Amitav Ghosh is one of those authors whose books I will always buy. Smoke and Ashes grew out of the research he did for his excellent Ibis trilogy. Whilst doing his research he was struck by big an influence opium has had on the world economy and especially China, India and Britain. Meticulously researched and beautifully written it will make you look at the world with new eyes. If you haven’t read Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke or Flood of Fire, the books of the trilogy, I commend them too.

The author was one of the first Indian authors I started picking more books of when I first moved to Hong Kong and had access to a wider range of books than I did when in the US.

This book acts almost as a supplement to his Ibis trilogy as the author mentions a few plot points as and when parallels appear in the history of opium and its trade.

Initially I sped through the read, but it did slow down in the middle ( as several non-fiction works usually do with me). I found out how much I didn’t know about the history of my own country. Opium, its growth and trade had repercussions not only on British rule and role in the country and beyond, but also started a pattern that still is visible in India. So many more things make sense about the wealth and bureaucratic tendencies that are leftover from that time.

It is not just India that has its time in the limelight within these pages, the author talks of all countries and prominent names/ families that have had a start in the opium trade. Some of the connections are hard to fathom while others make complete sense.

I did not pick this book up knowing how fascinating I’d find it, but solely because I like the author’s style of narration ( be it fiction or non-fiction). It is the kind of book that I plan to buy and keep on the shelf and thrust into the hands of interested or semi- interested parties. Especially since the advance copy I had did not come with photographs being mentioned in the text. I almost considered changing my eating because of the chippy I had, but decided at the last minute that that would be unfair. An aunt of mine reading the fictional trilogy has already been tasked with following that up with this book.

The conclusion has the reasons for why this is a very topical book and how people can learn from history and not repeat the mistakes. I would highly recommend this to anyone even mildly interested in world history and how it has shaped modern societies.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Amitav Ghosh is a brilliant storyteller and this book once again proves why. He takes a complex topic and presents it in a manner that is easy to understand, follow and analyse.

He talks about the impact of opium, especially even today, including the indirect impact. He doesn't shy away from talking about the main players and the geo politics involved. He analyses the footprint of this business from the past to now and delves into an in depth study of the profits and politics of it. His writing style and research make this book a top read!

Thank you John Murray Press and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

A fantastic inon fiction nsight in the Opium Poppy Trade, which informed the author's stunning trilogy.

Absolutely adore Amative Gosh's writing style and will read anything they write.

Fantastic to see a well loved novelist turn present all their research in a non fiction publication. Wish other authors would do this too.

I read and loved the Ibis Trilogy, so this is a book I had to read. If you have read the trilogy- this is a necessary extra, however if you haven't read any of the Trilogy this book stands quite alone, and there is no need to know the fiction written by Ghosh based on the history. I have an interest in history and so am familiar with the story of the British Empire and opium. However this book is a fresh, very readable, take on the facts. This non-fiction is written by a master story teller and so is never dry, and never drags. Ghosh is honest about how little he knew of the subject when he started his fictitious series, and we discover along with him how modern multinational corporate trade began. If that sounds boring, in the hands of Amitav Ghosh it is a fascinating well told story. Very readable.

Unfortunately I cannot give feedback on this book as it disappeared from my shelf even though I had downloaded it and it had not reached the expiration date. A pity as I was looking forward to reading the book. Hopefully it is just a glitch and the book will reappear and I can read it. Am giving it the average rating on NetGalley so I don’t change the stats.

I was totally immersed in each of the epic books in the Ibis series of novels by Ghosh, He brought the Opium Wars to life in such a vivid way and scenes have stayed with me. I was keen to read this nonfiction account which looks at the role of opium in the Western and Eastern world and how it shaped trade, politics and ultimately the society we live in today. It’s a story which resonates through generations and one which I never fully understood.

I’ve learned so much from this book; such is the joy of reading that even in my seventh decade I find something new almost every day. What really astonished me with this exploration is the role of tea. Ghosh sets out the background with intricate detail about the China tea industry and the way in which the Chinese protected their most precious commodity. I had no idea that Charles II wife, Catherine of Braganza, introduced tea drinking to Britain. She was Portuguese and her nation had long established trade routes with China. It’s fascinating to gain this insight into something we take for granted on a daily basis. The East India Company used silver as a trading commodity and the rapid growth of the company shaped the world we live in now.

