This is definitely a wondrful novel that no one should miss out.
The name of this novel is very well titled: "Touching the Fire". Fire can be very useful to us but will also cause fatual effect that kills us. Fire can give us warmth and comfort, can help us to build up energy and power. But at the same time, it will destroy and kill numbers of lives, animals or human beings. It means life actually is full of uncertainty and is controlled by some sort of mystery power of the Nature.
When reading this title, the readers are immediately attracted by this fierce fire that they can expect to read something which are full of violence and brutality, all such themes will arouse the animal nature of certain readers, I suppose.
The theme of the uncertainty of life is immediately reflected at the opening sentences of Chapter 17. The writer starts by saying life is so fragile that it will never know what will happen next. It is so weak that it has no any power to fight against the mysterious power of the Nature which has overpowered us for centuries. Such opening sentences are remarkably used because they give the readers a very heavy feeling. I think they will agree to the writer that yes, life is so unpredictable and we will never know what will happen in the next second. The future of life is so unknown that we will ask one question: what is the meaning of life.
Just look at the terror attack of 9-11 in the USA. Hundres of lives were killed all a sudden within seconds without any reasons. The Indonesia earthquake and the recent China's 8.1 earthquakes killed another thousands of lives. Why? They wer killed because they deserved to die? No, so many of them were innocent citizens. But why they were killed without reasons. No answer. No one can explain. And this such an unknown answer that makes we feel frightened and scared of the future of our lives, which are so hopeless and helpless.
Such a feeling of the unknown is immediately followed by the writer's exposure of the real identity of the girl whom the male character has never before suspected she is one of the members of the famous Triad Society. Such a disclose of the true picture immediately brings out lots of suspence which strongly arouses the readers' interests. Why suddenly this girl's identity is so mysterious? What is behind her? What is her intentention? Why she suddenly appears at the scene? All these questions need answers but without reply what so ever.
The characterization of the characters is not very obvious here. May be the story has already come to Chapter 17 and the writer has already given the readers a clear picture of the main and sub-characters appear in this novel.
But the plot combined with the ups and downs of forceful and exciting fightings with lots of bloodshed give the readers a very strong suffocating atmosphere. No one can breathe freely because the lengthy descriptions of the bloody fightings will mean anybody will be killed at any second. Again, this brings out the theme of the unknown future of life.
The writer obviously has an excellent command of Chinese literacy. His writing presents his maturaty in his plots, sentence structures, theme and well controlled vaburlaries.
Of course, as a new reader of this story, I feel a bit confused of the sequence of the developement of the story because there are so many characters appear at the same time and at the same scene. It looks a bit complicated to me. But such a bit confusion has not damaged the beauty of the whole novel.
This is a wonderful novel woth high recommending.
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