A short yet sprawling novel, Loot is the story of a young toymaker in India at the end of the eighteenth century commissioned to make an automaton for Tipu Sultan, and the journey that it sets him on for the rest of his life. Political intrigue, war, adventure, friendship, romance—the pages are packed with a story that deftly weaves fact and fiction, character and social commentary, to create an impeccably-paced narrative rich with detail and depth. The settings are gorgeous, the characters are vivid and multi-dimensional, and the story itself is engaging. I would technically classify it as historical literary fiction, but Loot is also a page-turning adventure story, and by turns a sweet and poignant coming-of-age story of friendship, artistry, and self-reliance.

The writing style is simple but never simplistic, dense but never impenetrable. Tania James has created an expertly-crafted story; not a single detail is out of place, nothing feels extraneous or superfluous. In a sea of books that hit you over the head with their intentions, Loot distinguishes itself by setting forth its story and trusting its reader, making it a book that can be enjoyed both as a surface-level adventure story and upon subsequent reads as the rich and nuanced novel of colonialism and shared humanity it is.