"If you enjoy tales of pirates, exploration and blood-curdling mayhem, then Roger Crowley's swashbuckling account of the 16th-century race between Spain and Portugal for the Spice Islands of east Asia is the book for you."–Dominic Sandbrook,
Times (UK), "Best History Books of 2024"
"Crowley's ability to weave threads together makes his story flow effortlessly across time and space. His details of maritime expeditions in particular emphasise their mix of adventure, ambition and cruelty."–Christopher Kissane,
Irish Times "Riveting, piquant history. . . . An engaging new look at seasoning's long ago seasons."–
The Economist "Crowley's propulsive narrative is as full of storms, privations, enslavement, piracy and blood as the heady whiff of spice."–Michael Prodger,
New Statesman "Crowley has the knack of turning fragments into a mosaic, and his latest book is another colorful, sweeping saga."–
Kirkus Reviews "That spices should be worth more than their weight in gold and prompt people to risk death exploring treacherous routes to get to them is a compelling story and Crowley tells it well."–Sophie Roell,
Five Books "
Spice is a rollicking good read. . . . It brims with extraordinary characters and stories of arrogance, betrayal, bravery, cannibalism, idealism, and evil. In Crowley's telling, the spice trade is a cautionary tale in which history, exploration, culture, and commerce clash."–Mark J. Plotkin,
HerbalGram "Crowley has done an excellent job of depicting life as it must have been on the high seas in the sixteenth century. . . . [It's] the type of book that one has a hard time putting down."–Mary-Anne Vetterling,
Hispania "An eminently readable account of a thrilling historical moment that transformed the world–and shaped it to become the one we live in today."–Zoltán Biedermann, author of
(Dis)Connected Empires "An extraordinary voyage through the sixteenth century with a master storyteller.
Spice is a rollicking historical tale wherein incredible seafaring adventure collides with the geopolitics of the first global supply chain."–Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), 16th Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and author of
To Risk It All "Roger Crowley is a great narrator, matched here to his greatest theme: the circling of the planet to create for the first time a truly global economy. A heart-pulsing story of terrifying hardship and inspiring courage."–David Frum, senior editor at the
Atlantic "A terrific story packed with powerful characters, and transformational moments in history, one that explains how and why the global world was created, and at what cost."–Andrew Lambert, author of
Seapower States "A spirited account of the brave, greedy, brutal, and often foolhardy incursions of Spanish-financed adventurers into what is now Indonesia and the Philippines."–Michael Krondl, author of
The Taste of Conquest
