Not many months have passed since teenager Alexander Cold followed his bold grandmother into the heart of the Amazon to uncover its legendary Beast. This time, reporter Kate Cold escorts her grandson and his closest friend, Nadia, along with the photographers from International Geographic on a journey to another remote niche of the world in the Himalayas. The team's task is to locate its fabled golden dragon, a sacred statue and priceless oracle that can foretell the future of the kingdom.
In their scramble to reach the statue before it is destroyed by the greed of an outsider, Alexander and Nadia must use the transcendent power of their totemic animal spirits — Jaguar and Eagle. With the aid of a sage Buddhist monk, his young royal disciple, and a fierce tribe of Yeti warriors, Alexander and Nadia fight to protect the holy rule of the golden dragon.
Isabel Allende once again leads readers on a fantastical voyage of suspense, magic, and awe-inspiring adventure in this riveting follow-up to City of the Beasts.
Performed by Blair Brown
Sixteen-year-old Alexander Cold accompanies his grandmother, a writer for a geography magazine, to the remote Forbidden Kingdom in the Himalayas to help locate a sacred statue of a golden dragon before it is stolen by a greedy outsider.
Isabel Allende is the bestselling author of eleven works of fiction, four memoirs, and three young- adult novels, which have been translated into more than twenty-seven languages with over 57 million copies sold. In 2004 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2012. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California.
Nacida en Perú y criada en Chile, Isabel Allende es la autora de nueve novelas incluyendo más recientemente Zorro, Retrato en Sepia, Hija de la Fortuna e Inés del Alma MÃa. También ha escrito cuentos cortos, tres libros autobiográficos incluyendo Mi PaÃs Inventado y Paula, y una trilogÃa de libros para jóvenes. Sus libros han sido traducidos a más de 27 idiomas y son bestsellers a través del mundo entero. En 2004, fue nombrada a la Academia de Artes y Letras de los Estados Unidos. Vive en California.
Out of letters to family back in Chile came the manuscript that was to become Allende's first novel. Her arrival on the publishing scene in 1985 with The House of the Spirits was instantly recognized as a literary event. The New York Times called it "a unique achievement, both personal witness and possible allegory of the past, present and future of Latin America."
To read a book by Allende is to believe in (or be persuaded of) the power of transcendence, spiritual and otherwise. Her characters are often what she calls "marginal," those who strive to live on the fringes of society. It may be someone like Of Love and Shadows 's Hipolito Ranquileo, who makes his living as a circus clown; or Eva Luna, a poor orphan who is the center of two Allende books (Eva Luna and The Stories of Eva Luna).
Allende's characters have in common an inner fortitude that proves stronger than their adversity, and a sense of lineage that propels them both forward and backward. When you meet a central character in an Allende novel, be prepared to meet a few generations of his or her family. This multigenerational thread drives The House of the Spirits, the tale of the South American Trueba family. Not only did the novel draw Allende critical accolades (with such breathless raves as "spectacular," "astonishing" and "mesmerizing" from major reviewers), it landed her firmly in the magic realist tradition of predecessor (and acknowledged influence) Gabriel García Márquez. Some of its characters also reappeared in the historical novels Portrait in Sepia and Daughter of Fortune.
"It's strange that my work has been classified as magic realism," Allende has said, "because I see my novels as just being realistic literature." Indeed, much of what might be considered "magic" to others is real to Allende, who based the character Clara del Valle in The House of the Spirits on her own reputedly clairvoyant grandmother. And she has drawn as well upon the political violence that visited her life: Of Love and Shadows (1987) centers on a political crime in Chile, and other Allende books allude to the ideological divisions that affected the author so critically.
But all of her other work was "rehearsal," says Allende, for what she considers her most difficult and personal book. Paula is written for Allende's daughter, who died in 1992 after several months in a coma. Like Allende's fiction, it tells Paula's story through that of Allende's own and of her relatives. Allende again departed from fiction in Aphrodite, a book that pays homage to the romantic powers of food (complete with recipes for two such as "Reconciliation Soup"). The book's lighthearted subject matter had to have been a necessity for Allende, who could not write for nearly three years after the draining experience of writing Paula.
Whichever side of reality she is on, Allende's voice is unfailingly romantic and life-affirming, creating mystery even as she uncloaks it. Like a character in Of Love and Shadows, Allende tells "stories of her own invention whose aim [is] to ease suffering and make time pass more quickly," and she succeeds.
Allende begins all of her books on January 8, which she considers lucky because it was the day she began writing a letter to her dying grandfather that later became The House of the Spirits.
She began her career as a journalist, editing the magazine Paula and later contributing to the Venezuelan paper El Nacional.
The Buddhist monk named Tensing and his disciple, Prince Dil Bahadur, had been climbing in the high peaks north of the Himalayas for many days, a region of eternal ice where no one but a few lamas had ever ventured. Neither of the two was counting the hours, because time did not interest them. The calendar is a human invention; time does not exist on the spiritual level, the master had taught his student.
For them it was the crossing that was important; the prince was making it for the first time. The monk remembered having done it in a previous life, but those memories were rather blurred. They were following the markings on an ancient parchment, orienting themselves by the stars in a terrain where even in summer conditions were very harsh. The temperature of several degrees below zero was endurable only two months during the year, when ominous storms were not lashing the mountains.
Even beneath the sunny, cloudless skies, the cold was intense. They were wearing rough wool tunics, and cloaks made from yak hide. Leather boots from the same animal covered their feet, with the long hair turned in and the outside weather-proofed with yak butter. The travelers placed each foot with care; one misstep on the ice and they could tumble hundreds of yards into the deep chasms that sliced through the mountains as if cleft by God's hatchet.
Luminous snowy peaks stood out against a sky of deep blue. The travelers moved at a slow pace, because at those heights there was very little oxygen. They rested frequently, so their lungs would become accustomed to the altitude. Their chests ached, as did their ears and their heads. They were suffering from nausea and fatigue, but neither of the two mentioned such bodily weakness, saving their breath in order to get the maximum benefit from each mouthful of air.
They were searching for rare plants found only in the Valley of the Yetis, plants essential in preparing medicinal lotions and balms. If they survived the dangers of this journey, they would consider themselves initiated, for their characters would be tempered like steel. Their will and courage would be put to the test many times during that climb. The disciple would need both will and courage to carry out the task that awaited him in life, which was why he had been given the name Dil Bahadur, "brave heart" in the language of the Forbidden Kingdom. The pilgrimage to the Valley of the Yetis was one of the last steps in the harsh training the prince had been undergoing for twelve years.
The youth did not know the true reason for their trek, which was much more important than the gathering of curative plants or his initiation as a lama, or superior being. His master could not reveal it to him, just as he could not speak to him of many other things. Tensing's role was to guide the prince during each stage of his long apprenticeship; he was charged with strengthening the young man's body and his character and cultivating his mind, testing the quality of his spirit again and again. Dil Bahadur would discover the reason for the journey to the Valley of the Yetis later, when he found himself before the fabled statue of the Golden Dragon.
On their backs, Tensing and Dil Bahadur were carrying bundles that contained the blankets, grain, and yak butter they would need to survive. Rolled around their waists were coils of yak-hair rope, which they used in climbing, and in one hand each grasped a long, strong walking staff, which they used for support, for defending themselves in case of attack, and for setting up their improvised tent at night. In places where experience had taught them that fresh snow often covered deep openings, they also used their staffs to test the depth and firmness of a surface before stepping onto it. Frequently they were forced to make long detours around fissures that couldn't be jumped over. Sometimes, to avoid going out of their way for hours, they laid one of the staffs across the crevasse, and only when they were sure it was firmly seated on either side did they dare step onto it and then leap to the other side-never more than one step, because the risk of plummeting into empty space was too big. They made such leaps without thinking, with their minds clear, trusting in physical skill, instinct, and luck, because if they stopped to weigh each move it would be impossible to make it. When the opening was wider than the length of the staff, they looped a rope around an overhanging rock, then one of them tied the other end of the rope around his waist, took a running start, and leaped, swinging back and forth like a pendulum until he reached the other side. The young disciple, who had great stamina and courage in the face of danger, always hesitated at the moment they were forced to use those methods.
The pair had come to such a chasm, and the lama was looking for the best place to cross. The youth briefly closed his eyes, sending a prayer skyward.
"Do you fear dying, Dil Bahadur?" Tensing inquired, smiling.
"No, honorable master. The moment of my death was written in my fate before my birth. I shall die when my work is finished in this reincarnation and my spirit is ready to fly, but I do fear breaking all my bones down there, and living," the youth replied, pointing to the impressive precipice yawning at their feet.
"That could, perhaps, present a problem," the lama conceded with good humor. "If you open your mind and heart, it will seem easier," he added.
"What would you do if I were to fall?"
"Should that occur, I would possibly have to think about it. For the moment, my thoughts are turned to other things."
"May I know what, master?"
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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About the Book
In this sequel to City of the Beasts, sixteen-year-old Alexander Cold and his friend Nadia Santos accompany his grandmother Kate, a reporter for International Geographic, on an expedition into the Himalayas. They visit the remote Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, where Kate is in search of the secret of the dragon statue. Kate learns that only the king and his successor know how to traverse the trap-laden hallways of the palace and can enter the room of the jewel-studded dragon.
Soon there is uproar in the capital of the kingdom when several young woman, including Nadia, are kidnapped. Nadia escapes into the mountains and is rescued from a fall into a crevasse by Alex and the Buddhist monk Tensing with his disciple Prince Dil Bahadur. Using their totemic powers - Jaguar and Eagle - to help navigate, Alex and Nadia join the monk in order to stop a mercenary and the blue Warriors from taking the priceless Golden Dragon out of the Kingdom.
In this second book of a trilogy, Allende strengthens the relationship between the two teen protagonists and takes the reader on another adventure to an exotic location where one also learns about the flora, fauna, and people of the Himalayas.
Discussion Questions
JesseReed11
Posted December 13, 2008
I Also Recommend:
The book, Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, by Isabel Allende has a terric idea behind the story and is most likely going to grab your attention and force you to read it and not put it down until you have finished. The story is about a prince named Dil Bahadur and Tensing doing some traing in the Himalayas. Tensing is traing Dil Bahadur to become the future heir of the Forbidden Kingdom and teach him everything that he needs to know. Within the Forbidden Kingdom, is the priceless treasure that can also predict the future, the Golden Dragon. In America, the main characters from City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende, return in this epic thriller and adventure of a lifetime experience, Alexander Cold and Nadia Santos. These are not you ordianry kids, Alexander and Nadia have special powers. Alexander's spirit is a jaguar and he can turn himself into a jaguar, same with Nadia except she can talk to animals turn invincible and turn into a great white eagle. These powers help them out and will save them in differnt situations they face in this book.<BR/> Later on, while traveling in India, Nadia and Alexander meet up Tensing and Dil Bahadur in the Himalayas. Someone is planning on stealing the Golden Dragon and these group of heros will need to team up and take down who ever is planning on stealing the Golden Dragon. The only person ment to be in possesion of the Golden Dragon, is the King of the Forbidden Kingdom, who also happens to be Dil Bahadurs dad. For whoever posses the statue, will contain power beyond their wildest dreams.<BR/> What i really like about this book, it just grabbed my attention the first two chapters and after that, I couldnt put it down. In my opinion, Isabel Allende is one amazing author who will be writing awesome books like this one for the years to come.<BR/> What I dont like about this book, is that you could be reading about somethng and then it just skips over to a whole other topic without metioning stuff about it ahead of time. That is really the only flaw.<BR/> This book is recommended to people who like action/adventure books. People who enjoyed the Indiana Jones Movies will also enjoy this. Overall, highly recommended to anyone.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Morgan_A
Posted December 13, 2010
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende (published by HarperCollins) was a very strange book, I must say. It seemed to start out more like a realistic fiction book, but as it progressed it was pure fantasy. This book was about the adventure of 15-year-old Alexander Cold, his friend Nadia, and his grandmother Kate Cold in the mysterious kingdom of the Golden Dragon.
The book begins with a prelude of sorts, with the prince Dil Bahadur and his master, Tensing, who were monks (which they called "lamas") living in the Alps. It then moved to Alexander and his grandmother living in the United States, talking about their previous trip to the Amazon. Things didn't really click until the two pieces interlocked.
The Colds' next adventure was to the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon. Alexander's Amazon friend, Nadia, accompanied them. They met a few people also going there on their way. They included a woman named Judit Kinski, who was there to plant tulips for the king, and a man named Tex Armadillo, who seemed suspicious to Alex and Nadia. The Kingdom of the Golden Dragon was a traditional country that was very peaceful. Their rulers were taken away to train with the monks from the age of six, and were taught to be selfless and be detached from possessions.
While at a festival in the kingdom, Nadia and several other girls from the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon were kidnapped. This was unheard of in such a peaceful country. This stirred the whole country and the entire military was on alert (the military was quite small). Alexander found out that Tex Armadillo was a major part of the group of barbarians known as the Blue Warriors who had kidnapped the girls. They were ruthless and once they had captured a girl, she almost never returned. Alexander set out to find his friend. He came across Nadia's pet monkey, Boroba, who had been ordered by her to get help. With Boroba's help, Alexander found Nadia. Dil Bahadur used telepathy, and so did Nadia, and so Dil Bahadur sensed her danger and came to her aid too. Once they had rescued Nadia and the other kidnapped girls, they discovered that this was all a plan to distract the country while Tex and his crew stole the Golden Dragon statue, an extremely valuable piece of the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon. The group then set out to catch the robbers, who had also kidnapped the king.
I was surprised with all the odd things in this book, such as Yeti warriors, lamas in the mountains, and telepathy. It was entertaining once I got into it, but I thought that the first half or so of the book was very boring. I am not a huge fantasy fan, and that might be why I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I think my favorite quote was " 'Be calm. These are Yetis. Send them waves of warmth and compassion, as you did to the white tiger', the lama murmured." This is what Tensing was saying to Dil Bahadur when he first saw the Yetis. It pretty much sums up all the things that I thought were strange and put them in one phrase. I was surprised that by the end of the book, I was just going along with the whole telepathy and yeti thing like it was old news! I learned about the climate and geography of the Andes Mountains and about Yetis.
