Lord Lister No. 0035: De man, die veertig draken doodde

About this book

"Lord Lister No. 0035: De man, die veertig draken doodde" by Matull and Blankensee is a pulp adventure serial written in the early 20th century. Set in Peking at the end of the Qing era, it follows the gentleman adventurer John C. Raffles—“the Great Unknown”—as he confronts corrupt mandarins, fanatical priests, and palace plots. The story revolves around Raffles’s clash with the feared police chief Kwo-Saing, his protection of the young singer Anitai, and his uneasy alliance with Prince Thun amid intrigues that reach into the Forbidden City.

The opening of the story plunges into the spring festival of Tsai-Soi, where the poor youth Win-Seng and his sister Anitai are swept into danger after the powerful Kwo-Saing notices the girl; Win-Seng is ambushed and delivered to temple priests, while Anitai narrowly escapes. That night, after leaving a European legation party, Raffles hears a woman’s cries at Kwo-Saing’s palace and—backed by French guards—rescues Anitai and shelters her, even as he’s captivated by her poise and beauty. Parallel scenes reveal a darker plot: Tsai-Soi’s priests, aiding enemies at court, drug Princess Wandé and use the coerced, later-mutilated Win-Seng to disgrace her, until Raffles intervenes to stop a tragic revenge and forges a pact with the honorable Prince Thun. Kwo-Saing then has Anitai abducted for Prince Tuan; guided by a street urchin and a wily witch, Raffles learns she is inside the palace and seeks aid from the Temple of the Sun, where a high priest promises to help return the girl.