Description
Rip-roaring history from the author of Postcards from Stanland: Journeys in Central Asia, Monsoon Postcards: Indian Ocean Journeys and Postcards from the Borderlands.
Radama—the young, savvy, ruthless ruler of the rising military power in
Madagascar, with an appetite for conquest, sex, and alcohol. Robert Townsend
Farquhar—the scheming, silver-tongued governor of the British island colony
of Mauritius, whose plantation economy depends on slave labor. James Hastie—
an educated, enterprising, and courageous East India Company sergeant, ready
to take on a risky mission. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, as Britain
and France face off in the southwest Indian Ocean, the destinies of these three
characters intertwine. Will the British cut a deal to end the export of slaves from
Madagascar, and if so at what cost? Will Radama, with the wily Hastie by his
side, win the internal power struggle against nobles and clan chieftains? Will his
forces, with muskets supplied by the British, subdue spear-wielding clans and unite
the island, making him king of all Madagascar? Hastie’s previously unpublished journals weave a narrative of hazardous travel, byzantine court intrigue and
colonial geopolitics.
Nonfiction. History.
Author Bio
David H. Mould, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Media Arts and Studies at Ohio University, currently works as a consultant for UNICEF. He has traveled widely in Asia and southern Africa as a trainer, researcher and consultant for international and government development agencies. Born in the UK, he worked as a newspaper and TV journalist in Yorkshire before moving to the U.S. for post-graduate study. During his 30-year academic career, he produced public radio series, folk music recordings, and an award-winning TV documentary series on the settlement and traditional architecture of Ohio. His travel essays and articles have appeared in Newsweek, Christian Science Monitor, Times Higher Education, History Today, The Montreal Review, History News Network and other print and online outlets. His books include Postcards from the Borderlands (Open Books, 2020), Monsoon Postcards: Indian Ocean Journeys (Ohio University Press, 2019), Postcards from Stanland: Journeys in Central Asia (Ohio University Press, 2016), American Newsfilm, 1914-1919: The Underexposed War (Routledge, 2014) and the co-authored Catching Stories: A Practical Guide to Oral History (Swallow Press, 2009). Kirkus Reviews describes him as "a genial travel guide . an academic who does not write like an academic." He lives in Charleston, West Virginia, with his wife, Stephanie Hysmith, a lovable Labrador Retriever called Geordie and a cranky cat called Lily.
Author City: CHARLESTON, WV USA