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mridul's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dynamo170's review against another edition
3.0
Slightly disappointing, at times protracted, conclusion to the Ibis trilogy. It has been said by many others that the author seems to have lost interest and was keen to finish the trilogy. A shame as it started so well with Sea of Poppies and I enjoyed River of Smoke.
deepak_pitaliya's review against another edition
5.0
IBIS trilogy is a masterpiece. Story stated with Sea of Poppies comes to a conclusion in Flood of Fire. All loose ends are tied up in a masterly manner and trilogy which begins with Deeti having a vision of Ibis ends with Deeti and Ibis. Second book River of Smoke was written at a leisurely pace and somewhat slow but this final book is fast moving and a real page turner.
factandfables's review against another edition
3.0
This trilogy, which is a historical ensemble fiction about the opium wars, is truly epic. The cast of characters is diverse and super interesting, and in the first two books, I felt like Ghosh had a fairly adept hand in controlling his narrative. The first book has a LOT of characters, but the limits of the Ibis as a location keep it in control. Even in the second book, although I wanted to know what was happening to everyone, I appreciated the limited focus on Canton.
When focusing on Hong Kong and the characters themselves, this book is great, and there is one party scene where all these characters come together in a really fun way. However, this book loses control of the narrative a bit too much for me, and at times, it is too focused on details about locations, guns and other military formation stuff I just didn't care enough about to enjoy.
Also, I wanted way more Deeti and Paulette and I really struggled with Zachary's character development. Authors get to make their own decisions about character development, but in this case, the Zachary side of things affected my enjoyment of the book in a way I cannot quite forgive.
Overall, this is an epic trilogy about a really interesting period in history. I just wish it had wrapped up in a more satisfying way.
When focusing on Hong Kong and the characters themselves, this book is great, and there is one party scene where all these characters come together in a really fun way. However, this book loses control of the narrative a bit too much for me, and at times, it is too focused on details about locations, guns and other military formation stuff I just didn't care enough about to enjoy.
Also, I wanted way more Deeti and Paulette and I really struggled with Zachary's character development. Authors get to make their own decisions about character development, but in this case, the Zachary side of things affected my enjoyment of the book in a way I cannot quite forgive.
Overall, this is an epic trilogy about a really interesting period in history. I just wish it had wrapped up in a more satisfying way.
shoe's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
birdbrainbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This book was mediocre at best, especially compared to the first two in the trilogy. Ruined some of the characters and didn't sustain my interest in the storyline. The battles kept losing me, instead of it just focusing on his rich characters. Wasn't thrilled with how the whole trilogy was tied up - just fell flat.
sheelal's review against another edition
3.0
underwhelming end to the trilogy. kind of predictable interactions. felt like the ghosh didn't realize the emphasis on historical accuracy would impact character development.
lefthandedbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Ah in hindsight, I might have been a bit too harsh and and hasty in my rating....
Re-rated to 3 stars
2.15 stars
Well...I wished for a grand conclusion for the Ibis Trilogy . The age old adage of be careful of what you wish for came true.
The story was grand indeed so much so that with elements of cliches, coincidences, events that were fantastical to epic proportions, this book reads like a daily soap opera (or a bollywood film?)
Without going into details, the Flood of Fire is perhaps the most disappointing book that I have read in this year till now. After waiting for a couple of years, since the last book was released, this was definitely NOT what I was hoping and looking forward to. Disheartened is what I am, it does not feel that this is the same author who wrote [b:Sea of Poppies|1330324|Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy, #1)|Amitav Ghosh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327376395s/1330324.jpg|1319808] or [b:The Hungry Tide|822812|The Hungry Tide|Amitav Ghosh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344618696s/822812.jpg|981525].
My ratings are only for the historical facts (which were way less as compared to the previous books) that formed the background of the story.
Re-rated to 3 stars
2.15 stars
Well...I wished for a grand conclusion for the Ibis Trilogy . The age old adage of be careful of what you wish for came true.
The story was grand indeed so much so that with elements of cliches, coincidences, events that were fantastical to epic proportions, this book reads like a daily soap opera (or a bollywood film?)
Without going into details, the Flood of Fire is perhaps the most disappointing book that I have read in this year till now. After waiting for a couple of years, since the last book was released, this was definitely NOT what I was hoping and looking forward to. Disheartened is what I am, it does not feel that this is the same author who wrote [b:Sea of Poppies|1330324|Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy, #1)|Amitav Ghosh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327376395s/1330324.jpg|1319808] or [b:The Hungry Tide|822812|The Hungry Tide|Amitav Ghosh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344618696s/822812.jpg|981525].
My ratings are only for the historical facts (which were way less as compared to the previous books) that formed the background of the story.
ericaland's review against another edition
5.0
Such an incredible trilogy. Was sad to say goodbye to the characters. There were some incredibly memorable ones.
gautamsing's review against another edition
5.0
I thought River of Smoke (the 2nd volume of this trilogy) was great. This was 50 stars. The author surpassed himself in weaving together the story of people separated by race, background & age, intertwined with actual historical events, made very realistic through his incredible writing & research. As its the culmination of the Ibis trilogy, there are many "conclusions" to peoples lives, some happy, some sad. Looking forward to read Sea of Poppies, the 1st volume of this set.