"Amitav Ghosh unravels the impact of the opium trade on global history and in his own family-the climax of a yearslong project"-- When Amitav Ghosh began the research for his monumental cycle of novels the Ibis Trilogy, he was startled to learn how the lives of the nineteenth-century sailors and soldiers he wrote about were dictated not only by the currents of the Indian Ocean but also by the precious commodity carried in enormous quantities on those...

Known to mankind since prehistoric times, opium is arguably the oldest and most widely used narcotic. Opium: A History traces the drug's astounding impact on world culture-from its religious use by prehistoric peoples to its influence on the imaginations of the Romantic writers; from the earliest medical science to the Sino-British opium wars. And, in the present day, as the addict population rises and penetrates every walk of life, Opium shows how...

"This book is about the history of both the legal and illicit drug trade in Afghanistan, and the policies launched by the Afghan government to control the drug trade"--

"The stunningly vibrant final novel in the bestselling Ibis Trilogy It is 1839 and China has embargoed the trade of opium, yet too much is at stake in the lucrative business and the British Foreign Secretary has ordered the colonial government in India to assemble an expeditionary force for an attack to reinstate the trade. Among those consigned is Kesri Singh, a soldier in the army of the East India Company. He makes his way eastward on the Hind,...

Afghan-American journalist Fariba Nawa delivers a revealing and deeply personal explorationof Afghanistan and the drug trade which rules the country, from corruptofficials to warlords and child brides and beyond. KhaledHosseini, author of The Kite Runner and AThousand Splendid Suns calls Opium Nation "an insightful andinformative look at the global challenge of Afghan drug trade. Fariba Nawa weaves her personalstory of reconnecting with her homeland...

"The teenage children of a convicted serial killer try to prove his innocence when a true-crime podcast reinvigorates interest in the case. Their fate intersects with cults, killers, cops, and convicts on the backroads of West Virginia in one brutal, unforgettable crash"-- In a poor West Virginia town decimated by the opioid epidemic, teenagers Henry and Jane have it worse than most. Their father is Hollis Lusher, a convicted serial killer known...

The first in an epic trilogy, Amitav Ghosh's Sea of Poppies is "a remarkably rich saga . . . which has plenty of action and adventure à la Dumas, but moments also of Tolstoyan penetration—and a drop or two of Dickensian sentiment" (The Observer [London]).
At the heart of this vibrant saga is a vast ship, the Ibis. Her destiny is a tumultuous voyage across the Indian Ocean shortly before the outbreak of the

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A master martial artist is sent by British intelligence to the island fortress of a criminal warlord, whose martial arts academy also serves as a front for opium-smuggling and prostitution rings.

Expert fighters must band together in an ultimate martial arts showdown when Southern China's High Officers begin smuggling opium over the border, and endangering the lives of the local villagers. With no one able to protect them and an Emperor who does not honor them, the people turn to the Master Fighters. These masters battle the evil officers and bring justice to the land.