Oddly, it's the banality of the French colonies and society that really interests me - the idea of people in the 18th century being our contemporaries is always fascinating. Reading about how integrated Saint Dominigue (and parts of France) were was really interesting because it reshaped my understanding of the period. The visuals alone are great - romping around early Haiti, the spice, sugar and coffee trade ships on the sea, French court and the balls of Saint Dominigue ... I can't wait.