Book excerpt: "The Empire Makers" is a novel by James Nisbet, popular for his romance, colonial adventure, and crime. As a writer, Nisbet traveled extensively to British colonies and based his works on real-life experiences. He was a strong proponent of British Imperialism and saw the new lands as the "ultimate civilization of ignorant savages," which needed to be emancipated and enlightened. Being inspired by the work of Cecil Rhodes, the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony who colonized the southern African territory of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia), Nisbet wrote this novel. It describes the adventures of three young men who went out to South Africa. The protagonists have different adventures, including troubles with the government, discovering ancient nations, and getting into a local war.