Dragon Fire
As a technologist, I traveled a lot. Asia was high on the list,
particularly China. And there I learned what it was like to be
illiterate - I couldn't read the signs! I soon learned a great deal
about China, its people, culture, history, philosophy and some 300
Chinese characters, particularly the ones for "men's toilet".
China is not the unified, monolithic empire most Westerners think
it is. Nor are the Chinese an obedient, subservient people. They are
proud and fiercely independent. China exists because of the Emperor.
If he is weak, the country splits up into a series of territories each
controlled by a local warlord. If he is strong, then China is unified.
China's history proves this time and again, as the empire forms and
dissolves, only to reform again. Traditionally, it is the
Cantonese-speaking south that splits from the Mandarin-speaking north.
The question I asked, is how would the Cantonese do it in the 21st
century? The answer I came up with was a biological weapon so
terrifying that the north would capitulate.
Thus I began researching biological warfare and found it largely
misunderstood. It is far more complex than simply throwing a vile full
of the Satan Bug virus out of a car window. To be effective, the virus
or other pathogen needs to reproduce fast enough to kill, but slow
enough to spread. And once it has done its horrible task, it needs to
be neutralized so that the infected area can be occupied.
Dragon Fire is the story of such a weapon, and of two people
thrown together in a frantic effort to stop it. It is also the story
of their relationship.
And yes, there is a Jennifer in my past. She is proud, independent,
Chinese and the model for Jennifer. I hope she sees this and knows
that I still love my Xiao Long.
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