Alex Ling's New Novel, GOLDEN DREAMS OF BORNEO, is Released

From the imagination of author Alex Ling comes a swashbuckling tale of adventure, passion, romance and violence, set in the remote land of Sarawak, Malaysia. In the untamed expanses of the jungle, readers will follow a diverse cast as they are seduced by the prospects of fortune offered by a fertile land rife with danger and treachery. A crescendo of erotic intrigue and unrestrained warfare plays out in Ling's work of historical fiction, as his characters risk everything to pursue their Golden Dreams of Borneo.

Dreams of gold and power drove men and women to seek their fortune in distant Sarawak. They came from Britain to carve a future on virgin soil, from China, in hopes of escaping grinding poverty. They fought and traded, lived and died in the struggle to fulfill their dreams. Some lost their lives to bloodthirsty headhunters, or in the disease-ridden swamps and trackless jungles of the interior; others survived to make their fortune. Chinese, British, Malays rubbed shoulders with fearsome Sea Dayaks, and nomads still in the hunter-gatherer stage of civilization. The Steam Age met the Stone Age in this exotic, untouched land. Cultures clashed in a multiracial society whose populace gambled all in the desperate hope of success and prosperity.

Amidst this chaotic backdrop, Stephen Young, a youthful graduate, arrives in Sarawak in 1898. He brings with him the dream of adventure, the dream of romance. He becomes tantalized by the virgin beauty of the land, the steaming jungle, the majestic mountains, and the noble savages. Against all reason and sensibility, he stays and comes to witness the interplay of man, his conflict with himself and with nature itself. This grand spectacle threatens to overwhelm him and, if he is not careful, it may even end his life. His goal is to survive Sarawak with his head and his heart intact.

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About the Author

Alex Ling Lee Soon, MA, LLB (Cantab.), has a keen interest in history in general, and a special interest in history of gold - its discovery, exploitation and influence on events. In writing this historical novel, he has had unprecedented access to original source material through interviews with some of those involved and their descendants, extensive oral histories and unpublished official records.

Ling was born in Bukit Lan, Sibu, which lies on the Rejang River, in 1945. He has graduate (1968) and postgraduate (1969) degrees in law from Cambridge University, England. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1970, and thereafter practised for two legal firms, Rodyk & Davidson and David Marshall, in Singapore. He later became actively involved in the timber business in Indonesia and Malaysia. He has since broadened his interests into the exploration and mining of gold, coal and other minerals, and banking. At the time of writing, he was the Managing Director of the Bukit Young Goldmine Sdn Bhd and Chairman of the Hock Hua Bank (Sabah) Berhad.

GOLDEN DREAMS OF BORNEO * by Alex Ling
Publication Date: March 13, 2013
Trade Paperback; AU$39.99; 789 pages; 978-1-4797-9165-1
Trade Hardback; AU$59.99; 789 pages; 978-1-4797-9166-8
Ebook; AU$3.99; 978-1-4797-9167-5

Members of the media who wish to review this book may request a complimentary paperback copy by contacting the publisher at 1-800-618-969. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (02) 8088 6078 or call 1-800-618-969.

Xlibris books can be purchased at Xlibris bookstore. For more information, contact Xlibris at 1-800-618-969 or on the web at http://www.Xlibris.com.au.

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