Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Sword and the Spear: A Novel
    Woman of the Ashes: A Novel
    Ebook series2 titles

    Sands of the Emperor Series

    By Mia Couto

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this series

    The second novel in the exhilarating Sands of the Emperor trilogy, following the Man Booker International Prize finalist Woman of the Ashes

    Mozambique, 1895. After an attack on his quarters, the defeated Portuguese sergeant Germano de Melo needs to be taken to the hospital. The only one within reach is along the river Inhambane, so his lover Imani undertakes an arduous rescue mission, accompanied by her father and brother. Meanwhile, war rages between the Portuguese occupiers and Ngungunyane’s warriors—battles waged with sword and spear, until the arrival of a devastating new weapon destined to secure European domination. Germano wants to start a new life with Imani, but the Portuguese military has other plans for the injured soldier. And Imani's father has his own plan for his daughter’s future: as one of Ngungunyane's wives, she would be close enough to the tyrant to avenge the destruction of their village.

    With elegance and compassion, Mia Couto's The Sword and the Spear illustrates the futility of war and the porous boundaries between apparently foreign cultures—boundaries of which entire societies, but also friends and lovers, conceive as simultaneously insuperable and in decline.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateFeb 1, 1996
    The Sword and the Spear: A Novel
    Woman of the Ashes: A Novel

    Titles in the series (2)

    • 1

      Woman of the Ashes: A Novel
      Woman of the Ashes: A Novel

      Woman of the Ashes: A Novel

      Mia Couto
      4/5 - 2 ratings
      4/5 - 2 ratings

      The first in a trilogy about the last emperor of southern Mozambique by one of Africa’s most important writers Southern Mozambique, 1894. Sergeant Germano de Melo is posted to the village of Nkokolani to oversee the Portuguese conquest of territory claimed by Ngungunyane, the last of the leaders of the state of Gaza, the second-largest empire led by an African. Ngungunyane has raised an army to resist colonial rule and with his warriors is slowly approaching the border village. Desperate for help, Germano enlists Imani, a fifteen-year-old girl, to act as his interpreter. She belongs to the VaChopi tribe, one of the few who dared side with the Portuguese. But while one of her brothers fights for the Crown of Portugal, the other has chosen the African emperor. Standing astride two kingdoms, Imani is drawn to Germano, just as he is drawn to her. But she knows that in a country haunted by violence, the only way out for a woman is to go unnoticed, as if made of shadows or ashes. Alternating between the voices of Imani and Germano, Mia Couto’s Woman of the Ashes combines vivid folkloric prose with extensive historical research to give a spellbinding and unsettling account of war-torn Mozambique at the end of the nineteenth century.

      The first in a trilogy about the last emperor of southern Mozambique by one of Africa’s most important writers Southern Mozambique, 1894. Sergeant Germano de Melo is posted to the village of Nkokolani to oversee the Portuguese conquest of territory claimed by Ngungunyane, the last of the leaders of the state of Gaza, the second-largest empire led by an African. Ngungunyane has raised an army to resist colonial rule and with his warriors is slowly approaching the border village. Desperate for help, Germano enlists Imani, a fifteen-year-old girl, to act as his interpreter. She belongs to the VaChopi tribe, one of the few who dared side with the Portuguese. But while one of her brothers fights for the Crown of Portugal, the other has chosen the African emperor. Standing astride two kingdoms, Imani is drawn to Germano, just as he is drawn to her. But she knows that in a country haunted by violence, the only way out for a woman is to go unnoticed, as if made of shadows or ashes. Alternating between the voices of Imani and Germano, Mia Couto’s Woman of the Ashes combines vivid folkloric prose with extensive historical research to give a spellbinding and unsettling account of war-torn Mozambique at the end of the nineteenth century.

    • 2

      The Sword and the Spear: A Novel
      The Sword and the Spear: A Novel

      The Sword and the Spear: A Novel

      Mia Couto
      4/5
      4/5

      The second novel in the exhilarating Sands of the Emperor trilogy, following the Man Booker International Prize finalist Woman of the Ashes Mozambique, 1895. After an attack on his quarters, the defeated Portuguese sergeant Germano de Melo needs to be taken to the hospital. The only one within reach is along the river Inhambane, so his lover Imani undertakes an arduous rescue mission, accompanied by her father and brother. Meanwhile, war rages between the Portuguese occupiers and Ngungunyane’s warriors—battles waged with sword and spear, until the arrival of a devastating new weapon destined to secure European domination. Germano wants to start a new life with Imani, but the Portuguese military has other plans for the injured soldier. And Imani's father has his own plan for his daughter’s future: as one of Ngungunyane's wives, she would be close enough to the tyrant to avenge the destruction of their village. With elegance and compassion, Mia Couto's The Sword and the Spear illustrates the futility of war and the porous boundaries between apparently foreign cultures—boundaries of which entire societies, but also friends and lovers, conceive as simultaneously insuperable and in decline.

