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Rex Sumner
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In Search of Spice Kindle Edition

by Rex Sumner (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 54 ratings
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In Search of Spice
- riveting historical fantasy romance bringing to life the 15th century
15th Century customs and peoples brought to life in all their astonishing variety and beliefs. A fantasy book that creates a world different from our own yet hauntingly familiar.

Fighting princesses, court intrigue, vicious pirates, starkly different islanders, all come together in a delightful melting pot of a novel, spiced with a touch of almost believable magic. There is masses of fighting, individual and battles, on land and sea, with stalwart soldiers, unerring archers and invisible assassins, all brought to life with devastating touches of humanity and a liberal dose of humour.

Combine the above with complex inter-personal relationships and affairs, trade and esoteric sailing lore and you revel in In Search of Spice, an historical fantasy novel that will make you laugh out loud before switching to rapt attention as you turn the pages.

Harrhein is a country reminiscent of Europe - whether Germany, Holland or Britain isn't clear, but will cause you to study the beautifully crafted maps designed by artist Maria Gandolfo who also created the cover. Trade is stifled by the omnipresent warlike neighbours, the Spakka, rather similar to Vikings with interesting views on honour. So King Richard helps fund the building and voyage of a carrack, based on the design of one wrecked on his shores by the Spakka. It sails in search of the fabled land of Hind, reputed to be the source of the exotic spices in demand by his court.

This is the story of that voyage, and in particular some of the crew members, not all of whom intended to be aboard. Friendships form across gulfs in social standing and the Harrheinians encounter strange lands and people, with customs exotic and fascinating. Author Rex Sumner assures the reader that these customs exist in a very close form, somewhere in the world, or at least in history. Even the interesting way the Pahippians greet newcomers to their island is based on something very similar happening to the early European explorers in the South Seas.

His observations on the different habits of islanders are clearly rooted in actual custom, not least in the varying styles of surfing employed on adjacent islands to say nothing of diet.
While educational, the primary purpose is to entertain and this book does that in spades. It is non-stop action, whether a swordsmanship contest or sailing in a storm; desperate battles against cannibals or varying fishing styles with interesting bait; trading in spices and people or discovering new animals which defy belief - to the people of the time. This new world is seen through the eyes of several people of both sexes, showing both the thoughts of the Europeans discovering Asians, and those of the Asians encountering pale people. All peoples are very human and slowly the book reveals more and more on the varying characters of even those with minor roles.

For the discerning, there are clues to other stories hidden behind names and titles, which are correct in representing each of the many peoples encountered - even in Harrhein where there are two subsidiary, long conquered kingdoms whose culture still shines through.

Enjoy this helter-skelter ride, which is perhaps more reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean than Game of Thrones - the author shows a refreshing tendency not to kill off his heroes as soon as you get to like them.

This book takes place in a violent time, with violent scenes from battle and ordinary life, including murder, torture and rape.
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  1. Print length
    460 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    June 23, 2015
  5. File size
    2675 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0109O8RFQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MyVoice Publishing (June 23, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 23, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2675 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 460 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 54 ratings

About the author

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Rex Sumner

Rex Sumner

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Rex is English, but was born in Java, Indonesia and has spent many years in the Far East. He speaks Indonesian and Malay, with a smattering of other languages.

He has had an interesting life - as a youngster worked his passage on a container ship to Australia where he worked as a cowboy, gold-miner, door-to-door salesman and fruit-picker, before switching from Zoology to the Army to study at Sandhurst.

He saw active service in Northern Ireland and was Logistics Officer for Operation Drake in Indonesia. A country manager for an international tobacco trader at 25, he spent two years during the Cold War with MI6 before returning to the UK where he and his wife raised his two sons while working in marketing and publishing, with forays into NLP and personal development. Now they are adult, he has moved back to the Far East where he lives in Bali, travels, writes and researches.

He has always had a passion for writing and this was rekindled by telling stories he made up on the spot to his sons.

His hobbies are angling, orchids, reading and reptiles; he represents Bali Reptile Rescue in Ubud, removing snakes from houses free of charge, catching crocodiles for the government and encouraging conservation.

Recently he has become the Personal Assistant to Raja Samu Samu VI, the Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Rajas and Sultans, traveling round the archipelago with him and spending time with the various Royal Courts. He champions social enterprise and is involved in many projects improving life and the environment.

His wide experience and knowledge are interwoven into the tapestry of his writing.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
54 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ali B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2015
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I got 'In Search of Spice' because it was a free kindle download at the time and seemed interesting. It's a long book, which I liked because I feel like I plow through books quickly. It was full of action and adventure. Even though some portions were a little confusing (remembering all the characters) I wanted to stick with it and remember because the plot is terrific. I very much enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next in the series...there better be a next one!!!

