Scan barcode
A review by ben_miller
Flood of Fire by Amitav Ghosh
4.0
I began this trilogy without any real intention of finishing it, and there were several points along the way when I considered quitting—but something kept drawing me back until I finally did reach the end. (The same force, perhaps, that continuously entwines the fates of the various people who sailed on the ill-fated voyage of the Ibis.)
One thing to know is that these books are mis-marketed as high adventure historical dramas, but in reality Ghosh is a measured, cautious writer, and his books are engrossing but not particularly exciting. There are only a few moments of genuine suspense or thrill to be found in the entire 1,500 page sweep of the Ibis trilogy.
Another thing to know is that if the grand sweep of history and politics in India and China circa 1839-1841 isn't your thing, walk away slowly. You will learn a lot about: the opium trade; the perfidious and hypocritical tactics of British merchants; life in the Bengal native infantry; the peculiar existence of foreign traders in 19th century Canton; Chinese botany, botanical art, and portraiture; indentured servitude in Mauritius, and numerous other topics of pressing interest.
The sheer volume of historical information that Ghosh is trying to convey frequently overwhelms the more novelistic aspects of his work (you know, characters, plot, etc). Some plotlines just fade away. There are so many characters that even 1,500 pages isn't enough to give them all their due, and the emotional effect of their various tribulations gets diluted. All of the key characters get a kind of resolution at the end, but some are more satisfying than others.
On the other hand, because Ghosh is such a steady and confident skipper, it's easy to float along as a fascinated passenger on this vessel. If it resembles a history book at times, it's a very engaging one. His prose has elegance and clarity, and in the first two books in the series he has a wonderful time writing in a variety of accents and dialects—most notably the pidgin that foreigners and locals in Canton use to communicate with one another.
Taken all in all, the Ibis trilogy is a mightily impressive work, and pretty entertaining, too. It doesn't quite reach the heights of brilliance that its scope might suggest, but it's worth the journey.
One thing to know is that these books are mis-marketed as high adventure historical dramas, but in reality Ghosh is a measured, cautious writer, and his books are engrossing but not particularly exciting. There are only a few moments of genuine suspense or thrill to be found in the entire 1,500 page sweep of the Ibis trilogy.
Another thing to know is that if the grand sweep of history and politics in India and China circa 1839-1841 isn't your thing, walk away slowly. You will learn a lot about: the opium trade; the perfidious and hypocritical tactics of British merchants; life in the Bengal native infantry; the peculiar existence of foreign traders in 19th century Canton; Chinese botany, botanical art, and portraiture; indentured servitude in Mauritius, and numerous other topics of pressing interest.
The sheer volume of historical information that Ghosh is trying to convey frequently overwhelms the more novelistic aspects of his work (you know, characters, plot, etc). Some plotlines just fade away. There are so many characters that even 1,500 pages isn't enough to give them all their due, and the emotional effect of their various tribulations gets diluted. All of the key characters get a kind of resolution at the end, but some are more satisfying than others.
On the other hand, because Ghosh is such a steady and confident skipper, it's easy to float along as a fascinated passenger on this vessel. If it resembles a history book at times, it's a very engaging one. His prose has elegance and clarity, and in the first two books in the series he has a wonderful time writing in a variety of accents and dialects—most notably the pidgin that foreigners and locals in Canton use to communicate with one another.
Taken all in all, the Ibis trilogy is a mightily impressive work, and pretty entertaining, too. It doesn't quite reach the heights of brilliance that its scope might suggest, but it's worth the journey.