SHE STILL LIVES: A Novel of Tibet, by Bill Magee

SHE STILL LIVES: A Novel of Tibet

by Bill Magee

She Still Lives: A Novel of Tibet is an action-love story set in a fictional Tibet of the future. The beginning of the next century is a pivotal time for the Land of Snows. A nascent freedom movement has been crushed by the Communists. Tara Gyatso, beloved Dalai Lama, and her advisor Mila Lakpa, have been imprisoned.

Many years later Mila Lakpa emerges from jail. He is an aged remnant of his former self, but he rallies for a final act of rebellion. Outwardly he may appear to have forgotten the Dalai Lama, but inwardly a secret plan is taking shape. The path to success is a razor's edge: on the one side, the Dalai Lama's freedom; on the other, a life sentence and the annihilation of his hopes. The Chinese believe he poses no danger to the State. For all Mila knows, they may be right.

"For those who want a break from serious books about Buddhism (and virtually all books on the subject are fairly solemn), Tibetan teacher and translator Magee offers a rare and imaginative novel. Set in 22nd-century Tibet, the action centers around a future female Dalai Lama imprisoned by the Chinese, who still rule the mountainous country. The principal character is her adviser, a nationalist who loves both his country and his leader, and who has been released from prison into a dystopian society as the book opens. Magee's fluency in Tibetan allows him to authenticate the text with Tibetan words and references. He also adds some visionary touches to this future—dogs bred for empathic intuition, for example. Land mines and sex contribute danger and excitement... Moral questions about using violence to achieve political ends also flow naturally from the action, making the Buddhist framework highly relevant. Magee has written a proficient novel that adds highly unusual elements to a story of love, adventure and politics."—Publishers Weekly

"She Still Lives is a welcome supplement—a sweetmeat, perhaps—to the regular diet of serious Buddhist books from Snow Lion. Tibetan Studies scholar Bill Magee's short, readable work of speculative fiction imagines 22nd-century Tibet. While the cultural and physical landscape are familiar (the story follows the protagonist Mila Lakpa, a rebel who supports his religious leader in the struggle against Chinese Communist rule), Magee throws in a few twists that make the imaginative exercise worthwhile, including a female Dalai Lama. She Still Lives has a little bit for every reader: adventure, sex, body-swapping—even genetically enhanced dogs. And those who like a little bit of Buddhism with their fiction will appreciate the characters' discussions of karma and nonviolence."—Shambhala Sun

"Dr. Magee has written an original and compelling book about a future female Dalai Lama and a man whose love for her is inspiring and transcendent. The action is suspenseful and the characters are intensely human. She Still Lives is both a grippingly-entertaining novel and an indictment of the false gods of war, a reminder that love and nonviolence are more powerful forces than tyranny and oppression."—Jeffrey Hopkins, author of numerous books on Tibetan Buddhism

"This wildly imaginative novel about a female Dalai Lama will fascinate not only Buddhist readers, suspense junkies, and travelers drawn to the mystery of Tibet, but anyone who has asked the question: What would this suffering world be like if women were finally in charge? Read this book—and be amazed."—Mark Matousek, author of Sex Death Enlightenment and The Boy He Left Behind

"Highly original.... A page-turning adventure story with mystical overtones by a Tibetan scholar and fiction writer."—Mandala magazine

"Buddhist love stories are rare. They are wildly outnumbered by didactic Buddhist books absent of love, politics, intrigue and suspense. This brief but outstanding novel contains all four, and a female Dalai Lama. It takes place in Tibet 108 years from now. Tara Gyatso and her advisor, Mila, are in prison for leading a freedom movement that the Communists have crushed. Mila is released because he is no longer perceived as a threat. In fact, he sets out to reignite the movement with a secret plan. It involves not just a clever strategy but a special ability to exchange consciousness with others, including a bear. Eventually, he arrives at the prison where his beloved Dalai Lama is being held and where his secret plan will be carried out. The dramatic ending is riveting and illuminates love's power to conquer and prevail."—Inquiring Mind

Bill Magee holds a doctorate in Tibetan Buddhist Studies from the University of Virginia. The author of Columboand The Samurai Sword, as well as books and articles on Tibetan language and philosophy, he lives in Taiwan—where he teaches Tibetan and Sanskrit languages and Buddhism—and in Charlottesville, VA.

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ISBN 1559392479, 978-1559392471