There are some sections of graphic violence but they do add to the story.
2 people found this helpful
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Shaari
4.0 out of 5 stars A literary stew made from many different parts
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016
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This was a book that took a lot of different topics and threw them together. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. It works in this book. There's real life elements of history, mixed with a classic fantasy run away princess and a hunter who is more worthy than most. Along the way they gain allies, have a bit of sailing, navigate strange lands and strange customs, have sex, (there's a fairly strong rape scene (not gratuitous, I suppose, but strong), as well as some free lovin' later (I mention this for the benefit of those with teens or who are sensitive to such things), and have an adventure. The book has a decent length, and is fairly well written. The only real complaint I have is the cover art. While a flaming sword certainly indicates a fantasy novel, I don't think it has much to do with the tale being told. Why not a ship in the midst of storm, or some other scene?
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Zippergirl
3.0 out of 5 stars Women Rule
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2015
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i do intend to finish this book. i have gotten as far as the Island of F***ing, but got a little put-off by the sudden change in mood. Up until the attacks by the horny island girls, i thought i was reading a young adult fantasy. i myself admit to using the F word often in daily life, but its sudden casual use dozens of times in one scene was oddly unexpected. so just be forewarned of its descriptive use here and only share with worldly teenagers.
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Michelle S
5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2016
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A captivating read with a diverse cast of well developed characters coming together from many cultural backgrounds. An exciting story with unexpected events and lots of action. The attention to detail by this author I found unique and extremely well researched. This is a great read and I hope the author is writing a sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
One person found this helpful
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Hung Chau
4.0 out of 5 stars I really love the story
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2016
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The end of the novel is so suđen. There needs to have more details about the culture and the people of the Southeast Asia area. It seems you have a little trouble in getting the information. I really love the story. And I would love to see the second of the "In Search Of Spice". What I really grade the story is 4 and a half star. But there is no such a 4 and 1/2 star here.
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HarryS
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a magnificent tale of adventure, spellbinding!
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2015
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Rarely I find a novel that I can't put down, but this story falls into that category. A mixture of real world history and fiction this tells a tale of what was and what could have been. Truly a outstanding work. It is not a short story, but I wish it was longer. Looking forward to the sequel.
One person found this helpful
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Aubrey Davis
4.0 out of 5 stars Good sea yarn and magic too!
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2015
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I have always been fascinated by sailing adventure stories. I read the entire C. S. Forrester "Hornblower" series as a young teen and several times since. I enjoy military science fiction and fantasy, this book has elements of all three. The biggest suspension of disbelief presented by this book was the compressed timeline, how can you get a coordinated combat sailing crew in less than three months. That really is magic. Over all a pretty good sea yarn.
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Lourena Phillips
3.0 out of 5 stars Graphic, violent, rape scene.
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2015
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I am torn. I love the writing, the plot, the characters. Then slowly it started to get violent, But I love good clean violence. Then all the sudden there was a graphic rape scene. So detailed that I had flashbacks to it. So violent and not having been raped before I can't attest to its realism. Seemed odd her reactions afterward. Not wanting to spoil anything. I just wish I could read a censored version of this. Wish I'd been warned. Wouldn't of picked it up.
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Top reviews from other countries

Uphellyaa
5.0 out of 5 stars When is book 2 out?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
One of those books that is hard to put down. The chapters are a little too long, and you don't want to stop, so hard to read when you have just a short break. I confess I stayed up late to finish it the day I bought it, and with 450 odd pages, that took some doing.
It starts slowly, but is nonetheless gripping, rapidly gaining pace. While there are a lot of characters, they are not confusing and each stands out in his or her own way. Not one acted in a manner that was jarring, and all spoke as I expected. The battle scenes were particularly good and really made you feel you were there, confident of the outcome but unsure at the same time.
One person found this helpful
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David
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2018
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A very enjoyable book that I couldn’t put down. It was written about four years ago and left us on a cliff hanger. So far other books about two minor characters within the book have appear, some written at the same time as this book but no sequel. The author appears to have lost interest in writing and is concentrating on other things. Disappointing that readers of the original book have been abandoned and I regret having wasted my time reading it.
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sadate shipkolye
5.0 out of 5 stars Epic rollercoaster ride
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2015
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All I can say after reading that book is WOW! it made me laugh, it made me cry and I am so sad that it ended I could read another 3/4 in the series straight away.

Well worth a read if you're looking for something to read on the tube, on your holidays or just fancy escaping to an great world for a while.

I can't wait for the next one
One person found this helpful
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Dread Pirate Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars A spicy search for adventure...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2018
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A captivating tale with strong, unusual characters, serious action and plenty of surprises. A surprising but realistic finale which leaves room for a sequel but by no means promises one.

Only drawback was that different cultures encountered were drawn a bit too heavily from existing earthling cultures.

Recommended
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dave
5.0 out of 5 stars More Spice than the kitchen of a curry house.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2015
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It's not often nowadays that I get to settle down to a work of fiction, made a very pleasant change of pace. Racy and violent, what's not to love? The characters are well fleshed out, I look forward to the sequel. No. I need the sequel now! Rex?!!!? Do you hear me? Publish/write it already!
One person found this helpful
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