Review
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A masterpiece . . . Flood of Fire is not just a work of
literary imagination but also an exercise in deep and original
historical reflection (Chris Clark, author of walkers)
For the past weeks, [Amitav Ghosh] has been holed up in his Goa
home, putting the finishing touches to Flood of Fire, the third
part of his epic Ibis trilogy. The project has taken a decade.
The three novels, starting with Sea of Poppies . . . have
cemented his reputation (Financial Times)
Totally absorbing (Literary Review)
As ever for Mr Ghosh, language is a great tumasher, and it is not
surprising that he is on the shortlist for the biennial Man
Booker International Prize . . . He swims with relish in a
lexicon he has made his own, a rich brew of English, Bangla,
Hindi, Parsi, Malay, Cantonese and pidgin at a time when free
trade and imperialism were recombining Asian cultures and tongues
. . . Mr Ghosh's genius is to paint this world from its teeming
heart, rather than from the perspective of metropolitan centres
of power in London, or, for that matter, Peking (The Economist)
It is a testimony to Ghosh's great skills that he can both teach
us history and create believable fictional characters . . . What
makes Ghosh's characters come alive all the more is the use of
language . . . Ghosh, occasionally, translates, but often does
not, yet pulls off this presentation of the medley of tongues his
characters use with great omb (Mihir Bose Independent)
The final instalment of an extraordinary trilogy . . . Ghosh's
story roars along, constantly flipping between high seriousness
and low humour. It is simultaneously wrong-footing and
delightful, riveting and diverting . . . His expansive trilogy
has, in fact, advanced his story by only a few years; but the
ground it has covered is almost immeasurable (Guardian)
Ghosh's scrupulous depiction of army life is just one part of
this tour de force of historical description. Together, the
novels are a weighty and precious chronicle of those times, a
compendium of lost habits, languages and attitudes . . . Flood of
Fire has all the romance, subterfuge and ingenious plotting to
keep Ghosh's audience firmly lagowed. But it is the integrity of
his historical vision that will ensure his books outlast other
literary dumbpokes (FT Weekend)
The best bits of the trilogy, however, do not merely satirize the
greed and hypocrisy of the foreign traders; but allow
crosscurrents of sympathy . . . full of unforgettable vignettes
(The Spectator)
A huge, sprawling, rumbustious novel . . . rich and engrossing .
. . a splendid adventure story, full of rich and varied
characters and romantic entanglements . . . In the last chapters
Amitav Ghosh pulls the strings of his enthralling trilogy
together. It's a remarkable achievement: an adventure novel full
of feeling, but one which also invites - even compels - you to
think about the assumptions which men act upon (Scotsman)
The star of the proceedings is the historical detail that really
brings it all alive. Anyone who knows me knows my love of
historical factoids and Amitav provides enough for us to
luxuriate in them. The difference between the of
British and Indian soldiers, the colonial structure, the
importance of China and the opium fields, not to mention the
rituals surrounding taking opium - it's all here with much more
besides, simultaneously entertaining and educating. I will
definitely be going back to the beginning of the trilogy and look
forward to catching up (Bookbag)
Book Description
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The final book in the bestselling Ibis trilogy from the
author of Booker-shortlisted Sea of Poppies.