, which when
translated into English makes him Pongpol Adireksarn or something similar. His
English style of writing is easy to follow, and the stories are very well put together, with a
good mix of real and fictional events.Paul Adirex
According to
the books the author Paul Adirex is an American-educated prominent Thai
politician and businessman. His real Thai name is written in Thai characters as
, which when
translated into English makes him Pongpol Adireksarn or something similar. His
English style of writing is easy to follow, and the stories are very well put together, with a
good mix of real and fictional events.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The first three books I read are all set on Thailand's borders with other countries. 'Pirates of Tarutao' takes place on the border with Malaysia. 'Mekong' is set on the border with Laos. 'Until the Karma Ends' takes place on the border with Myanmar (Burma). The fourth book is located in and around Phuket.
The first book I read was 'The Pirates of Tarutao'. This is a World War II story about an assortment of prisoners of war in a POW camp on Tarutao, the Southern most island on Thailand's West coast (Tarutao is a real island, slightly North of Malaysia's Northern most island Langkawi). Desperate for supplies, especially food, the inmates turn to piracy, which eventually in desperation, is condoned by the camp's commandant. Of course once the war is over, it is difficult for the pirates to give up their easy way of making a living. Naturally the most evil characters meet with horrible endings.
Having read the intro on the back of my second Adirex book, 'Mekong', at Bangkok airport I was keen to get into it. Initially I was disappointed because it seemed to be a collection of very short and not very satisfying stories. However I persevered and was very glad that I did. After several apparently unrelated chapters, all the bits and pieces came together to make a very satisfying whole. The story is a wonderful mix of modern day events mixed with myths and legends of the past from Thailand and Laos. I have no hesitation in recommending it. In 2005 I have also noticed that a book has been published, which is Mekong, told, using comic strip illustrations.
A Mythical(?) Naga (featured in 'Mekong') guards a Thai temple
'Until the Karma Ends' my third Adirex book, does not contain the mythical characters of 'Mekong'. Although a work of fiction, it provides what is probably a good insight into the plight of the Burmese (Myanmar) minority tribes, especially the Mon, the Shan and the Karen. This is a story about attempted subversion, which manages to involve the CIA, the KGB, as well as Thai and Burmese intelligence forces. At the same time, like the other Adirex books, it provides a grounding of understanding about certain realities and is therefore educational as well as highly entertaining.
Books by Paul Adirex are usually available from amazon.com
The King Kong Effect
Published in 1998. I read this story in a single sitting. Yes it is quite short, but also almost impossible to put down, once you've read the first few pages. The story revolves around a colony of giant Conus Geographus which are discovered near the island of Butang in Thailand's Andaman Sea.
The fact that these marine moluscs happen to fire deadly darts when threatened, is key to the story, which takes place mainly in Phuket and nearby islands. As well as Butang other Andaman Islands such as the Similans and Surins feature.
I happened to visit both the Similans and Surins in January 1996, the date the events in the story unfold, hence I have the picture of the Surins contemporary to the story, featured below.
Rattanakosin
After a gap of 6 years, a new book has appeared in English language, by Paul Adirex, entitled Rattanakosin, which seems to be one of the shorter names for Bangkok. This time the work is an historical novel, where one suspects that 90% is fact and only 10% is fiction. The first printing is dated November 2004. I imagine that part of the reason it has taken so long for Paul Adirex's 5th book in the English language to appear, is the huge amount of meticulous research that must have been undertaken along the way.
As a history lesson it is very interesting, starting with the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1767. The Thai kingdom is then re-united by King Taksin, who about half way through the story, starts to suffer from mental disturbances. The second half of the book deals with Taksin's new quest for Nirvana, and his resulting lack of attention to his kingdom, eventually forcing two of his generals, who are brothers, to take over the throne. The elder of these is crowned as King Rama I, while his younger brother assumes the position of second king. King Rama I was the first king of the current Chakri dynasty. Historians relate different accounts about what ultimately happened to King Taksin. Adirex has selected one of those to use in this story.
Like Suriyothai, one can imagine this book being made into an epic movie. To have success in the US market, especially Hollywood you generally need to have an American in your story. The author seems not to have been able to find any hard evidence of any real Americans participating in the battles of the time, so commendably, rather than change history, he appears to have contrived one in the present day, who is having this story of Rattanakosin related to him by a buddhist monk.
While the book is very interesting because of it's close association with real history, as a novel it is quite a tough read. This is because during the period of history covered, there were many battles involving a lot of Thai towns. So the reader is moved from location to location, battle to battle, at the pace of a speeding express train. In addition many of the characters get promoted so rapidly, that the titles by which they are referred to, are constantly changing. Luckily a couple of the central characters are mainly referred to by the same names throughout, despite their title changes. In one case, one of the people opposing the future King Rama I, has Thiboldi, as part of his name. No sooner has this Thiboldi been disposed of, we then find that King Rama I is sometimes being referred to as King Rama Thiboldi. This is no doubt historically correct, but does not make the story any easier to follow.
Would I recommend this book? If you are interested in Thai history, then definitely. If you are not interested in Thai history and want a bit of light entertainment on a long flight, then probably not.