Maureen Kulikowska (Facebook)

Thank you Rose Gan for introducing me to Francis Light. Your trilogy ‘Penang Chronicles’ took me out of my normal comfort zone and I became totally immersed. The books are brilliant! As I approached the end of the book I started to feel sad that it was coming to the end. I had so many questions. I need not have feared! All my questions were answered, ‘What was truth?’, ‘ What was embellished truth’, What was fiction?’. All was explained. Hopefully there will be more to come and we can follow the family as they travel through life.

DRAGON

Baljit (Goodreads) Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

An amazing account of the early life of Sir Francis Light, who is known as the founder of Penang. This novel takes us into his early childhood in Suffolk, his struggles in establishing a naval career due to the prejudices of a class society, and his sea faring adventures. It brings to live the history I was thought at school about my hometown, which is so much more interesting than the history textbooks of my schooldays. 
This novel is well-written, and well-researched while giving the right balance of detail and a narrative tone. I’m surprised this trilogy has not garnered more attention in local literary circles.

Nell Holland (Burnside Writers’ Group, Adelaide)

I’ve always been fascinated by Colonel William Light, South Australia’s first surveyor-general, who planned Adelaide. But I have questions about the man, who remains a tantalising enigma. Where did his drive, courage, and work ethos find its foundation? Rose Gan has put together a book that goes a long way to explain where much of William’s character originated and has produced a new hero for me to ponder over - Francis Light - William’s father. Beginning in the mid 1700’s the novel, Dragon, is an absorbing narrative taking the reader from England throughout Southeast Asia in a series of breathtaking adventures.

Francis, sired by a marquess and raised believing himself the illegitimate son of a country squire, achieved extraordinary success due to his intelligence, ability to control both situations and people, and his impressive courage. Despite the intolerance and bigotry of his time, Francis became a powerful force in the 18th century Malay Archipelago, and ultimately the founder of Penang. His astonishing life is portrayed by Gan in this fast-paced tale of adventure, and it would be easy to believe she has exaggerated his wild successes and unexpectedly terrifying situations. But Gan is a former teacher of history and her research for this book, the first in a series about the Light family, has been extensive. The resulting historical drama progresses at breathtaking speed. She brings real characters to life - Dutch, Chinese, Indian, and English - and returns a man, long forgotten, to the spotlight he deserves. You couldn’t make this story up.

This is such an elegantly seductive read and the blend of derring-do, swashbuckling raids, and unsophisticated treatments of tropical diseases, contrasts vividly with languid Malay days, riches beyond belief, and an expanding love story. I’m amazed it’s taken so long to bring this adventurer to the world’s attention. While never forgetting his origins, Francis always sought opportunities to better himself, and fearlessly set out to make his impact on the world. Despite being intolerantly judged by today’s ‘woke’ generation, people like Francis changed the world in the 18th century, producing a blueprint for what we enjoy today.

Gan’s book is a compelling read, which rapidly draws the reader in and can make whole days disappear within its pages. It’s the perfect book to take on holiday. And if you visit Penang, find the cemetery where he’s buried. Walk the streets where Francis once held sway, and marvel at what he achieved, and how far he travelled from modest beginnings in England’s rural Suffolk. Read Dragon by Rose Gan and you’ll be immersed in both history and adventure - and you won’t regret a moment.

Marianne P (Goodreads)

If you liked C. S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian's stories of the British Navy, you will be drawn to this book. If you love exotic cultures, customs and stories in steamy tropical settings this book has it. If you love historical fiction that blends the East and West, you won't be disappointed. A compelling read that is well researched with an index at the end for language and character descriptions. I can't wait to read the second book in the series!

Many thanks to all contributors

Your words mean so much!

Karin

I have just finished reading your Penang Chronicles and just loved all three books. They are so well written. Your language is extremely rich and fluent and the way you tell your story is just wonderful and such a rich experience to read. Your research is outstanding and you make these old times and the places you describe come so alive. I absolutely loved reading all three books. Thank you