'A provocative, sharply satirical thriller that flips history on its head. Gemmell masterfully explores power, politics, and empire in a future where England becomes India's newest colony.'

Vikas Swarup, former Indian High Commissioner of Canada and author of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

'It is 2027, and the beleaguered Kingdom of Britain-no longer “United” or “Great”, politically rudderless, financially bankrupt, and without any allies-finds itself being sucked into the orbit of its most coveted former colony, the jewel in its long-lost crown-India-becoming in the process its thirtieth state.

This saga of reverse colonisation-where India is nearly imagined as the swaggering hero of a retro “masala” Bollywood movie, reincarnating to exact revenge on former tormentors-may seem outlandish. But in fact, it is a cautionary tale, grippingly told, which could serve to awaken Britain to the perils of historical amnesia: of glossing over the horrific realities of Empire to yearn for that mythical age long gone.

As audacious as it is astute in its searing examination of modern Britain's political and social faultlines, sumptuously rich in detail and brilliantly executed, Alan Gemmell's 30th State is a triumph of insight and imagination.'

Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and author of INGLORIOUS EMPIRE: WHAT THE BRITISH DID TO INDIA