Son of Heaven by David Wingrove

On Kindle

This is the start of a twenty volume saga of the future of Earth under Chinese rule.   Wingrove actually started this over ten years ago but his then publisher restricted him to eight, later reduced to seven, volumes.   Fortunately his present publisher, Corvus, is letting his imagination have free reign and, although I read the original books and thoroughly enjoyed them, I am looking forward with great anticipation to this expanded version.

This book opens in 2065 in a Britain reduced to a fragmented and technologicaly primitive state.   The main character, Jake Reed, is a resourceful and honourable member of the small community surviving in the Purbeck area of Dorset in a manner very similar to their Celtic and Saxon ancestors.   Having introduced Jake in his present condition Wingrove then takes us back to 2045 and shows how he and Britain are reduced to this state.   The whole of the technology based society that we will come to know is infiltrated and then comprehensively trashed by the followers of a Chinese would-be warlord.   It becomes obvious as the book progresses that in order to take power he has trashed China along with the West.   Back to 2065 and the Chinese military arrive with overwhelming fire power and Jake is on the list of the secret police known as The Thousand Eyes.   Some of the Brits are allowed to become citizens, the young and fit, following re-education but will Jake and his familly survive?  

Wingrove has created a spine chilling vision of the future and if he can keep up this level of quality writing through all twenty volumes it will be a saga to last as long as his imaginary world.