The Story of the Stone, also known as The Dream of theRed Chamber, is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The third part of this magnificent family saga, The Warning Voice, con-tinues the story of the love between Bao-yu and Dai-yu, set against the changing fortunes from glory to decline of the illustrious Jia dynasty. It provides an illuminating and often humorous picture of Chinese culture, protocols, hierarchies and manners of the time in its depiction of such worldly elements as love, marriage, intrigue, violence and death. But, above all, this richly allegorical work contains a con-stant reminder of its underlying Buddhist understanding - that earthly existence is an illusion and karma determines the shape of our lives.