The Temple Dancer is a tale of adventure which follows a unique group of travelers on their journey in seventeenth-century India. The characters are well-developed and each possesses their own history, but none dominates the narrative. The plot consisted of a great deal of intrigue, both inside and outside the court of a sultan, and had a few unexpected twists. The characters fit well into their world and I enjoyed this novel so much I am eager to read the sequel. ( )

*Lush and Exotic*
A sensational debut, an incredibly well told story by a master story teller. For a first novel, this is simply outstanding and deserves high acclaim. I read this book in 24 hours. The lush and exotic scenery is very evocative of India in the 1600s and I truly felt I was there in the scene and not watching from the sidelines. The authors ability to create an atmosphere so real that the reader is literally able to hear the sounds of trumpeting elephants, the jingling bells worn on the feet of veiled women, to feel the wet spray of waterfalls and raging rapids, shows pure talent and promise of an author to be watched and remembered as one of the great historical novelists to come. The story is engaging, riveting, and the reader gets a firsthand account education of the place and time. Everything that one needs in a good book is here. Romance, action, adventure, culture and history, murder, good dialogue, beautiful scenery, what a great epic movie it would make. In fact, recently I had just watched the DVD of Fritz Lang's India epic that was filmed in the 50's and this book was a good match for the setting and time. Lots of plots and twists and turns, believable characters, and the future of two more books to come in the trilogy turned this book into a hit for me. I love historical fiction and am very selective about authors and good writing styles, I hope to see this novel hit the best seller list. I eagerly await the next installment. ( )

A really enjoyable read. I was up until the late night finishing this wonderful book, just had to get to the end.

The beginning moves along at a fast pace as we find ourselves drawn into the characters of the novel. I felt like I too was languishing oh the howdah: the chatter of a thousand birds and the view of the dense overhanging trees so close I could touch them. India was in my soul.
Adventure was just around the corner – I could smell it.

So go the words flowing gracefully out before me. What exploration to be had, but by the middle of the book the pace turned somewhat slower. Was it plot development? Still moving, but more like a hot lazy summer day. I was hoping that maybe we could do without another scene on the wide platform swing as it flowed back and forth, but in was not to be.
Romance and intrigue were all around.

Unfortunately, one of the the main character’s personality changed by midway through the book ; once being strong and courageous just seem to become weak and timid, did I miss the part where he became a eunuch, was it greed that drove him or just the author losing his way?
Would he redeem himself?

Nearing the end of the book, I was thinking about what new plots where to transpire between our characters, I hoped the journey would not stop, but for some reason part of the story just galloped in another direction.
Oh to be yearning for more.

The book was filled with some passionate people and deadly sins around every corner… I could hear there late night whispers amongst the grove of trees.

An exciting read if you don’t mind some of the characters losing their way slightly in believability. I can’t wait to continue my visit to India and the distance past in his next book. ( )