Fei Yen
Daughter of Yin Tsu, one of the heads of the ‘Twenty – Nine’, the minor aristocratic families of Chung Kuo. The classically beautiful ‘Flying Swallow’ is engaged to Li Han Ch’in, prince and heir to City Europe. Fragile in appearance, she is surprisingly strongwilled and fiery.
Kao Chen
Once an assassin from the Net, the lowest levels of the great City, Chen is to raise himself from his humble beginnings to become a captain in the T’ang’s Security forces, and, as friend and helper to Gregor Karr, he is to be one of the foot soldiers in the war against DeVore.
Karr, Gregor
He was recruited by Marshal Tolonen from the Net. In his youth he was an athlete and, later, a ‘blood’ – a to-the-death combat fighter. A giant of a man, he is to become the ‘hawk’ Li Shai Tung will fly against his adversary, DeVore.
Li Shai Tung
T’ang of City Europe and one of the Seven, the ruling Council of Chung Kuo, Li Shai Tung is now in his seventies. For many years he was the fulcrum of the Council and unofficial spokesman for the Seven, representing their strong determination to prevent Change at all costs.
Li Yuan
Second son of Li Shai Tung, he is considered to be old before his time. His cold, thoughtful manner conceals a passionate nature, expressed in his love for his brother’s bride, Fei Yen.
Shepherd, Ben
Son of Hal Shepherd, the T’ang’s chief advisor, and great-great-grandson of City Earth’s architect, Shepherd is born and brought up outside the City in the Domain, an idyllic valley in the South-West of England. There, in childhood, he begins his artistic explorations which are to one day lead to the creation of a whole new art form, the Shell, which will have a cataclysmic effect on Chung Kuo’s society.
Tolonen, Jelka
Daughter of Marshal Tolonen, Jelka has been brought up in a very masculine environment, lacking a mother’s influence. However, her genuine interest in martial arts and in weaponry and strategy mask a very different side to her nature; a side which will be brought out by violent circumstances.
Tolonen, Knut
General to Li Shai Tung, Tolonen is a big, granitejawed man and the staunchest supporter of the values and ideals of the Seven. Possessed of a fiery, fearless nature, he will stop at nothing to protect his masters.
Tsu Ma
T’ang of West Asia and one of the Seven, the ruling Council of Chung Kuo, Tsu Ma has thrown off his former dissolute ways to support his father in Council. A strong, handsome man, he has still, however, a weakness in his nature – one that will almost prove his undoing.
Wang Sau-leyan
Fourth and youngest son of Wang Hsien, T’ang of Africa, the murder of his two eldest brothers has placed him closer to the centre of political events. Thought of as a wastrel, he is, in fact, a shrewd and highly capable political being who is set – through circumstances of his own devising – to become the harbinger of Change inside the Council of Seven.
Ward, Kim
Born in the Clay, that dark wasteland beneath the great City’s foundations, Kim has a quick and unusual bent of mind. His vision of a giant web, formulated in the darkness, has driven him into the light of the Above. Rescued from oblivion, he begins to show his true potential as the most promising young scientist in the whole of Chung Kuo.
