The Thunder Dragon Gate
The Thunder Dragon Gate is the name of a monastery in Tibet, thought to be the portal to Shambala, and therefore revered as a symbol for the threshold to higher levels of spiritual consciousness. American secret agent Tom Grayne and his wife Elsa are trying to smuggle the keeper of the gate, Thö-pa-ga, back into Tibet to resume his ordained duty and to learn what they can about the path to Shambala. Only a few things stand in their way – a power-mad rajah named Dowlah, an array of Chinese and Japanese agents, the Tibetan government, the Indian government, and a huge man-eating spider called a shang-shang. This ferocious spider – the female eats its mate after copulating is the source of many common Tibetan superstitions which are most effective in keeping the ignorant and the fanatical away from the Thunder Dragon Gate. It is said that the gate itself is guarded by a shang-shang! This fast-paced adventure novel by Talbot Mundy illuminates the power of the mind to defeat superstitions and the need to do so before one can tread the path to enlightenment.
Talbot Mundy
Talbot Mundy (born William Lancaster Gribbon, 1879–1940) was an English writer. He also wrote under the pseudonym Walter Galt.
Many of Talbot Mundy's novels, including his first novel Rung Ho!, and his most famous work King of the Khyber Rifles, are set in India under British Occupation in which the loyal British officers encounter ancient Indian mysticism. The novels portray the citizens of Imperial India as enigmatic, romantic and powerful. His British characters have many encounters with the mysterious Thugee Cults. The long buildup to the introduction of his Indian Princess Yasmini and the scenes among the outlaws in the Khinjan Caves clearly influenced fantasy writers Robert E. Howard and Leigh Brackett.
Lobsang Pun
Lobsang Pun consists of 2 total books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
