Kim

Kim is a historical fiction novel written by Rudyard Kipling and originally published in 1901. The novel is set in Colonial India.

Kim is a young orphan who grew up on the streets of the city of Lahore in modern-day Pakistan. He is the son of an Irish military man, but has fully adopted the culture, language and customs of India.

Because of his situation, he has become a cunning rogue who roams the bustling streets and markets of his city. But his life changes dramatically when he meets a Tibetan lama traveling to the Ganges River, and together they embark on a journey across the country.

On this journey, Kim is recruited by the British Empire to work as a spy and participate in the "Great Game", an espionage conflict between Russia and the British Empire. This will lead him on a dangerous adventure set against the backdrop of India, with themes of colonialism and cultural fusion ever present.

"He sat, in defiance of municipal orders, astride the gun Zam-Zammah on her brick platform opposite the old Ajaib-Gher—the Wonder House, as the natives call the Lahore Museum. Who hold Zam-Zammah, that 'fire-breathing dragon,' hold the Punjab, for the great green-bronze piece is always first of the conqueror's loot."