Tim McGirk

            Release Date:  Nov. 4, 2025

Reviews:

 Excerpt from Air Mail, digital weekly, Sept. 24'- Oct 1. 

    'A  crackling novel that imagines the travels of Xu Fu, a real-life Taoist priest dispatched by the Chinese emperor around 225 B.C. to find the island where the Immortals lived and bring back the elixir of life. No spoilers here, but by conjuring Xu Fu’s adventures and combining them with the modern-day exploits of Ned Sheehan, an archaeologist who stumbles upon the graves of Xu Fu and the emperor’s mother in southern Mexico, McGirk has crafted a tale of tomb robbers, murder, drug cartels, and romance, all interspersed with the fanciful memoirs of Xu Fu translated from clay tablets, that makes for timeless entertainment.'

    'McGirk has written a thrilling novel of international intrigue, built on a true, unsolved mystery from antiquity. At the heart of this smartly told tale are Ned and Siqin, foundering academics in pursuit of archeological treasures who soon discover they must trust no one. I read it enthralled.'

                                  - Elizabeth McKenzie, author of The Dog of the North

    'This audacious and mesmerizing story, meticulously researched and beautifully told,  marks an inflection point in Tim McGirk’s long and distinguished writing career.  His exciting page-turner, distilling much of what he learned from his reporting days in Latin America, Central Asia and the Far East,  has transformed him from a great journalist into a fine novelist.  His many readers around the world will have ample cause to celebrate.

                          -Simon Winchester, author of Krakatoa and The Man Who Loved China