'Loot held me spellbound from the first page...an expertly-plotted, deeply affecting novel ' Maggie O’Farrell
Young toy maker and dreamer Abbas is whisked away to Tipu Sultan's glorious palace in Mysore and ordered to create a musical tiger to delight Tipu's sons.
When he is apprenticed to eccentric clockmaker Monsieur Du Leze, Abbas finds an unexpected friend who encourages his skill and hunger for learning. Through Du Leze, he also meets the unforgettable Jehanne, who has questions and ambitions of her own.
But when British soldiers attack and loot Mysore, Abbas's world is turned upside down and his prized tiger is shipped off to a country estate in England. In order to carve out his place in the world, he must follow.
A hero's quest, a love story, an exuberant heist novel that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across the world, Loot is a dazzling, wildly inventive and irresistible feat of storytelling.
'A thrilling, absorbing and immersive tale of artistry, adventure and romance' Claire Fuller
'A cinematic novel of empire, colonialism and romance...Loot asks who gets written out of history and why' Guardian
'Immersive and beautifully written...a clever and absorbing novel about empire and belonging’ Sunday Times
Genre: Historical
Young toy maker and dreamer Abbas is whisked away to Tipu Sultan's glorious palace in Mysore and ordered to create a musical tiger to delight Tipu's sons.
When he is apprenticed to eccentric clockmaker Monsieur Du Leze, Abbas finds an unexpected friend who encourages his skill and hunger for learning. Through Du Leze, he also meets the unforgettable Jehanne, who has questions and ambitions of her own.
But when British soldiers attack and loot Mysore, Abbas's world is turned upside down and his prized tiger is shipped off to a country estate in England. In order to carve out his place in the world, he must follow.
A hero's quest, a love story, an exuberant heist novel that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across the world, Loot is a dazzling, wildly inventive and irresistible feat of storytelling.
'A thrilling, absorbing and immersive tale of artistry, adventure and romance' Claire Fuller
'A cinematic novel of empire, colonialism and romance...Loot asks who gets written out of history and why' Guardian
'Immersive and beautifully written...a clever and absorbing novel about empire and belonging’ Sunday Times
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"A luminous novel of history that explores the far reaches of empire and of human desire, of love, greed, betrayal, and possible redemption. In this genuine page-turner, Tania James does the seemingly impossible: not only does she breathe life into charismatic characters, she repeats the feat with automatons, for crying out loud. Tipu's Tiger might be a stolen artifact in a British museum, but you can hear its roar in these pages. Loot is a historical story that bristles with contemporary urgency." - Rabih Alameddine
"I read Loot in a single sitting; it is a wild, dazzling eighteenth-century romp across continents with profound things to say about invention and self-reinvention, class and fate, and the deeply human hunger to create family as both bulwark against loneliness and constant source of light and warmth." - Lauren Groff
"Loot is a feast - a hugely fun novel with a delicious plot that offers delights and profundities in equal measure. Each chapter of this sprint across the world serves stunning truths about circumstance and ambition, love and sacrifice, and the fickleness of victory. I devoured this book, and remain in awe of what Tania James has created." - Megha Majumdar
"Loot is the most transporting and absorbing novel I've read in ages - a rich tapestry of an epic, thrilling at every turn. This isn't just brilliant writing: It's storytelling of the highest order." - Rebecca Makkai
"Loot held me spellbound from the first page. This is an expertly-plotted, deeply affecting novel about war, displacement, emigration, and an elusive mechanical tiger." - Maggie O'Farrell
"A novel of wonder and terror and beauty - I was completely captivated by it." - Kamila Shamsie
"I read Loot in a single sitting; it is a wild, dazzling eighteenth-century romp across continents with profound things to say about invention and self-reinvention, class and fate, and the deeply human hunger to create family as both bulwark against loneliness and constant source of light and warmth." - Lauren Groff
"Loot is a feast - a hugely fun novel with a delicious plot that offers delights and profundities in equal measure. Each chapter of this sprint across the world serves stunning truths about circumstance and ambition, love and sacrifice, and the fickleness of victory. I devoured this book, and remain in awe of what Tania James has created." - Megha Majumdar
"Loot is the most transporting and absorbing novel I've read in ages - a rich tapestry of an epic, thrilling at every turn. This isn't just brilliant writing: It's storytelling of the highest order." - Rebecca Makkai
"Loot held me spellbound from the first page. This is an expertly-plotted, deeply affecting novel about war, displacement, emigration, and an elusive mechanical tiger." - Maggie O'Farrell
"A novel of wonder and terror and beauty - I was completely captivated by it." - Kamila Shamsie
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