Invalided out of the East India Company’s army, James Brooke looked for adventure in the South China Seas. When the Sultan of Borneo asked him to help suppress a rebellion, Brooke joined the war to support the Sultan and improve his chances of trading successfully in the area. Instead, he found himself rewarded with his own country.
Determined to be an enlightened ruler who brings peace and prosperity to his people, James settles with his lover in their new Eden. But piracy, racial conflict and court plotting conspire to destroy all that he has achieved. Driven from his home and a fugitive in the land that he had once ruled, James is forced to take extreme measures to drive out his enemies.
‘The White Rajah’ is the story of a man fighting for his life, who has to choose between his beliefs and the chance of victory. Based on a true story, Brooke’s battle is a tale of adventure set against the background of a jungle world of extraordinary beauty and terrible savagery. Told through the eyes of the man who loves him and shares his dream, this is a tale of love and loss from a 19th century world that still speaks directly to us today.