Historical NoteAlthough this story is entirely fiction, the Taino and Kalingo people of the Caribbean were contemporary with Melcorka and Bradan. The Kalingo were fierce warriors and the Taino were a peaceful people, as Columbus discovered when he came across them, four centuries later.
The Chola Empire also existed. It was one of the more successful empires of the Middle Ages and at its peak, extended from the southern tip of India to the Ganges and included Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands and parts of what is now Malaysia and beyond. Rajaraja was a real Emperor, but he did not have to contend with Melcorka or rakshasas. He did have a fleet and a powerful army to help spread his power, while his son and heir, Rajendra, led a Chola army to water its elephants in the Ganges.
Malcolm Archib
