The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison is a historical novel by Isham Cook set in late eighteenth-century Qing China during the White Lotus Rebellion. It follows Qiezi, a young woman from rural Shaanxi whose long use of datura has made her body toxic, as she flees after the death of a government official and becomes entangled with rebels, healers, nuns, and religious societies. The novel blends picaresque adventure, dark humor, botanical lore, violence, and erotic themes.