, ▁C lav ell ▁returned ▁regularly ▁to ▁the ▁island . ▁He ▁wanted ▁to ▁write ▁a ▁novel ▁about ▁modern ▁day ▁Hong ▁Kong ▁which ▁used ▁some ▁characters ▁from ▁King ▁Rat ▁and ▁descend ants ▁of ▁characters ▁from ▁Tai - Pan . ▁No ble ▁House ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁of ▁the ▁" inter lock ing ▁nov els " ▁he ▁planned ▁to ▁write ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁Asian ▁S aga . ▁ ▁C lav ell ▁says ▁he ▁" w anted ▁to ▁write ▁a ▁story ▁about ▁two ▁Americans ▁who ▁go ▁Hong ▁Kong ▁to ▁try ▁and ▁us ur p ▁No ble ▁House ▁and ▁have ▁a ▁lot ▁of ▁advent ures . ▁That ' s ▁all ▁I ▁knew ▁I ▁was ▁going ▁to ▁do ▁before hand . ▁In ▁the ▁old ▁days — say , ▁Tai - Pan — when ▁I ▁got ▁myself ▁in ▁a ▁hole ▁I ▁could ▁always ▁kill ▁somebody . ▁It ▁wasn ' t ▁that ▁easy ▁in ▁No ble ▁House ." ▁ ▁He ▁started ▁in ▁April ▁ 1 9 7 8 ▁but ▁was ▁interrupted ▁by ▁the ▁film ing ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁Sh ō gun ▁( 1 9 7 5 ). ▁ ▁C lav ell ▁says ▁No ble ▁House ▁took ▁him ▁three ▁years ▁to ▁research ▁and ▁write . ▁He ▁would ▁write ▁every ▁day , ▁five ▁pages ▁a ▁day . ▁He ▁used ▁old ▁newsp apers ▁and ▁court ▁records , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁research ▁he ▁had ▁done ▁for ▁Tai ▁Pan . ▁The ▁character ▁Peter ▁Mar low e ▁was ▁a ▁sur rog ate ▁for ▁C lav ell ▁himself . ▁C lav ell ▁said ▁he ▁made ▁one ▁of