Chung Kuo Series by David Wingrove

The Year is 2190. China has once again become a  world unto itself and this time its only boundary  is space . . . The world is City Earth, ruled by  the Seven, China's new kings. Beautiful, controlled,  sensual, this high-tech society is rushing toward  war between the forces of West and East, between  the rebels who hunger for change and the overlords  who demand stability, between the very powers of  darkness and light... moreThe Year is 2190. China has once again become a  world unto itself and this time its only boundary  is space . . . The world is City Earth, ruled by  the Seven, China's new kings. Beautiful, controlled,  sensual, this high-tech society is rushing toward  war between the forces of West and East, between  the rebels who hunger for change and the overlords  who demand stability, between the very powers of  darkness and light. It will be an era of violent  conflagration destined to expose the basest elements  of human nature . . . and the highest dreams. An  epic that draws us into an alternative world so  real, so complete that we become denizens of the new  Middle Kingdom, touched by longings we never  imagined. . . driven by forces as ancient as man's first  breath. Not since Asminov's  Foundation books and Herbert's Dune  has there been such a majestic and powerful  vision of a believable other world. . . seductive,  chilling, unforgettable! less

Seven continents.  Seven Chinese kings.  A benevolent rule and a stable, sensual, high-tech society.  But the T'ang overlords no longer control all three hundred levels of City Earth.  Revolution is brewing... moreSeven continents.  Seven Chinese kings.  A benevolent rule and a stable, sensual, high-tech society.  But the T'ang overlords no longer control all three hundred levels of City Earth.  Revolution is brewing.  As the all-powerful Seven plot the boldest imaginable counterstrike, a plan to control the minds of all humankind, Chung Kuo speeds toward cataclysm, and the final game between East and West, between the privileged Above and the downtrodden Below--a monumental confrontation with forty billion lives in the balance.  An epic that draws us into an alternative world so read that we become true denizens of the new Middle Kingdom, touched by tomorrow's longings . . . driven by forces as ancient as the first human breath. less

A towering world-city covers almost every acre of  every continent. Seven high-tech fiefdoms, ruled  by seven lords united in unimaginable power. But  now the wheel is broken. the Seven are divided at  last. Armed rebellion has broken out in Chung  Kuo's few remaining open spaces; on the vast grain  farms, within the chilly Mars colony... and along  the proud spine of the mountain chains, where hardy  guerrillas scoff at the gunships of the T'ang... moreA towering world-city covers almost every acre of  every continent. Seven high-tech fiefdoms, ruled  by seven lords united in unimaginable power. But  now the wheel is broken. the Seven are divided at  last. Armed rebellion has broken out in Chung  Kuo's few remaining open spaces; on the vast grain  farms, within the chilly Mars colony... and along  the proud spine of the mountain chains, where hardy  guerrillas scoff at the gunships of the T'ang. In  desperation, the Seven plot their final solution  in secret council, a gambit that could ensure  peace... at a terrible price.An epic  that drives us into an alternative world so real  that we become true denizens of the new Middle  Kingdom, touched by tomorrow's longings... driven by  forces as ancient as man's first  breath. less

A dying old man's dreams warn the Seven T'Ang that a fierce storm is approaching...so dark, so deadly it can destroy a world. Not even the T'ang, rulers of the magnificent mile-high city-kingdoms of the planet, can predict from where the danger will come. As assassins spread outward to a fortified palace in space, treachery moves inway into men's and women's heart to bring down a dynasy...

The spellbinding saga of the future continues in the year 2211. The Seven T'ang, the ruling dictatorship of the solar system, is weakened by the birth of a special child, and the forces of rebellion and change are spreading from the mega-cities of Earth to a secretive, planet-wide conspiracy on Mars. For generations the T'ang have controlled with mind manipulation and teams of black-clad assassins. But the human urge for freedom cannot be stilled by murder or seduction... moreThe spellbinding saga of the future continues in the year 2211. The Seven T'ang, the ruling dictatorship of the solar system, is weakened by the birth of a special child, and the forces of rebellion and change are spreading from the mega-cities of Earth to a secretive, planet-wide conspiracy on Mars. For generations the T'ang have controlled with mind manipulation and teams of black-clad assassins. But the human urge for freedom cannot be stilled by murder or seduction. Now, as a mad, blood-thirsty ruler plots a coup from within the T'ang, Hans Ebert, his famous face obscured forever behind a mask, begins a new fight for power and love on the red soil of Mars. Revolution may finally free the long-shackled masses, or it may spread unimaginable destruction sufficient to level a world--and the hopes of all worlds to come. The "Chung Kuo" series brings future centuries to life, portraying men and women caught between great powers fighting for dominance...and yearning for ageless passions for all that life holds dear. less

