Books

“An erotic, action-packed historical novel set in an unexplored period and centered on a powerful heroine.” — BlueInk Review

“The bold characters, kinetic plot, unconventional take on justice, and rich sense of atmosphere make this epic tale a studied contemplation of how beauty can usher in tragedy and sorrow.” — BookLife Reviews by Publishers...

“A provocative treatise targeting American sex laws and mores, sure to enrage.” — BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly

“An impassioned, thought-provoking manifesto that’s brave enough to raise scandalous questions….A stimulating cry for sexual humanism.” — Kirkus Reviews

At present the USA is the global innovator in sexual repression, with almost...

“Readers who enjoy quirky, erotic mysteries will savor this tale of love, sex, mystery and revenge.”—BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly

An "erotic thriller" with an "ambitious, Faulknerian structure.”—Kirkus Reviews

It is the Shanghai of courtesans and concubines, danger and decadence, updated to 2020. American expat author Isham Cook has...

“An offbeat, erudite work of China-centered literary criticism….adeptly drawing out common themes or compelling threads that hint at larger trends in Chinese history.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Confucius and Opium contains surprises sure to both delight and annoy any potential reader….Cook’s audacity is shaming.”—John Grant Ross, author of Formosan Odyssey...

“A wildly amusing and satirical premise sets the stage for a frenetic tale of time traveling and cross-cultural confusion.” — Chris Taylor, author of Harvest Season

“A dizzying, whirlwind tour across language, space and time…The Kitchens of Canton presents an eerie, if not implicative, vision of society’s future.” — Quincy Carroll, author of Up...

"Reminds one of an etching that has been precisely scribed to create a sharp effect.” — Michael Collins, author of St George and the Dragons: The Making of English Identity

“Imagine a conversation over thirteen evenings with a perceptive and erudite companion.” — James Lande, author of Yang Shen: The God from the West

“Food for thought, elegantly...

“Each [essay] is brilliantly written”–Shanghai Talk magazine’s “Top 3 China Books for 2016”

“Funny, assumption-challenging, and above all unique…Cook steels his wonderfully iconoclastic opinions with a deep knowledge gained from two decades in Beijing”–Bookish Asia

“As an American who has lived in China for many years, Cook provides insights into...

“Massage and the Writer’s salacious narrative, suffuse with dangerously honest erotic musings, is certain to garner Cook a cult following among libertine expats.”—City Weekend

“[A] fascinating portrait of a man who has ventured into the titillating establishments the world has to offer.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Fascinating, enlightening and insightful.”—...

“Cook’s erotic-grotesque collection of encounters can’t be beat for its look into the absurdist funhouse mirror of expatriate existence in China“—James Farrer, Opening Up: Youth Sex Culture and Market Reform in Shanghai

“Strips away the literary decorum of the old guard of China writers and presents us with an intoxicating, and at times toxic,...

“Lust & Philosophy‘s experimental prose and non-linear narrative spans continents, decades, and states of mind, calling to mind William S. Burroughs’ equally bizarre Naked Lunch, while fans of Henry Miller will empathize with—but may not always like—the libertine expat Cook.”—Shanghai Talk

“[A]n erotic mind-bending story.”—Lloyd Lofthouse,...