, occurs in one of the Beijing campuses. Nathan Schuett, an English teacher, and former software agent is held in police custody for the two murders. He occasionally finds solace in the Friendship Hotel where he meets with other expatriates. He further finds himself at the center of the mysterious disappearance of a Chinese artifact while navigating through a world of betrayal, religion, women, and the Cultural Revolution in China.
With twists and turns and surprises unraveling, this book keeps you on edge from the beginning to the end. The author depicts China’s cities and sounds extremely well. He makes all the characters stand out in a unique way which makes them fit perfectly in their role. The text explores the cultural impact of Beijing’s culture on foreigners. I loved the wonderful thoughts shared on this tome. Author Barckmann is well-versed in China’s religion, world politics, and philosophical ideologies. This makes the book not just entertaining to readers but also eye-opening.
I also liked how the author did not depict the main character, Nate, as perfect-natured but instead presented readers with his flaws and weaknesses. This makes the storyline plausible and easy to relate to. At first, I thought the pace was slow but I later understood this feature as it helped me connect with the minor characters. One aspect I enjoyed about “Farewell The Dragon” was how Mr. Barckmann used different fonts to distinguish between back stories and present events making it significantly easier for the reader to follow the story. The book is professionally edited and the plot richly imagined.
This novel is a top candidate for pure escapist entertainment. Packed with mystery, thrill, and international history, it will undoubtedly take readers on an emotive and fascinating odyssey. For this reason, I give it 5 stars. The text does not allow historical events to override the fascinating plot but instead grants readers a developing story that takes center stage.
“Farewell The Dragon” by S. Lee Barckmann is avowedly successful work. I highly recommend this timeless work of fiction to fans of mystery thrillers.
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