Chung Kuo VI: White Moon, Red Dragon sees the reign of the Seven T'ang in a time of great, bloody upheaval. The rebel leader DeVore, thought dead by his enemies, has returned and is readying a terrifying flotilla to fight against the T'ang, the dictators of Earth. On Mars, another rebel, the long-exiled Hans Ebert, is formulating an audacious plan to bring a lost African tribe home again, and on Earth, the continental mega-cities of the T'ang begin to crumble as war ripples across the planet... moreChung Kuo VI: White Moon, Red Dragon sees the reign of the Seven T'ang in a time of great, bloody upheaval. The rebel leader DeVore, thought dead by his enemies, has returned and is readying a terrifying flotilla to fight against the T'ang, the dictators of Earth. On Mars, another rebel, the long-exiled Hans Ebert, is formulating an audacious plan to bring a lost African tribe home again, and on Earth, the continental mega-cities of the T'ang begin to crumble as war ripples across the planet.It is a time of endings and beginnings, when the last of the T'ang, Li Yuan, will make a terrifying alliance...when chaos will strike in the form of human-looking androids programmed to kill...and when Emily Ascher, a woman dedicated to liberty for the billions the T'ang have kept in chains, will see her vision blossom in blood red. less

In the spring of 2232, hopes for a more humane world become manifest in the red-roofed houses of "China on the Rhine." There, Emily Ascher, once a freedom fighter, lives as Mama Em, mother to the orphans of a war-devastated land.But unto the people of Chung Kuo, two children will be born: "Coffin Filler," a baby girl smothered and thrown away but not yet dead, and baby boy Josef, delivered into a hostile land, yet determined to fight for his life... moreIn the spring of 2232, hopes for a more humane world become manifest in the red-roofed houses of "China on the Rhine." There, Emily Ascher, once a freedom fighter, lives as Mama Em, mother to the orphans of a war-devastated land.But unto the people of Chung Kuo, two children will be born: "Coffin Filler," a baby girl smothered and thrown away but not yet dead, and baby boy Josef, delivered into a hostile land, yet determined to fight for his life.  They are part of a new generation who will see more death than any who have gone before.While peace seems to reign, the puppet master of an army of giant androids plans one final, absolute destruction.  And while the great T'ang, the dictators of Earth, are gone, the mega corporation GenSyn remains.  And soon its pleasure drug called "Golden Dreams" will make Chung Kuo a funeral pyre for golden corpses--until the only escape lies in sending the survivors toward new stars.  .  .  or joining Emily Ascher in a battle for liberty and a new Earth. less

The Great Experiment has failed. The Ten Thousand Year Empire of the Han has lasted less than two centuries and now not a single  stack remains of the great city of ice that once covered the habitable earth. Europe is DeVore's, America is a brutal dictatorship, while the rest of the globe groans beneath the rule of callous warlords.Li Yuan, once the most powerful man on earth, is now an exile in America... moreThe Great Experiment has failed. The Ten Thousand Year Empire of the Han has lasted less than two centuries and now not a single  stack remains of the great city of ice that once covered the habitable earth. Europe is DeVore's, America is a brutal dictatorship, while the rest of the globe groans beneath the rule of callous warlords.Li Yuan, once the most powerful man on earth, is now an exile in America. Banished to an endless round of tours and banquets, he unexpectedly finds a new role -- one that will once more tie him to the destiny of Chung Kuo. And then there is Kim Ward, the Star-Seeker, the spider in the web. Will he leave Chung Kuo to its fate? Or will he turn his great fleet around and return to fight one final battle -- winner takes all? less