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Half-way through the final book in the wonderful Amitav Ghosh trilogy, Flood of Fire (2015).  The first book in The Ibis Trilogy, Sea of Poppies, was published back in 2008, and the second instalment River of Smoke in 2011.  And no wonder, each book is very lengthy with intricate detail of life back in the mid to late nineteenth century during the Opium Wars in the South China Seas. The main characters, thrown togeather initially on the Ibis, are from different parts of India, and the first book describes their perilous journey, and their fate, unknown to each other until the final edition.  Ghosh’s use of ‘pidgin English’ as spoken during the Empire’s occupation is difficult to take in at first, coupled with a dialogue of old Indian dialects, could put off many a reader. But do persevere because as each of the characters take shape you are drawn into their lives and adventures during this bold, dangerous but colourful period in India’s and the Empire’s history. 5 Stars