Collect Opium Constructed By Colin Falconer Shown As Softcover

originally picked up this book in WH Smiths in the UK when it came out on paperback via Coronet Books in.
I had just come back from my first trip around South East Asia and was really suffering from the holiday blues when Larry Rostant's front cover really caught my eye.
The full complete book is quite a big read at just underpages and what a read it is! It is quite the epic saga.
Following the paths of a number of very interesting characters overyears and how there stories are connected is a fascinating read almost like the movie pulp fiction.
This is a true book of escapism and the descriptions are so so vivid especially if you have been to this part of the world.
I always wondered over the years why this book was never made into a film Think The Killing Fields, Air America, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather and Blood Sport all rolled into one.
That is the best way to describe this book, Now there's a film I'd like to see!

Opium can easily compete against the likes of The Beach by Alex Garland or the DaVinci Code by Dan Brown.
These two books I enjoyed and where made into movies but I think if the same was done to Opium it could lay waste to them both.
I have read this book several times over the years and worn out a few paperbacks, Nice to see it digital but I wish it was complete and not in a series,

I don't see Triad listed here which follow's Opium's timeline and has a few surprises thrown in, If you have read the full Opium series, your gonna love Triad!

downloaded for free on ARE Where did OPIUM stop and AIR OPIUM start What mysteries are yet to be felt and savored or seen and abhorred on the peninsula where Viet Nam and Laos lie The USA is in Viet Nam fighting Communist aggression.
Are they welcomed by South Viet Nam or is the USA stupidly strutting while the underworld does not let a stupid strut go to waste The author reminds the reader through his characters that there are more questions than answers about that war.
The steamy heat permeates and heightens the senses to the odors of sex, drugs and murder,

I felt the author taking me deeper into the intrigues of the opium underworld and of the people who populate it.
More people, locales, and crimes enter the story, but I find no new redeeming entity,

'Truth is three dimensional so it looks different depending on where you are standing, '

There are no white hats,

Thank you, Mr, Falconer, for a good read, This tale of the opium business in Laos starts in the lates, just after the French were ousted from Vietnam,

It is extremely well written, thoroughly researched, and has a great cast of characters, There are a few typographical errors, but the story line is so strong that it's easy to ignore them,

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it, I'm looking forward to continuing the series, Well, I have mixed thoughts, There were parts I loved, but it seemed to end abruptly and the characters' stories felt unfinished, I am unsure why the stories of the triads were linked to the main characters unless it was just "background" info, Anyhow, I would give it,: Good book

Did not like that wife and baby was killed but really got better good readers will like.
very suspenseful
Mary Hicks Like every Colin Falconer book I've read, Opium is a real pageturner, but what surprised me is the depth of the family story it reveals and the impact of many of the scenes.
It is also a muchneeded education, The author reveals a very ugly side of the American Involvement in Southeast Asia in an immersive and relentless way, I felt as if I had been plunged into the back alleys of Vientienne, Saigon and Hong Kong, complete with smells and all the shock of the exotic and the dangerous.
The multinational organization at the heart of the title trafficking, surpasses even La Cosa Nostra in the extent of its reach and those it ensnares.
More than once, I was reminded of Mario Puzo's The Godfather in how the business irreversibly corrupts everyone whom it touches, Some, touched much worse than others, No one gets a free ride here, or a bailout, But the power of women stuck into impossible situations, is investigated here very thoroughly and retribution, if not salvation, is possible, The time arc covers decades very convincingly, The characters are real and powerful as is the emotional range they express, I believe this may be Mr, Falconer's best work so far and I look forward to the series opening up from this read, For anyone with an interest in a full view of our Southeast Asian sojourn, this will increase your understanding in many ways that would have been impossible back in the day.
Mr. Falconer writes like George Strait singsstraight, no frills, no fluff, His descriptive talent is excellent, Through this book I felt the pain of childbirth, the dirtiest of dirt on my body and clothes, the disregard for other human life, and the despondency that sent people to the Opium dens.


Thank you, Mr, Falconer, for a good read, Exciting book that takes you through one of the most turbulent times in Southeast Asian history From the jungles of the Golden Triangle to the tenements of sixties Hong Kong, from colonial Saigon to the skies of northern Laos, romance and horror collide in a stunning novel of passion and greed and breathtaking action.


Opium is out of print, but will be rereleased as the authors cut version in, I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway on July,, I have not received a copy of the book, thus I have not read it, The rating is just the average reported on Good Reads, Exceptional
Completely brilliant This book was an unputdownable book, but I couldn't say that I liked the story! It was the first time that I ever skipped paragraphs because I found the violence a little too stomach churning and irrelevant to my understanding of the story.
But the twists and turns of the plot were outstanding and devious, Wow, what a story.
Synopsis available at:
sitelink fantasticfiction. co. uk/f/c I first read this book aboutyears ago on this old fashioned substance they called paper amp I remember loving it.
When I noticed it was on Kindle Unlimited for free I immediately downloaded it to read again,
I still REALLY enjoyed it, don't get me wrong but there's a niggling doubt in my head that this edition has been very heavily edited compared to the version I readdecades or so ago.
I remember that version being a bit more epic, A bit more 'Godfatherly'

I might be wrong, It might be my memory playing tricks on me, Or maybe it's just the Opium
Anyway apart from nostalgia or real page cuts brining my rating down a star I still heavily recommend this book.

Good Read

Mr, Falconer, author of SILK ROAD, is my 'go to' author, When I want to be assured of a good read, I go to him, TRIAD was about the opium trade originating in China that ended up on the streets of the United States, It was an interesting read with very few errors, It reads slowly through the first half, after that it reads with a full head of steam, The author's writing mechanics were excellent, but his descriptive powers surpass excellency! He draws the reader into the sounds, people, places, action and every other noun in the book.
I admit to being confused about the Opium's title, TRIAD or CHASING the DRAGON They are the same book,

Thank you, Mr, Falconer, for a good read, Not really my genre I liked the historical details, The story clips along and I kept reading through to the end, I don't know if I'll read the sequel, though, All of the characters are flawed, You want to know what happens next, but I'm not sure if there are any "good" guys in this story, I received a review copy of this book, I reread this book in two days, The read was better the second time,

Again, Mr. Falconer, thank you for a good read, Colin Falconer writes historical thrillers, His popular Epic Adventure series includes the bestselling SILK ROAD, His latest novel is FEVER COAST, Colins books are usually in the topbest selling historical thrillers list on USA, Colin draws inspiration from many periods of history and, in the words of one reader, lets you travel around the world sampling the heights and depths of the human condition as well as the darkest depths of the human heart.
His books have been translated intolanguages, : sitelink : sitelink Colin Falconer writes historical thrillers, His

popular Epic Adventure series includes the bestselling SILK ROAD, His latest novel is FEVER COAST, Colins books are usually in the topbest selling historical thrillers list on USA, Colin draws inspiration from many periods of history and, in the words of one reader, lets you travel around the world sampling the heights and depths of the human condition as well as the darkest depths of the human heart.
His books have been translated intolanguages, : sitelink : sitelink sitelink.