She Still Lives

"She Still Lives is a welcome supplement—a sweetmeat, perhaps—to the regular diet of serious Buddhist books from Snow Lion. Tibetan Studies scholar Bill Magee's short, readable work of speculative fiction imagines twenty-second-century Tibet. While the cultural and physical landscape are familiar (the story follows the protagonist Mila Lakpa, a rebel who supports his religious leader in the struggle against Chinese Communist rule), Magee throws in a few twists that make the imaginative exercise worthwhile, including a female Dalai Lama. She Still Lives has a little bit for every reader: adventure, sex, body-swapping—even genetically enhanced dogs. And those who like a little bit of Buddhism with their fiction will appreciate the characters' discussions of karma and nonviolence."—Shambhala Sun

"Dr. Magee has written an original and compelling book about a future female Dalai Lama and a man whose love for her is inspiring and transcendent. The action is suspenseful and the characters are intensely human. She Still Lives is both a grippingly entertaining novel and an indictment of the false gods of war, a reminder that love and nonviolence are more powerful forces than tyranny and oppression."—Jeffrey Hopkins

"This wildly imaginative novel about a female Dalai Lama will fascinate not only Buddhist readers suspense junkies and travelers drawn to the mystery of Tibet, but anyone who has asked the question, 'What would this suffering world be like if women were finally in charge?' Read this book—and be amazed."—Mark Matousek, author of Sex, Death, Enlightenment and The Boy He Left Behind

"Highly original. . . . A page-turning adventure story with mystical overtones by a Tibetan scholar and fiction writer."—Mandala Magazine


"Buddhist love stories are rare. They are wildly outnumbered by didactic Buddhist books absent of love, politics, intrigue, and suspense. This brief but outstanding novel contains all four, and a female Dalai Lama. It takes place in Tibet 108 years from now. Tara Gyatso and her adviser, Mila, are in prison for leading a freedom movement that the Communists have crushed. Mila is released because he is no longer perceived as a threat. In fact, he sets out to reignite the movement with a secret plan. It involves not just a clever strategy, but a special ability to exchange consciousness with others, including a bear. Eventually he arrives at the prison where his beloved Dalai Lama is being held and where his secret plan will be carried out. The dramatic ending is riveting and illuminates love's power to conquer and prevail."—Inquiring Mind