Review by Duncan Stearn
Published by Aries Books in 1996, Until The Karma Ends is one of four novels written by an American-educated Thai man who uses the pen name of Paul Adirex. I understand his real name is Pongpol Adireksarn. The novel runs to 408 pages and there is a 30-page appendix that gives a novelised and necessarily brief version of both Burmese and Thai history between 1757 and 1885. Set in mid-1994 the basic premise of the story involves an attempt by a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative named Lance Bellinger to infiltrate into Burma and hatch a plot designed to bring down the central government of that country, a military dictatorship with the delightfully fiendish acronym SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council), and divide the country into three new states. Unbeknownst to Bellinger, his mission has already been compromised before it's begun and so the faceless men behind SLORC are not only ready for him they're making plans to have him killed before he can do any damage. It gets worse. Victor Leskov, a former secret agent in the days of the now defunct Soviet Union, and a man who holds a grudge against Bellinger, has also thrown his lot in with the Burmese leadership and is happily hunting the American down. Bellinger is being helped in his quest by an attractive half-American, half-Burmese relief worker who is based in Thailand. She, of course, provides the love interest for the novel. Adding to Bellinger's monumental undertaking is a mission to prevent not one, but two, assassination squads which have been sent by SLORC to bump off the US Secretary of State who happens to be attending an international conference in Bangkok. The plot sounds like something the late Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, or even Wilbur Smith would dream up. The book opens in August 1988 with the beginning of serious anti-government protests across Burma and especially the capital, Rangoon (Yangon). It then jumps forward to December 1991 and the announcement of the break-up of the Soviet Union and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Bellinger's part in the downfall of what Ronald Reagan famously called 'the evil empire.' Part history, these chapters set the scene for the tone of the book. The book moves along at a good pace, rarely bogging down and Adirex skilfully interweaves real historical and regional information into a complex plot. Bellinger arrives in Bangkok in March 1994 and meets Mandalay Aung, better known simply as Mandy, the woman who is to help him in his efforts to bring down the Burmese regime. Bellinger and Mandy travel to Chiang Mai and then across the border into Burma, heading into the Shan States to meet with Khun Sa, the real-life leader of the Shan United Army. One of his chief henchmen, after explaining how Khun Sa is able to survive in his jungle fastness against the Burmese government, is asked by an incredulous Mandy the reason why the Thais had not eliminated him. 'You'd be surprised at the number of top Thai generals Khun Sa knows personally. It's a strange world. While the Thai government has a reward for Khun Sa's arrest, they've allowed his wife and children to live in Bangkok and go to school there. Khun Sa is on the American DEA's [Drug Enforcement Agency] most wanted list, yet one of his son's attended college in the United States. Two daughters and another son were educated in England.' When Mandy and Bellinger meet Khun Sa, the American brings up the issue of opium smuggling via the Shan States. In his reply, Khun Sa says, 'Don't you think it's strange that the more money your government spends on drug suppression, the more drug production and trafficking have increased?' There are the usual missing words, misused words and mistakes made by less than diligent proof readers, although far fewer than many other locally produced tomes I could mention. They certainly don't detract from the overall story. The characters are a little wooden and stereotyped, and the number of coincidences required to push the plot along are also negatives. Author Paul Adirex is a former foreign minister (April-June 1992) so it's not drawing too long a bow to suggest he is writing with an abundance of behind-the-scenes knowledge. Who's to say the plausible scenario expounded in this novel, sans coincidences, wasn't based on fact. That alone makes this a worthwhile read. Rating: 3 out of 5  You can find the book on this web site here - Until the Karma Ends
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