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A gripping historical novel of empire, opium, and the people caught in between.
Smoke and Silver takes readers deep into the heart of 19th-century China, where the First Opium War reshaped the world-and shattered lives on both sides of the sea.
In the bustling port city of Canton, a principled silk merchant tries to shield his family from a growing foreign threat. In London, ambitious traders and reform-minded diplomats clash over the morality of empire. As tensions rise, a Confucian official named Lin Zexu vows to purge China of the opium poisoning its people-setting into motion a global conflict fueled by silver, smoke, and silence.
Told through intertwining stories of merchants, emperors, sailors, and wives, this sweeping historical fiction novel explores the collision of British ambition and Chinese resistance, and the tragic costs of commerce without conscience. Inspired by real historical figures, Smoke and Silver is perfect for readers who love morally complex characters, richly researched settings, and epic stories of war, politics, and betrayal.
Fans of Min Jin Lee, Amitav Ghosh, and Hilary Mantel will find much to admire in Clara Halloway's debut.
¿ Rich with historical detail
¿ Features multiple perspectives across China and Britain
¿ Explores moral dilemmas, addiction, diplomacy, and the cost of empire
¿ For readers of historical fiction, war novels, and literary fiction with political depth
Buy now and journey to a world where profit meets principle-and empires are built on ash.
