Loads of poor reviews of this book - I'm writing to respond to that. First: I read the Lewis Trilogy too, before reading The Fire Maker and starting on May's China series. Yes, I think the Lewis books are extraordinary. The China series was written early in May's career -- Fire Maker was published in 1999. What we have here is *a story arc of a writer's development*. I'm grateful to writers and creatives all over the world for providing me with rich content to entertain and educate. Peter May is one of those.

The writing in Fire Maker is brisk, well-researched, and a gripping story line (especially and ironically during a global pandemic, initially and wrongly blamed on interests in China). The ending is very cleverly written, providing several links to urge the reader toward the next instalment. I'm not yet sure if I'll follow that path, but if I do, I know I'll enjoy it.