‘chafes under its colonisation by China’, a vastly different place to India and Pakistan, which runs parallel to the main ideas of Empires of the Indus, the Indus River being a place where not only have civilisations been created, but powers and empires have fought wars to control this vital river system, and this highly productive and culturally diverse group of populations. Reception Empires of the Indus was well received, garnering interest through its presentation and scope. In his highly positive review in The Guardian, Kevin Rushby describes Albinia as a “determined writer and observant traveller with an ability to find the right person and listen to their story”. He notes that Albinia manages to find an optimistic message in this region of the world, “a message of beauty and hope in all the desiccated wastes, both physical and metaphysical”. Robert Messenger, for Barnes & Noble, had similar praise for Albinia, identifying that the core of the story that she is trying to tell lies not in the history or culture of the places she visits, but in how these concepts, among others, are present and illuminating of the people she meets. Messenger also notes an underlying environmental message of Empires of the Indus: “Albinia despairs at the Indus’s great peril. Dammed repeatedly… the river completely disappears in places, or slows to a puddle-like trickle.” David Gilmartin, for The Historian, conversely identifies that Albinia’s “deep engagement with history” separates this book from what is typically expected of the travelogue genre. He notes a particular engagement with historical literature relating to the various regions as a key part of this deeper understanding of her subject material. Gilmartin also notes a less hopeful angle of the book, that the there is an “impression of loss” and the modern states in the region “offer little that is good in Albinia’s eyes”. Gilmartin concludes that despite a deeper engagement with culture and history, Albinia’s view “shares something in common with many earlier imperial travellers”. References 2005 non-fiction books Books about India Books about Pakistan British travel books English non-fiction books John Murray (publishing house) books