Overview

Before Raffles, before Rajah Brooke, there was Captain Francis Light. It is 1790. Penang's meteoric rise from deserted island to thriving port continues at astonishing pace. Fortunes are made in shipping, commerce and plantations; settlers flock in from the region and beyond. But paradise comes at a price: the Dutch and French have set their sights on the island; the Sultan of Queddah rages at the treachery of the British. Penang must fortify and prepare for war. Ultimately, however, it is disease and disasters both natural and manmade that prove the greatest challenge. As Francis Light battles on, his wife Martinha must learn for herself how to negotiate the murky waters of colonial prejudice and corruption for the sake of her family. Emporium is Volume III in Penang Chronicles, which tells the backstory of the establishment of the British settlement of Penang in Malaysia.

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9781915310088

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Reviews

A richly imagined yet historically faithful account of the early career of Francis Light, the founder of modern Penang. A marvelous cast of characters populates this well-researched work of historical fiction, with just the right blend of the real and the imaginary.--John D. Greenwood, Author of the Singapore Saga series At last, a novel which engages a crucial and fascinating period of British merchant imperialism and Southeast Asian history.--Philip Bowring, Author of Empire of the Winds Deeply researched and beautifully written ... convincingly evokes the East of the period.--Nigel Barley, Author Enthralling. Gan brings a forgotten hero back to rumbustious life.--John Keay, historian and author of The Spice Route: A History, Author of The Honourable Company Takes the reader on a masterfully compelling eighteenth-century birth-to-death journey alongside Francis Light. Vividly imagined scenarios interwoven with the threads of history are guaranteed to keep the reader fully engaged. Sets the benchmark for historical fiction of the region.--Marcus Langdon, Author

Author Information

British by birth, Rose Gan first arrived in in Kuala Lumpur in 1978 and has been living and working between both UK and South East Asia ever since. Married to a Malaysian, and formerly a teacher of History and Latin in UK and Malaysia, Rose was also Vice Chair for Museums of the Indonesian Heritage Society, a guide and docent in Museum National Indonesia, Jakarta, and Muzium Negara and the Textile Museum in KL. In addition to lecturing to cultural associations, Rose has been actively involved with museum publications in Malaysia and Indonesia, both as a writer and editor.

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