Ghosh has a very accessible written style. The subject matter is complex but he explores capitalism, colonialism, social change and the sheer arrogance of the British Empire in a way that makes the book a genuine page turner. There’s much duplicity and double standards with an abhorrent trade at the root of many of the world’s wealthiest families and lining the pockets of big Pharma. This story deserves to be told and Ghosh presents it in a very readable way. It’s a great standalone as a slice of social history and it’s also a great companion volume to the amazing Ibis trilogy, putting much into context.

This was a fascinating, accessible and incredibly well written examination of the role of opium in history. I thought the focus on the role of India in this global history and the way in which colonisation led to the wide promotion and production of opium in India was intriguing and thought provoking. I also thought the comparison between this and the insistence of big pharma that Oxycontin was a safe alternative opioid to increase their profits was particularly impactful. Overall this was an excellent and compelling read that I would highly recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A fascinating, informative and thought provoking book that mixes travelogue, history and a reflection on how opium is still a way to keep people quiet and escaping reality.
I love this author and this is an excellent book that I strongly recommend
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Ghosh has written a fascinating exploration of the profound global consequences of that pretty red flower, the opium poppy. I find the events surrounding the Opium Wars to be among the most incredible stories humanity has written. It is mind-blowing that a substance could be so utterly addictive as to spur wars and global social and economic upheavals. That substance is, of course, tea. Ah, you thought I was going to say opium (or its relative, heroin,) didn't you? But while opium is fantastically addictive, its addicts were by-and-large in peaceful stupors in (or on) their clouds during the time in question. It is the uppity Earl Grey addict who was draining Britain's treasury of precious metals, and -- as addicts do in their impoverished desperation -- turned to dealing drugs.

There have been many books written on this subject, but Ghosh carves himself a niche. First, while accounts often focus tightly upon the central adversarial relationship of Britain versus China, Ghosh examines at leisure the roles of two lesser discussed players -- India (not only as a subject of Great Britain but also as an autonomous actor) and America. The importance of India's involvement, from being a major producer and processor of opium to sourcing the sepoys who actually fought the Opium Wars, has been largely ignored, and Ghosh helps to clear up distortions in the historical record. Second, the book investigates questions around America's opioid crisis and what history can tell us about its drivers. In particular, what does the China's explosion of addiction tell us about what might have spurred America's crisis?

This is a readable and compelling nonfiction exploration of the influence of opium from a writer who has produced novels (e.g. the "Sea of Poppies" trilogy) set around these historical events.

I'd highly recommend this book for individuals interested in the influence of Opium, particularly if one is curious about how history relates to the recent crises and what role Indians and Americans played in events.

This is an impressive book that mixes an historical explanation of the British triangular trade in opium - having it grown in India and then shipped to China for consumption - with commentary and analyses that draw clear analogies between this trade and the contemporary opioid crisis in the US. There is also a kind of conclusion that the main protagonist in this story is actually the poppy plant, which works on humans creating cycles and patterns of behaviour. Greed develops the trade, undermines institutions that seek to limit, regulate or ban it, overwhelming them with criminal smuggling. Once the trade is exposed in its full destructive corruption the enriched greedy are able to insulate themselves from it, suppress judicial responsibility as well as media coverage and move on.

The cycle of behaviour is smoke (criminal energy) and then ashes (bleak destruction that almost goes beyond repair).

The book falls into 3 parts: 1) an account of the East India Company's development of opium production in India. The differences between the command-and-control management of this in East India (particularly Bihar/Calcutta) and the more free trade co-operation in the West (with Parsi merchants and local Maratha principalities) has left its mark on the developmental path of those regions to this day. This is a fascinating and detailed account that is beautifully laid out and a more than a bit staggering.

Unfortunately, the second section, on the way opium was imposed on China and how the government was effectively beaten into submission by traders, was equally staggering. It is the same story as told by James Clavell in his Tai-Pan, but with a very different moral framing. This section does a good job outlining the involvement of America's Boston aristocracy, clarifying how their vast income was converted into universities, foundations, museums, and other philanthropic culture-washing stuff.

The final section pulls together scattered allusions to the contemporary opioid crisis in the US. China's experience of being broken down by smugglers and having the authority and trust of its institutions hollowed out serves as a model. But so does its response through civil action groups and the forging of international consensus against the trade.

It is a fascinating book - the author has written several related works of activist history and a trilogy of novels on just this topic. It is not uplifting, but I loved the perspective shift from the terrible drama of addiction to the economic and botanical scales and timeframes. For this it reminded me of John Darwin's Unlocking the World (2020), which examined how steam power led to the creation of a network of port cities, each determining the fate of its own hinterland. Ghosh's book is outstanding and already a strong contender (already) for my Book of the year.