Entanglements at A Distance

Tom Huff, Ph.D. University of Michigan, Intel CPU Architect Director (Retired)
The climax to a sweeping historical tale of battles, empires, families, relationships, artisans, commerce, leaders, and culture...This story shows the immense depth of cultures long past and fills the reader’s mind with a vast richness, also showing the ways these reach forward to our own times. A highly recommended trilogy
James R. Newcomer, Ph.D. Stanford University
I read this great historical novel with awe and fascination. I mean great in two senses: one, it's a great read that will carry you along with its heroes (and heroines) from a Chinese clan.. and two, it details, battle by battle across the sweep of Asia, one of the great shifts in human history... opens to us the inside story of building what may have been the greatest human empire of all time. Yes, this novel is that important.
Rated Five Stars by BookLife by Publishers Weekly, Manhattan Book Review, Bookish Elf, Seattle Book Review, Midwest Book Review


In the twilight of China's magnificent Song Dynasty of the 11th Century, one family rose from obscurity to shape the fate of empires—and their story was almost lost to time. Until now. Born from the author's own thousand-year-old genealogy, miraculously discovered after four decades of searching, this sweeping three-volume epic spans the 11th to 13th centuries.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Here, universal human experiences are laid bare: the bonds of loyalty and the sting of betrayal, the courage to survive and the cost of ambition, the conflicts of faith, race, and desire—all as relevant today and a thousand years ago. At the heart of this saga is Hasan Arslan, a Uyghur master bowyer with striking green eyes, who armed the Song Imperial Guard with unparalleled weaponry. Gifted mystical jade Pixius—dragon-headed, winged-lion protectors—by the Emperor himself, Hasan and his descendants are thrust onto a path of glory and danger. But it is the women of the Arslan family who shatter tradition and forge their own destiny. From the beautiful courtesan Li Shi Shi to the formidable granddaughter Manolya, to the fearless Mei Mei, and culminated in the twin Generals of Spring and Summer—they are the architects of the family's survival. For audiobook, go to https://bit.ly/3EbzbWu

THREE VOLUMES. ONE UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY.
Volume 1: Hundred Beam Bridge: The Lions and the Pixius
From the battlefields against Tangut marauders to the inner circles of the Song court, Hasan and his family fight for survival. As they seek their promised sanctuary at the Hundred Beam Bridge, they must ask: Can the mysterious power of the Pixius guide them through war, prejudice, and their enemies?
Volume 2: The Road of Silk and Satin: Silkworm and I-Ching Transformations
Guided by the gold-spitting Pixius and the ancient wisdom of the I-Ching, the family reinvents itself as the Han Chinese Ma clan. Under the leadership of visionary women entrepreneurs, they build an empire of silk, satin, and tea. Yet, as they balance Confucian ideals with the brutal realities of commerce and looming northern conquest, their greatest transformation is still to come.
Volume 3: Entanglements at A Distance: Jinshi and the Mongols
The 13th Century dawns, and the family is split between two worlds. One branch thrives in Song Lin'an as masters of revolutionary gunpowder warfare. The other commands the legendary Grand Pixiu Caravan across the vast Silk Road. When the Mongol storm erupts under Chinggis Khan, both branches are drawn into the heart of a world-consuming conflict. Pawn and player, ally and enemy, they must survive the coming cataclysm. A final, mystical prophecy offers a glimmer of hope, but..

Ted Marr, an American of Chinese descent, is passionate about his heritage and its history. His astonishing discovery of a 1000-page genealogy, which detailed the lives of four thousand ancestors, and traced his lineage to Uyghur ancestry during the Song Dynasty 1000 years ago, inspired him to write Hundred Beam Bridge and The Road of Silk and Satin.

Ted holds multiple Doctorate and master's degrees in physics, Theology, and Business and works as a Silicon Valley Executive and Entrepreneur in IT. He has taught at several universities worldwide, including the University of Virginia, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Oregon State University, Portland State University, George Fox University, Claremont College, and CGST Hong Kong.

He currently resides in Lijiang, Yunnan, China to continue further research and writing about Chinese history, culture, and cuisines.

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