Over the years, my love of historical fiction has transported me to a lot of locations: ancient Rome, World War II-era Japan, Renaissance Scotland. But I’ve never before visited 13th-century Sri Lanka, a time of incredible political turmoil for the people of that island.

However, thanks to Paul M.M. Cooper’s RIVER OF INK, I can now say I’ve immersed myself in that fascinating time and place. Cooper’s debut beautifully evokes the emotional upheaval that massive political change wreaks and the many forms that active and passive protesting can take.

"Cooper’s debut beautifully evokes the emotional upheaval that massive political change wreaks and the many forms that active and passive protesting can take."

The story opens on Asanka, court poet to King Parakrama; although married, he’s secretly teaching his servant girl lover to write. Asanka glories in these small moments of personal pleasure, but his world is rocked when his city is conquered and royal master is murdered...all at the hands of an Indian conqueror, King Kalinga Magha. Looming large over Asanka and the reader like a villain painted in broad lines is Magha himself, who, upon closer examination, is built in perfect little brush strokes.

Magha devastates the beautiful city of Polannaruwa and its inhabitants, but spares Asanka. His one command to the court poet? That Asanka translates his favorite Sanskrit poem, the Shishupala Vadha, into Tamil, one of the languages of Sri Lanka. The poem details Krishna’s victory over an evil king named Shishupala.

But as Asanka begins to translate, conflicted all the while about working for a conqueror, he subconsciously slips references to Magha as Shishupala into his work. And when his translation becomes wildly popular for all the “wrong” reasons, Asanka must decide whether to stand with a cause he believes in --- but is afraid to espouse --- or knuckle under to save his own life.

Cooper’s elegant prose recalls the court poet’s own verse, all while bringing to vivid life Asanka’s very real insecurities, the lush backdrop of Sri Lanka and the possible redemption of love. This is one writer to watch.