Book Nook: The Pale Tiger

 

Mike Harrison’s debut novel The Pale Tiger has a high stakes storyline takes you around the globe as the United States and China wage war by unexpected means and put the world at risk. Hoping to save the day are two female protagonists who race to stop the clock before the unthinkable. The book is laced with intricate plots, exotic locales, and a fascinating look at brinksmanship between global super powers waging war in the digital age. 

You can learn more in this interview.

What prompted you to write THE PALE TIGER?

I wanted to bring these characters to life – and against the backdrop of a geopolitical crisis that’s real and relevant. How America deals with the rise of China is the Great Power challenge of the 21st century, and should be on all our minds. I was also keen to stretch the characters, to really test them, giving them scope to fail or rise to the challenges. The locations are also characters, especially Hong Kong and London. Hong Kong is a magical place, fizzing with the desperate energy of a city that’s not sure it should even be there. London, like all ancient cities, is built on secrets. No one really knows what lies beneath your feet.

What do you find fascinating about the relationship between the United States and China? Do you think the fictional scenario in your novel could happen in real life?

History tells us that when the rising power grates up against the sitting power, the outcome is almost always war. They call this the ‘Thucydides Trap.’ Yet despite these dire warnings from history, both hawks and doves console themselves with the idea that ‘no one wants a real war.’ That is a dangerous delusion.

I recently reread some of the headlines from the Summer of 1914, the eve of the First World War. Then, it was Germany asserting itself as a newly-minted great power against the incumbents, most notably the British. In June 1914, Special Adviser to the US President, Edward House, made a tour of the European capitals to assess whether there really was a risk of a major conflict. Back in London, he reassured the audience that ‘neither England, Germany, Russia nor France desire war.’ Within five weeks, all these powers were embroiled in the bloodiest conflict the world had ever seen. 

Whether we can prove history wrong, and somehow engineer a peaceful accommodation between the world’s two great powers will define this era. We are at a critical point, and history will look back and mark the coming years as either a time of progress and prosperity, or a time when the world took itself to the edge of destruction.

As to whether the ‘Pale Tiger’ plot could really happen, absolutely it could! And the frightening thing is that it might not be so hard to pull it off, as you read in my book.

Your thriller features two incredibly strong women – Emma Wilson and Anne Perry. Was it important for you to have your main characters to be such remarkable women?

Well, I’m not sure I’d use the word remarkable – I’ve worked with men and women in the past who share many of the traits that make Emma and Anne such resourceful and effective operators. Somehow, they both just seemed right for the roles. I really enjoyed writing for them.