Sea of PoppiesSea of Poppies
Score Modern
What it's about
On the eve of the Opium Wars, the old slave ship Ibis sets out across the Indian Ocean with a motley crew of sailors, stowaways and convicts: a bankrupt raja, a widowed village woman, a mixed-race American sailor and others. As their old family ties wash away, they become jahaj-bhais, ship-brothers.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Booker Prize finalist. It's a vibrant, sweeping historical epic.
You'll love it if you liked
The Pillars of the Earth
A Fine Balance
ShōgunGood to know
It's full of invented and historical slang. It's the first of the Ibis trilogy.
By the numbers
- Readers55 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics32 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller29 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #224 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #837 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1554 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Epic
If you like this, read next
The Underground Railroad
Beloved
The Master and Margarita
All the Light We Cannot See
Americanah
The OverstoryExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Sea of Poppies worth reading?
Yes. It was a Booker Prize finalist. It ranks #1,554 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Sea of Poppies about?
On the eve of the Opium Wars, the old slave ship Ibis sets out across the Indian Ocean with a motley crew of sailors, stowaways and convicts: a bankrupt raja, a widowed village woman, a mixed-race American sailor and others. As their old family ties wash away, they become jahaj-bhais, ship-brothers.
How long does it take to read Sea of Poppies?
About 13 hours (536 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Sea of Poppies?
If you liked it, try The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry or Shōgun by James Clavell.