THE SEVEN AND THE FAMILIES
Chi HuWei
T’ang of the Australias
Hou Ti
T’ang of South America
Li Ch’i Chun
brother of and advisor to Li Shai Tung
Li Feng Chiang
brother and advisor to Li Shai Tung
Li Shai Tung
T’ang of City Europe
Li Yuan
second son of Li Shai Tung and heir to City Europe
Li Yun-Ti
brother of and advisor to Li Shai Tung
Pei Ro-hen
head of the Pei family, one of the ‘Twenty Nine’ Minor Families
Tsu Ma
son of Tsu Tiao, and T’ang of West Asia
Tsu Tao Chu
third son of Tsu Chang, deceased first son of Tsu Tiao
Wang Hsien
T’ang of Africa
Wang Sau-leyan
fourth son of Wang Hsien
Wei Feng
T’ang of East Asia
Wu Shih
T’ang of North America
Yin Chang
older brother of Fei Yen
Yin Fei Yen
‘Flying Swallow, Minor Family Princess and daughter of Yin Tsu
Yin Sung
eldest brother of Fei Yen
Yin Tsu
head of the Yin family, one of the ‘Twenty Nine’ Minor Families
YinWei
younger brother of Fei Yen
FRIENDS AND RETAINERS OF THE SEVEN
Auden,William
captain in Security
Chung Hsin
‘Loyalty’ bondservant to Li Shai Tung
Chung Hu-Yan
Chancellor to Li Shai Tung
DeVore, Howard
major in Li Shai Tung’s Security forces
Ebert, Hans
captain in Security and heir to the GenSyn Corporation
Ebert, Klaus Stefan
Head of GenSyn (Genetic Synthetics) and advisor to Li Shai Tung
Erkki
guard to Jelka Tolonen
Fest, Edgar
captain in Security and friend of Hans Ebert
Haavikko, Axel
lieutenant in Security
Haavikko, Vesa
sister of Axel Haavikko
Heng Chi-po
Minister of Transportation for City Europe
Heng Yu
son of Heng Fan and nephew of Heng Chi-po
Hung Feng-Chan
Li Shai Tung’s chief groom
Karr, Gregor
‘Blood’ (to-the-death fighter) and major in Security
Kirov, Alexander
Marshal to the Seven head of the Council of Generals
Nan Ho
Li Yuan’s Master of the Inner Chambers
major in Security, City Europe
Pearl Heart
maid to Li Yuan
Pi Ch’ien
Third Secretary to Junior Minister, Yang Lai
Rosten
captain of Security in the Domain
Shepherd, Ben
son of Hal Shepherd
Shepherd, Beth
wife of Hal Shepherd
Shepherd, Hal
chief advisor to Li Shai Tung and head of the Shepherd family
Shepherd, Meg
daughter of Hal Shepherd
Shiao Shi-we
martial arts tutor to the Li children
Ssu Lu Shan
official of the Ministry
Sweet Rose
maid to Li Yuan
Tolonen, Jelka
daughter of Knut Tolonen
Tolonen, Knut
general of Security, City Europe, and Father of Jelka Tolonen
Wang Ta Chuan
master of the Inner Palace at Tongjiang
Yang Lai
minister under Li Shai Tung
DISPERSIONISTS
Barrow, Chao
representative of the House inWeimar
Berdichev, Soren
Head of SimFic (Simulated Fictions)
Berdichev, Ylva
wife of Soren Berdichev
Blake, Peter
head of personnel for Berdichev’s SimFic Corporation
Cho Hsiang
subordinate to Hong Cao and middleman for Pietr Lehmann
Clarac, Armand
director of the ‘New Hope’ project
Douglas, John
company head
Duchek, Albert
administrator of Lodz
Ecker, Michael
company head
Hong Cao
mi
ddleman for Pietr Lehmann
Lehmann, Pietr
leader of the Dispersionists and senior representative in The House at Weimar
Lehmann, Stefan
albino son of Pietr Lehmann
Moore, John
company head
Moore, Paul
senior executive of Berdichev’s SimFic Corporation
Parr, Charles
company head
Ross, Alexander
company head
Scott
alias of DeVore
Weiss, Anton
banker
OTHER CHARACTERS
Andersen, Leonid
director of the Recruitment Project
Anton
friend of KimWard on the Recruitment Project
The Architect
one of the psych team on the Recruitment Project
Baxi
chief of the tribe in the Clay
Bergson
overseer on the plantation; alias for DeVore
The Builder
part of the psych team on the Recruitment Project
Carl
‘Sucker’; one of Matyas’s gang
Chang Yan
plantation guard
Chan Shui
young worker in the Casting Shop
Chu Heng
‘Kwai’ or hired knife, a hireling of DeVore’s
Crimson Lotus
sing-song girl in Mu Chua’s
Endfors, Pietr
best friend of Knut Tolonen
Fang Hui
guard on the plantation
Golden Heart
young prostitute purchased by Hans Ebert for his household
Gosse
Security soldier
Hong
‘Hsien’ or District Judge
Hwa
‘Blood’, or fighter, beneath the Net
Janko
