Karma of the thunder dragon

From its staunch Buddhism to a new anti-Aids campaign, James Pringle in Thimphu finds Bhutan is flourishing between the neighbours from hell. During that first chilly night in Thimphu, the Lilliputian Bhutanese capital, the night belonged to the dogs

Climb every mountain, saving souls on the way

Novelist Eliot Pattison really knows how to spin a story. He also wants you to sympathize with the plight of Tibetans, which is not difficult to do. “Bone Mountain,” Pattison’s third novel set in Tibet, is categorized as a mystery, but it’s also very much a vehicle to espouse a cause, with little attempt at subtlety.