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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.
savaging's review against another edition
3.0
I finally slogged through the final work in this trilogy which has been in my life for the last 3 months.
I would only heartily recommend The Ibis Trilogy to those fascinated by the minutiae of military history, because there are long pages describing battles. These were almost impossible for me to wade through. But the rest of it, with its drama and trauma and political relevance (and a masterful, slow transition of a main character from hero to villain!) was really beautiful.
The Guardian calls this a work of "high seriousness and low humor." It was a delight that a work devoted to exposing the violence of empire and capitalism could devote some time as well to bedroom jokes.
I would only heartily recommend The Ibis Trilogy to those fascinated by the minutiae of military history, because there are long pages describing battles. These were almost impossible for me to wade through. But the rest of it, with its drama and trauma and political relevance (and a masterful, slow transition of a main character from hero to villain!) was really beautiful.
The Guardian calls this a work of "high seriousness and low humor." It was a delight that a work devoted to exposing the violence of empire and capitalism could devote some time as well to bedroom jokes.
asuph's review against another edition
5.0
After 1500 plus pages the Ibis Trilogy finally ends its whirlwind tour across the oceans and lands. A stupendous work, based on painstaking research, this trilogy may have its weak moments, but all in all, it's hard to not be awed by it. The story interlinking various sub-plots and themes, covers so much of history, spread across a large geopolitical area, has so many experiments, with style, language (including a liberal doses of bhojpuri, the sahebi hinglish, sailors/lascarw' pidgin, native's murdered English, parsi/gujurati ...), a tour of social structures and taboos, histories of those living on the sidelines, and of cities and ports ... There is just so much to learn from this labor of love of Amitav Ghosh. Taking away even half a star seems criminal.
This finale of the trilogy is almost as good as the first book. It's almost a symphonic structure, with the first book laying down many a themes in a flamboyant manner, the second book deliberating on them, and the third tying it all up in a grand finale that has its flaws, but they hardly are remembered by the end of it all.
This finale of the trilogy is almost as good as the first book. It's almost a symphonic structure, with the first book laying down many a themes in a flamboyant manner, the second book deliberating on them, and the third tying it all up in a grand finale that has its flaws, but they hardly are remembered by the end of it all.
katevane's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the first two books in the Ibis trilogy and there is much to admire in this one, but I have to admit that I struggled at times to get through it.
The positives first. It’s a brilliantly researched account of events leading up to the First Opium War, showing the perspectives of characters from around the world, in particular Britain, India and China. It gives anyone unfamiliar with events a great insight into the period and the places. It shows, in particular, the paradoxical position which the Indian participants find themselves in, invaluable to both camps, but not quite at home in either.
Characters from the earlier books find themselves on opposite sides, for entirely intelligible reasons. The author raises important questions about ethnicity, identity and the rampant march of capital, which resonate today.
Where I felt a little let down was in the storytelling. I missed the humour of the earlier books, and the inventiveness of the language as characters from different cultures and classes were thrown together. Some of the characters’ storylines felt a little soapy (particularly Zachary’s) and others, like Shireen, a bit prosaic. Other plot lines relied on coincidence.
The battle scenes were very long and the amount of detail seemed to deaden rather than enhance the drama. It also felt like the author himself might have been overwhelmed by the amount of exposition. Neel’s narration in the early stages of the book takes the form of a journal, which is very dry and limiting as he writes mainly about the political and military situation. This is abruptly abandoned part way through and the author returns to a conventional third-person narration.
It might be that the weight of expectation was too much. And I’m now familiar with the world of the trilogy that felt so vivid and fresh when I first encountered it. But for me this book didn’t have the magic of the first two.
The positives first. It’s a brilliantly researched account of events leading up to the First Opium War, showing the perspectives of characters from around the world, in particular Britain, India and China. It gives anyone unfamiliar with events a great insight into the period and the places. It shows, in particular, the paradoxical position which the Indian participants find themselves in, invaluable to both camps, but not quite at home in either.
Characters from the earlier books find themselves on opposite sides, for entirely intelligible reasons. The author raises important questions about ethnicity, identity and the rampant march of capital, which resonate today.
Where I felt a little let down was in the storytelling. I missed the humour of the earlier books, and the inventiveness of the language as characters from different cultures and classes were thrown together. Some of the characters’ storylines felt a little soapy (particularly Zachary’s) and others, like Shireen, a bit prosaic. Other plot lines relied on coincidence.
The battle scenes were very long and the amount of detail seemed to deaden rather than enhance the drama. It also felt like the author himself might have been overwhelmed by the amount of exposition. Neel’s narration in the early stages of the book takes the form of a journal, which is very dry and limiting as he writes mainly about the political and military situation. This is abruptly abandoned part way through and the author returns to a conventional third-person narration.
It might be that the weight of expectation was too much. And I’m now familiar with the world of the trilogy that felt so vivid and fresh when I first encountered it. But for me this book didn’t have the magic of the first two.