In a peaceable
jungle kingdom, a kind and gentle prince interested in the arts and architecture is looking to a future building
roads and hospitals for his people. He
is in love with his barren chief wife and besotted with his children. The
fairytale Khmer Empire by the river with its main city Angkor is filled with
the beauty of Angkor Wat – a temple of majesty and spiritual significance for
both Hindus and Buddhists. But the quiet and beauty is about to be broken
during 1177 when the Cham King invades Angkor killing the old King and forcing
the prince and his beloved wife to make the jungle their base as they struggle
to retake their home.
Temple of a Thousand Faces, was written by John Shors who is
known for his historical fiction and for telling stories that engage both the
heart and mind of the reader. This novel is no exception – one is quickly immersed
in the book with the lush jungle, the sound of elephants, the fear of the Khmers’
when they are attacked, and the threat to the beauty and sanctity of the city.
But it is
the characters that enthrall the reader, Prince Jayavar who too soon becomes
King after a series of tragedies, his loving and fierce wife Ajadevi and their
mortal enemy the invading Cham King Indravarman. It is also the story of the power of love –
between a captured Khmer beauty and her captor a favored soldier of King
Indravarman. When the soldier sees the difference between the Khmer people and
the Chams he begins to doubt the greed, inhumanity and terrorism of the Cham
King – where his loyalty lies becomes a unique cornerstone of the book.
Another
great read from John Shors and the chance to learn about Angor Wat, a now
vanished civilization and what is currently present day Cambodia.
