books | Temple of a Thousand Faces by John Shors

This book certainly turned out to be much more than I expected. John Shors, famous for his novel, Beneath the Marble Sky, writes a great historical fiction that recreates Angkor Wat and Khmer society in the 12th century. In an age of wars and conquers measured by physical brute strength and the rule of an iron fist, Angkor Wat comes under attack by the ethnic Chams, a neighboring army led by a ruthless king. The story of this conflict is divided among different parties which intersect paths near the end, but each of the characters have a flaw which will play a role in story.

The king of Angkor, Jayavar, and his enlightened wife, Ajadevi, are true star-crossed lovers who must decide the best direction to take - flee and rejoin other Khmers for their safety, or take back their home. The Cham king, Indravarman, has a right-hand man and a left-hand man. Asal is a warrior born into poverty who has earned his way to the top, but has no direction or passion in his life and only wants to ensure a proper life for his future children. The assassin Po Rame is Asal’s ultimate rival, eager to torture and take the lives of others for the sake of the hunt. There’s also a fisherman, lover of ordinary life and relative peace, whose family gets caught up in the war because of his teenage son’s emotional passion.

Check out the review at my blog, A Bookworm in Bangkok.