Treasure of Khan
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| Author | Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dirk Pitt Novels |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Publisher | Putnam Adult |
| Released | November 28, 2006 1st Edition Hardcover |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 560 (Hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-399-15369-1 |
| Preceded by | Black Wind |
Treasure of Khan is the latest adventure novel by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler, and features Cussler's most famous protagonist, Dirk Pitt
The book is about a Mongolian oil tycoon and his attempts to gain control over the world petroleum markets. It also has a secondary plot of a search for the treasures in the tombs of Genghis Khan and Khublai Khan.
A relatively small oil company headed by the antagonist, Borjin, a Mongolian who is bent on taking control of the world oil market, and also determined to re-unite Mongolia with the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia, has developed a machine which can create an earthquake. He has also found significant oil deposits buried at unusual depths in Inner Mongolia. He uses the machine to destroy major oil production facilities through the world, crippling China's oil supply in a matter of weeks. He then uses this shortage to make an offer to supply China all the oil it needs. He demands that Inner Mongolia be ceded to Mongolia, and China pay market price for the oil he will supply them, which he guarantees will meet the colossal demands of the Chinese economy. China accepts this deal, not knowing of the hidden oil deposits they are handing to him. Dirk Pitt intervenes to end the situation, and discovers that the grave of Genghis Khan has been located by Borjin.
There is also a subplot centering on the Kublai Khan's second invasion of Japan by Mongolia, and in its failure, inadvertently discovering what we now know as Hawaii. In the present, Dirk Pitt discovers Kublai Khan's tomb is in a lava duct in Hawaii along with a great treasure. He does this after finding an ancient scroll which had been buried for centuries, was excavated during the early days of the War of Resistance. The pertinent clues were then quickly lost, and found again by Pitt.
[edit] Controversies
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The book is however deficient in several aspects, notably the authors' knowledge of Chinese culture. For instance Chinese place their family names first and their personal names second. Throughout the novel Chinese characters are referred to through their personal names instead of the family names when the latter is the appropriate use, for instance "President Qian Fei" is referred to as President Fei and one minister is constantly referred to as Shinzhe when no Chinese surname of the like exists.
Another deficiency in the novel is how it tries to depict Mongols as the people always oppressed by the Chinese, and that Mongol rule over China was preferable to that of the Chinese. This again is quite arguable. When the Yuan dynasty ruled over China it institutionalised racism, segregating the peoples into different races and oppressed the native Chinese peoples.
Another point of contention and inaccuracy lies at the end of the novel when the Mongolian president says that the majority of Inner Mongolian people wish to leave China. That is inaccurate. The population of Inner Mongolia has only four million people of "pure" Mongol descent - so to speak - and also over 18 million Han Chinese inside the province. It is doubtful that any of the Chinese in Inner Mongolia would even consider seceding from China, or for that matter, many Inner Mongolians long since assimilated into Chinese culture.
| Dirk Pitt Novels | The Mediterranean Caper | Iceberg | Raise the Titanic! | Vixen 03 | Night Probe! | Pacific Vortex! | Deep Six | Cyclops | Treasure | Dragon | Sahara | Inca Gold | Shock Wave | Flood Tide | Atlantis Found | Valhalla Rising | Trojan Odyssey | Black Wind | Treasure of Khan |
