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The novel Taklamakan, by John Schettler, is historical fiction set in
northwestern China in the year 757 A.D. It is the story of Tando Ghazi Khan, a simple caravaneer on the fabled Silk Road, who sets out from Dun Huang China on what he hopes will be his final trek to the western
bazaars of Kashgar. But the mighty T’ang Empire of China has been shaken from within by the rebellion of the Turkic-Sogdian general An Lu Shan, and the balance of power in the Tarim Basin, where Tando must
travel, suddenly shifts when the Chinese Western Garrisons are called home. Tando’s caravan is soon embroiled in political intrigue as the armies of Tibet, China’s long time rival, begin to advance into
the Tarim Basin to choke off trade. Tando must use all his skills to secure the lives of his men and the safety of his cargo. He soon discovers an unexpected ally in the Tibetan camp and circumstances lead him to
pursue the mystery inscribed on a strange map that will lead to an ancient secret in the heart of the most forbidding and feared desert on earth--the Taklamakan.
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