      The second novel in the exhilarating Sands of the Emperor trilogy, following the Man Booker International Prize finalist Woman of the Ashes Mozambique, 1895. After an attack on his quarters, the defeated Portuguese sergeant Germano de Melo needs to be taken to the hospital. The only one within reach is along the river Inhambane, so his lover Imani undertakes an arduous rescue mission, accompanied by her father and brother. Meanwhile, war rages between the Portuguese occupiers and Ngungunyane’s warriors—battles waged with sword and spear, until the arrival of a devastating new weapon destined to secure European domination. Germano wants to start a new life with Imani, but the Portuguese military has other plans for the injured soldier. And Imani's father has his own plan for his daughter’s future: as one of Ngungunyane's wives, she would be close enough to the tyrant to avenge the destruction of their village. With elegance and compassion, Mia Couto's The Sword and the Spear illustrates the futility of war and the porous boundaries between apparently foreign cultures—boundaries of which entire societies, but also friends and lovers, conceive as simultaneously insuperable and in decline.

    Read more from Mia Couto

    Related to Sands of the Emperor

    Related ebooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Clarence Page: The Age-old Trick Of ‘Passing’: Fiction Writer The Latest To Be Disgraced By Lies About Heritage

      Mar 20, 2023

      I have never known a man who faked his own death, but I have known a man who faked his own life, then sadly failed to live long enough for us to talk about it. I’m talking about the late Hache Carrillo, a rising, award-winning literary talent whose r

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Language Of Friendship

      Aug 21, 2019

      A Language Of Friendship
      3 min read

    • Article

      Russian Roulette

      Feb 1, 2021

      As a longterm fan of Dostoevsky (and yes, unusually for a 19th century literary novelist, he does have a kind of fan club, many of whom are adolescents high on the thrill of first encountering his freewheeling combo of philosophical pondering and jaz

      2 min read

    • Article

      Orwell’s ISLAND

      Jul 17, 2020

      Orwell’s ISLAND
      5 min read

    • Article

      Bard In The Woods

      Nov 30, 2020

      Bard In The Woods
      4 min read

    • Article

      Can PTSD Be Good for You?

      Jan 7, 2018

      Can PTSD Be Good for You?
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Lighter Side of Dan Chaon

      Apr 11, 2022

      I had a dystopian idea in the beginning, and in the end the dystopia caught up with me. The post The Lighter Side of Dan Chaon appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Set up Siri

      Jul 16, 2020

      Set up Siri
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Most Famous Coin in Borges

      Nov 20, 2019

      The Most Famous Coin in Borges
      5 min read

    • Article

      Must-Read Poetry: May 2019

      May 2, 2019

      Get a taste of six new collections, including the latest from Brooklyn's poet laureate Tina Chang. The post Must-Read Poetry: May 2019 appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Henry Miller Memorial Library

      Jul 5, 2022

      Henry Miller Memorial Library
      2 min read

    • Article

      Dining With The Durrells

      Jun 17, 2019

      Dining With The Durrells
      3 min read

    • Article

      New Perils Of Smog

      Dec 2, 2023

      New Perils Of Smog
      10 min read

    • Article

      For More Than 40 Years, André Leon Talley Has Influenced Fashion And Culture. But It Wasn't Easy

      Jun 1, 2018

      Early the morning Edward Enninful was announced as the new editor-in-chief of British Vogue in April 2017, he received an email applauding his historic appointment as the first black man to lead such a prestigious fashion imprint. "Congratulations! Y

      4 min read

    • Article

      Take Her Word(s) For It

      Apr 9, 2022

      Take Her Word(s) For It
      3 min read

    • Article

      Re-Covered: In the Ditch

      Feb 28, 2019

      Re-Covered: In the Ditch
      10 min read

    • Article

      Your Bookshelf May Be Part Of The Problem

      Jun 6, 2020

      Anti-racist reading lists are making the rounds right now — and they can be useful if people do the work of reading. But critic Juan Vidal suggests you look closer to home, to your own bookshelf.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Writing Family History

      Dec 15, 2021

      Writing Family History
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Mighty Good Man

      Jan 3, 2020

      Teorema Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy, 1968; The Criterion Collection MARXIST POET/PLAYWRIGHT/FILMMAKER Pier Paolo Pasolini—who went through life with épater le bourgeois all but tattooed on his forehead—was a born provocateur whose loathing of conventi

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Sands of the Emperor

    3.5/5

    16 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words