First published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1953.

Set in seventeenth century China, when the Ming dynasty crumbles before the Manchu onslaught, The Big Chariot tells the tale of two brothers who are caught in the struggle of opposing sides: Yuan, the poet and idealist, stands for old tradition and the values he believes in, and Wei, the practical soldier.

This is a story of understandable people acting their roles within a setting of history. This is a story about love, virtue, greed, ambition, fear, loyalty, treachery, and everything that makes us human.