A review by kilkilshah
Un déluge de feu by Amitav Ghosh

2.0

This was a really disappointing end to the trilogy. It was the easiest of the three books to read but the least interesting. It lacked everything the other two books had. The first two books made the era come alive and had really interesting exchanges between characters related to the events of the time. For example, the part in the second book where all the foreigners in Canton get together and try to figure how to handle Commissioner Lin was one of the best passages I have read. In addition the characters were developed and the events that transpired had a flow to them. I really enjoyed the research and vivid detail the author went into on things such as dress and food.

Flood of Fire relies heavily on coincidences. All the characters seem to come together in a very artificial and forced way. In addition for a work of historical fiction this had very little history and a lot of soap opera storylines.

I am probably being too harsh on this review but the first two books set a really high bar through which I am judging this book. Unfortunately Flood of Fire did not meet the bar.