Unbound

Colorado author John Shors has the gift. It is as simple as that. In BENEATH A MARBLE SKY he created a stunning love story woven through the interstices of the 16th century Hindustani building of the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the world, a place on earth where Paradise touches mortals in a magnificent mausoleum for the beloved wife of the Emperor. Not only it this a symphonic novel of surpassing craftsmanship and beauty, it is also a book that informs the reader about the differences between Muslim and Hindu religions, about the Persian Empire, about customs of caste, of worldviews, of architecture, and of the myriad flavors of a land too few of us understand. He continued this quality of writing in BESIDE A BURNING SEA, DRAGON HOUSE, THE WISHING TREES, CROSS CURRENTS, TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND FACES and now with UNBOUND. John has secured his place among popular American novelists of the decade with this his seventh novel that combines a growing respect of the beauties of the globe and the intricacies of the manner in which characters seemingly misplaced in locales seek to find themselves only to discover that their place in the confusion of the world is close at hand, partially shaded by nature’s vagaries. With UNBOUND John invites us to China in the year 1548 and while his prose visually creates the Great Wall of China, his story is once again about love and commitment and resolution that will tie husband and wife together despite the separation of the Mongol invasion threat that separates them. An aspect of John’s passion for history, romance and communication of his thoughts is evident in his pausing to offer an Author’s Note at book’s inception: ‘The Great Wall of China is one of the most awe-inspiring creations of humanity. But why was the legendary fortification built? And who built it? Modern scholars tell us that the Great Wall is not actually a single wall, but a collection of ramparts that were raised over a two-thousand-year period. Running from east to west near the northern border of China, the Great Wall was created to protect the Chinese from nomadic tribes, mainly the Mongols and Manchus. Early sections of the Great Wall were little more than barricades of branches, dirt, and rocks. As the centuries passed, the skills of the builders improved, and by the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644), the Great Wall was constructed more as an endless series of small, connected castles than a featureless barrier. Several million Chinese died building the Great Wall. Some of them were criminals. Others were soldiers. Many were pressured into work through laws designed to reward hard labor with tax exemptions. Everyone toiled under dangerous and often besieged conditions, creating an unrivaled fortification that, if its parts were added together, would stretch for more than five thousand miles. Once I chose to write a novel about the Great Wall, I was faced with a variety of options in terms of time and setting. I decided to place my story toward the end of the Ming Dynasty. At this time, China had about 150 million people, yet was vulnerable to Mongol attacks. Fierce, mobile, and unrivaled horsemen, the Mongols had struck fear into the hearts of the Chinese for generations. Rather than send armies north to meet and likely be defeated by their foe, the Ming leaders decided to reinforce and expand the Great Wall—a strategy that would become arguably the most ambitious building project in history. UNBOUND is loosely fashioned after the famous Chinese legend of a husband and wife who became swept up in the undercurrents of the Great Wall’s creation. At the time that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was captivating audiences in the West, within China the story of Fan and Meng was being told with equal reverence. The tale of their epic struggle has been since shared from generation to generation, enduring the passage of time with as much resiliency and grace as the stones upon which they are said to have suffered. So it is the setting, not the characters, in this novel that is based on historical fact.’ There are many reasons to select books to read. Selecting UNBOUND celebrates our intellect, our passion, our need for knowledge of the past, and our luxuriating in brilliant prose. Highly recommended on every level. Grady Harp, August 17

A very entertaining and suspensful tale of both the Chinese and Mongol characters. Kept my interest in what would happen next to whom. Maybe a tad too happy of an ending, but who doesn’t like a happy ending, right? Great historical fiction!

John Shors once again brings Asian history alive. He doesn't take sides – there are good guys and bad guys everywhere, but rather, he deals with people just trying to live their lives during tumultuous time periods. This story, set when the great wall divided the Chinese and the Mongols, introduces many endearing characters. I especially like Ping, a young thief, who assists Meng to find her husband working on the great wall. Their friendship is quite modern as he accepts her traveling disguised as a man and she accepts his assistance though he is a known thief. They learn from each other and become better people due to their enlightening friendship. Though John's words paint the story well, I could also imagine this to be a theater production, with a grand great wall set rotating to represent what happens on the Chinese side and the Mongol side. Beautiful costumes and strong characters. Perhaps even a musical as the emotions sweep you from tender love to jealousy to angry battles. It is always a pleasure to see what John comes up with. He researches well, and his stories are highly readable. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next, he is in his prime. I highly recommend Unbound.

While a good read, the repetitive descriptions became tedious and made the book agonizingly long. Like some movies, you can't wait until it ends.

I was fortunate to have seen a small section but large tourist attraction of the Great Wall while visiting China. It was an interesting setting for this story. Very good character development which is a requirement for me to give any book a high rating. That compensated for the annoyance in the early part of the book of the author retelling events . It gave me the impression that it was written for a younger reader that might forget what they already read. The plot and characters were not that complicated. I thought perhaps it was a device to portray the characters as lower ranking. Either I got used to it or it ended as the story progressed. I would recommend this to anyone interested in Chinese history of the war with Moguls or romance,

This is the story, written by John Shors, of several people who are influenced by the historical setting of the Great Wall of China. Each of the characters has a personal journey that is central to the story. This reader, a great appreciator of character development wonders at some of the growth. While personal psychological growth is possible, these characters come out of an age where social control is very embedded, and psychological growth may have been limited because of that. In some respects, it seems like growth that is more possible in this modern age. But that is selling these characters short, and this author certainly did not do that. Each character contributes—for better and for worse, in life and in death. An interesting read.

John, I absolutely loved this book!! I found I had many takeaways from this book including: 1) not all things appear as they seem, (2) be ready for challenges you did not expect but be ready when the opportunity arises to make the changes you want, (3) history and the reasons in which we make choices can determine how solid our foundation is, (4) love does conquer all, (5) faith is everything and a little more, (5) knowledge is your best weapon, (6) strength comes from where you need it at the moment but mostly from within--empowerment looks different for each individual. It was not just a great story and well-written book, but there seems to be a message for anyone, if you want or need one, to take away. I have now started your first book and look forward to the others. Supporting local authors, artists, and entrepreneurs is important to me as it is to others so I wanted to share out loud to the world about your books. Plus, you offer book club discussions and you call into many clubs. This is fantastic!! Thanks for sharing your talents.

I couldn't put this one down, once I started reading it just took off. Reading about the Chinese culture in the 15th century and why they felt it necessary to bind the female child's feet seems barbaric to me. Reading about the wall itself was fascinating, & its history was interesting to know that racism was also in other parts of the world and not just here in the U.S. Will definitely read more of this author's books.