Gott der Barbaren

China, mid-19th century. A Christian uprising spreads terror and destruction across the empire. A young German missionary, eager to assist in modernizing the vast empire, travels to Nanking full of idealism to gain insight into the rebellion. He finds himself caught in the crossfire of a war where he risks losing everything that is important to him. At the epicenters of the conflict - in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing - we encounter a cast of characters as torn as they are fascinating: including the British special envoy, who only recognizes his inner demons when he can no longer escape them, and a Chinese scholar turned warlord, who becomes so powerful that even the emperor must fear him. In his gripping new book, Stephan Thome narrates a backstory to our history of crises.