bully in the Casting Shop
Josef
friend of KimWard’s on the Recruitment Project
Kao Chen
‘kwai’ (knife) and assassin
Kao Jyan
assassin
Krenek, Henryk
senior representative of the Martian Colonies
Krenek, Irina
wife of Henryk Krenek
Krenek, Josef
company head
Krenek, Maria
wife of Josef Krenek
Lo Ying
‘Panchang’ or Supervisor friend of Kao Chen
Lo Yu-Hsiang
senior representative in the House at Weimar
Lu Ming Shao
‘Whiskers Lu’ – Tong Boss in the Net
Maitland, Idris
mother of Stefan Lehmann
Matyas
Clayborn boy in the Recruitment Project
Mu Chua
‘Madam’ of the House of the Ninth Ecastasy, a singsong house, or brothel
Nung
supervisor of the Casting Shop
Pavel
young man on the plantation
Peng Yu-wei
tutor to the Shepherd children
Peskova
lieutenant of the guards on the plantation
Seidemann
guard on the plantations
Shang Li-Yen
tutor on the Recruitment Project
Siang
Jelka Tolonen’s martial arts instructor
SiWu Ya
‘Silk Raven’, wife of Supervisor Sung
Sung
Supervisor on the plantation
Sweet Honey
singsong girl in Mu Chua’s house
T’ai Cho
tutor and guardian to KimWard
Teng Fu
plantation guard
Tolonen, Hannah
aunt to Knut Tolonen
Tom
‘Greaser’, part of Matyas’s gang
Tong Chou
assassin and ‘kwai’ – hired knife, and alias of Kao Chen
Tung Liang
boy in the Casting Shop
Wang Ti
wife of Kao Chen
Ward, Kim
‘Clayborn’, orphan and scientist
White Orchid
singsong girl in Mu Chua’s house
Wolfe
security guard on the Domain
Yu, Madam
First Level socialite
Yung Pi-chi
head of the Yung family
Zhakar
speaker of the House of Representatives
THE DEAD
Aaltonen
marshal and head of Security for City Europe
Anders
a mercenary
Bakke
marshal in Security
Beatrice
daughter of Cathy Hubbard granddaughter of Mary Reed
Big Wen
a ‘landowner’
Boss Yang
an exploiter of the people
Buck, John
head of development at the Ministry of Contracts
Chang Hsuan
Han painter from the 8th Century
Chang Lai-hsun
nephew of Chang YiWei
Chang Li Chen
Junior Dragon, in charge of drafting the Edict of Technological Control
Chang Lui
woman who adopted Pavel
Chang YiWei
senior brother of the Chang clan owners of MicroData
Chang Yu
Tsao Ch’un’s appointment as First Dragon
Chao Ni Tsu
Grand Master of wei chi and computer genius servant Of Tsao Ch’un
Ch’eng I
Minor Family prince and son of Ch’eng So Yuan
Ch’eng So Yuan
Minor Family Head
Chen So I
head of the Ministry of Contracts
Chen Yu
steward to Tsao Ch’un in Pei Ch’ing
Cheng Yu
one of the original Seven advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Chi Fei Yu
an usurer
Chi Lin Lin
legal assistant to Yang Hong Yu
Ching Su
friend of Jiang Lei
Chiu Fa
media commentator on the Mids news channel
Cho Yi Yi
Master of the Bedchamber at Tongjiang
Chun Hua
wife of Jiang Lei
Croft, Rebecca
‘Becky’, daughter of Leopold, with the lazy eye
Curtis, Tim
Head of Human Resources for GenSyn
Dag
a mercenary
Dick, Philip Kindred
American science fiction writer
Ebert, Gustav
genetics genius and co-founder of GenSyn (Genetic Synthetics)
Ebert, Ludovic
son of Gustav Ebert and a GenSyn director
Ebert,Wolfgang
financial genius and co-founder of GenSyn (Genetic Synthetics)
Einar
a mercenary
Endfors, Jenny
wife of Knut Tolonen and mother of Jelka
Fan Chang
one of the original Seven; advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Fan Cho
son of Fan Chang
Fan Lin
son of Fan Chang
Fan Peng
eldest wife of Fan Chang
Fan Ti Yu
son of Fan Chang
Feng I
colonel in charge of Tsao Ch’un’s elite force
Grant, Thomas
captain in Security
Griffin, James B
sixtieth President of the United States of America
Haavikko, Knut
major in Security
Henrik
a mercenary
Ho
steward to Jiang Lei
Hou Hsin-Fa
one of the original Seven; advisor to Tsao Ch’un
Hsu Jung
friend of Jiang Lei
Hubbard, Beth
daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard
Hubbard, Cathy
daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard
Hubbard, Mary
wife of Tom Hubbard and mother of Cathy, Meg and Beth. Second wife of Jake Reed
Hubbard, Meg
daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard