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Days of Bitter Strength (Chung Kuo)
Days of Bitter Strength - Chung Kuo
Author: David Wingrove
The final book in David Wingrove's critically acclaimed science fiction masterpiece is set among the red-roofed houses of "China on the Rhine," where former freedom-fighter Emily Ascher now serves as mother to the orphan boys of a war-devastated land. But unto the people of Chung Kuo, two children will be born, a baby girl smothered and thrown a...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780440507949
ISBN-10: 0440507944
Publication Date: 7/7/1997
Pages: 672
Rating:
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 6

4.5 stars, based on 6 ratings
Publisher: Dell
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
Read All 1 Book Reviews of "Days of Bitter Strength Chung Kuo"

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Hophead avatar reviewed Days of Bitter Strength (Chung Kuo) on + 285 more book reviews
This is book seven in an eight-book series. Originally it would have been nine books, but after Days of Bitter Strength, Wingrove's publisher told him to wrap it up in eight. As a standalone volume, this book may be the best of the series. It deftly introduces some interesting new themes as well as wraps up several ongoing story arcs. After finishing it, I felt as satisfied as if it were the final book.

Good thing too. Although I haven't read it myself, reviewers have said that the publisher's edict forced Wingrove to hurriedly rewrite the eighth book to conclude the series in a manner that did not satisfy himself or his fans. The publishers did minimal publicity for the final book and it quickly disappeared from view. Amazon reader reviews almost universally pan it. Plus PBS does not have the book, Amazon doesn't have it, and the cheapest used copy is $40.

"However, the Chung Kuo series has now arisen, phoenix-like, from the dead. Corvus-Atlantic have picked up the series and will began reissuing it in February 2011. The series has been comprehensively re-edited and re-structured by the author, with five new novels' worth of material added to the saga. These take the form of a completely new prequel novel depicting the rise of China, named Son of Heaven, and a hugely expanded and revised concluding section, restoring the author's original intentions for the series. Over half a million words of new material was written for the new editions. In addition, the existing large books have been broken down into smaller, more economical volumes so that the entire series now spans a mind-boggling nineteen books of around 120,000-200,000 words apiece, somewhere well north of two million words and maybe closer to three."

So I will have to be satisfied with Days of Bitter Strength being the finale after reading more than 3,500 pages. As mentioned above, I am OK with that and this is my favorite volume of the entire Chung Kuo series. Highly recommended.

Note: some of the information above comes from the Fourm of Ice and Fire David Wingrove thread. Visit there and you will find the complete republishing schedule, early reviews, and even cover art.

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Chung Kuo Series  7 of 7

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