James Clavell is a master at crafting compelling and memorable characters. He gives every character his motivations and goals and weaves them into the novel’s subplots, keeping readers captivated. Every character has a unique voice, and within just a few pages, their personalities come alive in the reader’s mind.

The main characters, Ian Dunross, Lincoln Barlett, Quillan Gornt, and Casey Tcholok (Lincoln’s partner), are strong, powerful, and intelligent, yet they make mistakes. This makes them relatable and authentic — after all, who doesn’t face conflicts in their own life?

If you’ve read King Rat before Noble House, you’ll be delighted to see how Clavell begins to connect characters from his Asian saga novels. Peter Marlowe, a Changi prisoner in King Rat, reappears in Noble House as a key character — a writer researching a novel about Hong Kong. This way, Clavell creates a rich representation of Asia beyond just Hong Kong.