Fate: An Uncle Chow Tung Novel (The Lost Decades of Uncle Chow Tung Book 1) Kindle Edition

This is the story of Chow Tung, known to friends as “Uncle”, a form of respect, though he’s still a fairly young man in his thirties. His position in the Fanling triads is that of White Paper Fan because he’s good with numbers. It chronicles his escape from communist China to Hong Kong, then jumps ahead a decade when the Mountain Master of the Fanling triads is killed by a hit & run driver, leaving their leadership vacant. Basically the story follows the trouble of electing a new leader. How boring can you get?Readers of Ian Hamilton have been familiar with Uncle through the Ava Lee series, about a Chinese/Canadian girl who follows the money in crooked deals leaving someone needing her help. One of her cases came to the attention of Uncle, and he uses his power to assist her. The early stories of Ava Lee were topnotch and interesting mysteries. But the last couple of Ava Lee stories were below par for the author, and left the reader less satisfied in her, and for some reason the author has decided to feature Uncle in his own stories. Unfortunately, this first entry was boring. We’re talking triads, and criminal gangs in Hong Kong, so you would think there’d be lots of action. There isn’t. When there is action, there’s really no tension in the setting. We do learn the command structure of the triads, and even an overly long funeral for one of the leaders. We know from the beginning that Uncle will end up as the new Mountain Master, even though he’s trying to put someone else in the office. It’s Uncle that sees the problems and sets things on the right course, so he’s already performing as their leader. If you’re interested in the structure of the triad gangsters, this book will help you. Although I would suggest you read the early Ava Lee stories for that. If you’re looking for a good action novel, it isn’t here. Again, those early Ava Lee entries are your best bet.

This is a great book! I like Chow Tung more than I like Ava Lee and I really like her! Also the information about the Triads is new to me and very interesting.

The book is a great addition to the Ava Lee series. It establishes who Uncle is. It is very interesting to see this key character early in life.

While certainly a character development, not a lot of fun to read.

Mr. Hamilton knows his stuff

Looking forward to the sequels

"Fate" is an introduction to the man who is known simply as Uncle in the Ava Lee crime novels by the same author. In June 1959, Uncle was known as Chow Tung when he and his fiance Lin Gui-San gathered together a small group of other young Chinese to escape from the People's Republic of China mainland to British Hong Kong. They needed to swim across a 4 km wide channel of polluted water beset with adverse weather and other dangers. Most of the group survived the ordeal and reached Hong Kong, but Gui-San did not. With the result that Chow arrives in Hong Kong without any family and his fellow surviving escapees are his sole support.Ten years later, Uncle is well-established as a leader in the Fanling triad gang. As a substitute for his mainland family killed in Mao's disastrous Great Leap Forward and the loss of Gui-San, Uncle adopted the gang as his family and advanced through its ranks. By 1969 he is their de facto chief financial officer, with the title: "White Paper Fan". Uncle has a progressive agenda to modernize and legitimize the triad's business to lower its profile in the eyes of the police. The sudden death of Gao, the triad leader, or "Mountain Master ", under suspicious circumstances on the day of an important business meeting to decide on whether to accept Uncle's plan for a new business venture triggers a struggle to succeed Gao. In the recent past, the Deputy Mountain Master has been automatically appointed to the head job. This convention has been followed even though there is an election process in which each gang member casts a vote to elect the gang's Mountain Master. Uncle convinces the gang leaders to hold an election for Gao's replacement. What follows is a fierce behind-the-scenes competition for the top job. Things are further complicated when rumours circulate that a neighbouring triad wants to take over the Fanling triad. The story moves briskly as the election date nears and the other gang makes its move on the Fanling gang. Uncle and his allies take a leading role in the pushback.One of the strengths of the book is the portrayal of the triad gang and its culture. While it is a criminal organization, the triad has a strict code of conduct which is rigidly applied. Those wanting to succeed Gao are desperately afraid of offending their colleagues; a losing candidate will be ostracized (or worse) by the successful winner and his supporters. A great sense of the triad way-of-life makes this a good story. Uncle's character is well-developed too, and he is an attractive protagonist, despite being a criminal gang leader. It is an impressive debut for these reasons and is an enjoyable read with no significant drawbacks. It's easy to highly recommend it. I received my review copy from the House of Anansi Press via Netgalley. The comments are my own.

An interesting look into triad operations. Not sure how realistic but plenty of food for thought. Great prequel to Ava Lee stories.

I'm a great fan of the Ava Lee series, but with Fate and the Uncle series, I think Ian Hamilton has moved into the ranks of John LeCarre, Tom Clancy, and the rest. This political thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, keenly anticipating what was next. Nominated for the Ellis and other awards, this is a book to buy, and Ian Hamilton is an author to watch.

Ian Hamilton wrote this series on the background of "Uncle Chow" and his leadership role in the Hong Kong Triads. it is followed by Foresight and Fortune. Read them in sequence. Most interesting backgrounds to the Ava Lee novels. This Cdn. author is extremely talented--I have read every one of his books as they are published.

Those who have been missing Uncle since died in the Ava Lee series must read this book. Ian Hamilton takes us back to Uncle’s migration to HK and his involvement in the Triad. We hope to read more and more on all the years we missed of Uncle’s life! A wonderful way to travel to Asia off the beaten path!

Ian Hamilton provides world travel, food, action & danger in the Ava Lee series, I expect the same + in the Uncle Chow Tung series of Uncle's rise of the Hong Kong triad.