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Soul-searching conflicts and tattered loyalties abound in this evocative 12th-century page-turner.
Sequel to The Sugar Merchant, James Hutson-Wiley’s The Travels of Ibn Thomas picks up in the early 12th-century, some ten years after the events of the series opener. Following the tense and twisting tale of Thoma, son of the Thomas who featured in The Sugar Merchant, the scene is set by Thoma’s involving first-person account of the discrimination endured during his Christian education in England (Thomas had vowed to raise his son in the Islamic faith): “Not only was my appearance strange, with my darker skin and black hair, I was ignorant of scripture and did not know the words of the chants we sang at mass. Worse, I spoke Latin with an unusual accent. The others spoke either Norman or Saxon. In my early years, I was not proficient in either language. Thus, my fellow students rarely spoke to me.” No wonder, then, that Thoma welcomes being sent to an esteemed medical school in Sicily.
Thoma’s journey comes at a time of great change, which is finely evoked with a tremendous sense of place, and fascinating details of political and religious conflict. These wider conflicts are lived-out by Thoma himself, not least when he’s asked to take up his father’s role as a spy. Teeming with vividly-drawn characters, among them pirates, assassins and crusaders, and driven by Thoma’s desire to discover what became of his father, and by his identity struggles, this is alive with intrigue and pacey adventure.
Joanne Owen, A LoveReading Ambassador
Thoma, the son of Thomas, the Sugar Merchant, born in Egypt but raised in England, is sent to the famous Salernitan Medical School to train as a physician in the early twelfth century. In Sicily, he saves the life of a prince and becomes court physician. But disaster strikes; escaping from Sicily, he is captured by pirates, befriends an assassin, and is plunged into political and religious turmoil in the Holy Land following the first crusade.
The adventures of a man torn between religious and political loyalties, and embroiled in international conflict and intrigue, The Travels of ibn Thomas, the second book in the series that began with The Sugar Merchant, is a gripping story of one man’s life, and a fascinating glimpse into the tumultuous twelfth century commercial and scientific revolution when the three Abrahamic faiths meet in both cooperation and deadly conflict.
'There's just so much to like in The Travels of ibn Thomas that I consider it a favorite and would definitely love to read it again.' Readers’ Favorite
'A very well-tailored and put together work of historical fiction.' BooksGoSocial
ISBN: 9781800315440
Publication date: 20/10/2020
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
Format: Paperback
| ISBN: | 9781800315440 |
| Publication date: | 20th October 2020 |
| Author: | James Hutson-Wiley |
| Publisher: | New Generation Publishing |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 350 pages |
| Genres: | Action Adventure / Spy, Historical Fiction, Indie Author Books, Indie Books We Love, |
| Categories: | Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500, |
Jim Hutson-Wiley's long career in international trade and project finance involved extensive travel and residence in the Near East and Europe. He graduated with a BSFS from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and received an MBA from the Wharton School. He currently lives in Miami, Florida.
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