I would recommend this book to people who love fantasy. I think they would love to hear about Alexander Cold's adventures with Yetis, telepathic monks, and other such events. To those people who don't like fantasy, this is not your book.
Anonymous
Posted April 2, 2009
I couldn't but the book down. I loved how this writer wrote what happened exspecially the way she describes what happens. I read the and felt like I was there with Alexander and Nadia, threw everything they had to go threw. I would recommend this book to anyone.
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Posted December 19, 2007
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, a work of fiction by Isabel Allende, is a very wonderful book. I don't want to give away anything but it may focus on a golden dragon of sorts. Along with that, the plot of the book is very original. With modern American city-folk and Himalayan yetis, this makes for an interesting book. Isabel makes all of her characters easily likeable, especially the Buddist monks of the Himalayan region. These characters all embark on the same quest by chance. Each one has an interesting story behind them ranging from being a prince to a 60+ year old grandmother/journalist/adventurer. These characters combined with an original and interesting plot make for an exciting read. Isabel never falls short for adding surprises and new twists to this book. Hopefully you too will find it hard to put down.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 7, 2008
The Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, by Isabel Allende, is a great book filled with adventure, action, and suspense. Along with some laughs and romance, this book also has an interesting magical realism to the story. The interesting part of this book is that many of the characters are common folk, such as an American teen looking for an adventure, a 60+ year old grandmother/journalist that travels around the world because of her job, and a South American girl that has many abilities. Therefore many times throughout the book that you were imagining you were in one of the positions that the characters are experiencing is not actually a far-fetched idea. This story set in the Himalayan region of Asia, which is a part of the world rarely explore, and it sets for many mysterious rumors such as the Himalayan Yetis and a Kingdom hidden in the mountains. Through chance all the characters a force to embark on a quest that could decide the fate of a kingdom and the lives of people. With interesting stories switching between the American groups and two mysterious monks roaming the Himalayas, the plot is nothing short but exciting. Surprises and twists pop up throughout the book making it an exciting adventure. Surely you will find that it will be hard trying to put this book down.
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Posted November 2, 2006
i loved this book it made me seriously want to be a buddhist monk it made me realize how shallow this world is. I loved it and recommend it to everyone.
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Posted June 28, 2006
I purchased this book while on vacation in Mexico. Not knowing anything about the author I read the back cover and decided to give it a shot. To my suprise, the book was full of adventure and kept me reading quickly to the end.
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Posted March 8, 2006
This book was an exciting and engaging book. It is the second book in a series of three written by this author. I am not what you would call a daily reader but this book grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. The way the author combines reality and real world events with the supernatural is fasinating. I found after reading this book I started to question if some of the things in the book could really exist. Are some of the mystical creatures actually real and can humans really reach a level of total mental control? If you want a book that will keep a middle school to a high school student interested then I recommend this book.
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Posted March 31, 2005
It *was* a great story, but right from the start, I knew Judit Kinski was a bad guy. In her last book, she made the other beautiful woman, Omayra Torres, the traitor, also. Obviously, Judit was another one of those. It got one star less for that, but I though it was a great story.
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Posted February 19, 2005
It was a great book, but i knew that Judit Kinski was a 'bad guy' from the beginning. I don't see how the yetis related, but it was great. I couldn't put it down!
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Posted February 19, 2005
This book was the best I've ever read in a long while, I really recomend everyone read this book. I can't wait till she writes another one.This book was fantastic.
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Posted June 27, 2004
usually, sequels are worse than the original novel or movie, but in this case, i found Kingdom an exception. It was great, but the part about the Yetis was unnecessary. although it was a little predictable (i knew right away that Tex and Judit were part of a conspiracy about the golden dragon), i enjoyed it to the last page; i just couldn't put it down! it was very descriptive and i felt like i was actually in the novel; i felt the same emotions the characters did, i visualized the sights, i smelled the scents mentioned in this novel, i heard everything described. All in all, this book was great!
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Posted March 25, 2004
I belive that this is a good book, but is way to obvious. You know what is next before you read it. The book is made for young people I thinks older people will prefer to read some of Isabel Allende's old book like '' Daugther of fortune'. I recomend this book too young people especially harry potter's fanatic, because has kind like the same trama.
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Posted December 20, 2009
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Overview
Not many months have passed since teenager Alexander Cold followed his bold grandmother into the heart of the Amazon to uncover its legendary Beast. This time, reporter Kate Cold escorts her grandson and his closest friend, Nadia, along with the photographers from International Geographic on a journey to another remote niche of the world in the Himalayas. The team's task is to locate its fabled golden dragon, a sacred statue and priceless oracle that can foretell the future of ...