The Voyage of Sam Singh

This is the second spellbinding, magical adventure set in an alternative colonial India and Southern Asia and it is every bit as good as The Destiny of Minou Moonshine. The author is very skilled in the way she blends deep themes of colonialism, indigenous cultures, repatriation and racism, with those of family, friendship and loyalty and also in the effortless way she combines historical, fantasy and magical realism genres. Our protagonist here is Sam Singh, who has taken on the job of servant to The Collector, an odious example of the very worst sort of colonial explorer, in order to make his way to the Isle of Lost Voices, where he fears that his beloved older brother Moon is being held in the notorious prison The Octopus. The author revealed that the inspiration for this was the notorious Andaman Islands, a penal colony created by Britain   for prisoners from the subcontinent. The indigenous population of these island are also the basis for the tribe of  Lola, who befriends Sam on his first night on the mysterious Isle. She is the  guide  for The Collector ‘s trek into the interior of the Isle, where spirits roam and multiple dangers lurk. He is pursuing his acquisitive interest in ethnic languages and artefacts and claiming to be the first man to set foot in the interior, despite the dignified welcome he receives from Lola’s villagers.  Also accompanying them is one of my favourite characters and Sam’s constant companion, Suka, a parrot who can speak five languages and usually does! Sam is tenacious in his pursuit of any clues to his brother’s whereabouts and when they discover that The Collector has stolen ancestral remains on his previous exhibitions and steals from Lola’s tribe too, Lola and Sam unite in a bold scheme to rescue Moon and repatriate the ancestors. From battling deadly pirates to stabbing a saltwater crocodile in the eye, Sam proves his courage time and again. The conclusion to their quest is not quite what Sam had anticipated, but there is a hugely satisfying comeuppance for The Collector and we leave Sam and Lola with renewed hope for the future. Packed with action, excitement, lyrical descriptions and thought-provoking insights into our colonial history, this is a beautifully written, rich and rewarding read.