EMPIRE OF THE MOGHUL: BROTHERS AT WAR

Alex Rutherford did it again ! I just love their style of writing . Its like watching a movie rather than reading a book . It makes me feel that the events of the history are unfolding in front of me. A must read for all those who have interest in the Moghul era. The detailing of the grandeur of the moghul dynasty described in the books must have been a result of a detailed research that author have done to write such episodes.Highly recommended for history enthusiasts especially for the young generations to know our past , both the dark side and the glorious days.I have read the first five volumes and currently reading the last one .....Traitors in the shadow.Truly a masterpiece .

The way history books teach the Mughal reign in India, it seems boring, colourless and a list of names and dates.This is a fairly historical narrative of the life of Humayun, and the characters and motivations (somewhat fictitious of course) come alive. It gives you an inkling of what it may have been like to live in those times.Good, easy read.

Excellent description of humayuns lifeTreachery of the brothers described beautifullyBirth of Akbar death of humayun well described.Looking forward to the next book

Details are provided nicely, I really felt that I have been taken to those days. Describing the derest and the conceit against Humayun was well place. Am description of love scenes between first between Humayun and his first love and second between Hamiida and Humayun were great.

I really enjoyed the second book in the series on Great Mughals. The key events are well captured and the characters are well etched out, without undue glorification or vilification. The book is sometimes really unputdownable.

Excellent fictional account keeping most of the actual history intact. This 2nd book of the series will make you hooked to the entire series. Characters are realistic and there are many emotional moments that will make you feel the trials of the dramatic medieval times.

They did a nice job converting so much history into this book...in a story that'll you'll just keep on reading

Started reading....Alex Rutherford is at his best....I usually read any books twice or thrice... completed first time..good book.thoroughly enjoyed.humahuns struggle to save his crown is interesting..good book to buy...

Second in a six-book series of historic novels centered around each of the first six Moghul emperors, this one has the somewhat tragic Humayun as main character.Humayun was present when his father Babur defeated the Lodi Sultan of Delhi at Panipat. Sadly, due to an excess of distraction in the form of opium and alcohol (apparently wine from Ghazni in Afghanistan mixed with opium is a heady potion), as well as an obsession with astrology, Humayun makes a mess of governing. The fact that Humayun is at odds with his half-brothers does not help. Inevitably, he gets booted out of Hindustan by the rebellious Sher Shah, the son of a mere horse-dealer from Benghal. Sher Sha's humble background adds enormous insult to injury - after all, Humayun can pride himself on being the son of a true warlord which is rather more stylish than horse-dealing. Humayun spends years and years being on the run - including a dash through the deserts of Rajasthan - and having to depend on the mercy of others, including the Persian Shah Tahmasp who in return for Humayun's conversion to Shi'ism is kind enough to lend him an army to recover Afghanistan. Will he be able to recover Hindustan for his dynasty?I believe that the idea behind the series is excellent. Years ago I read Bamber Gascoigne's book about the first six Moghul rulers; the sheer number of treacherous half-brothers who had to have their eyes stabbed out and the endless series of rebellions eventually degenerates into a blur. Much better to stick to one book per Moghul (or rather, one Moghul per book), and being able to embellish a bit, in character with the 'novel' bit in 'historic novel'.The execution is fair, not spectacular. This is not at the level of Harry Flashman or Otto Prohaska, say. Some of the writing is a bit clunky, especially the dialogues, some of which are weirdly stilted and have no resemblance to how actual people speak, Moghul or otherwise. Still, the story has a good pace and interest so I have already bought another book (the one on Jahangir).

The second in the series of `Empire of the Moghul', Babur's hand picked successor to his new kingdom in Hindustan, the great Humayun. His reign appears as a mere footnote in the history of the great Moghuls as he was seen as he actually lost it all to the Pathan Sher Shah Suri. The book depicts him as a self conscious, unsure and dreamy young king who seeks isolation and gazes at the stars for inspiration. The pace is fantastic as we follow Humayun's battles both against Sher Shah Suri and his own brothers all the way to the court of the Kizal-Bashi Shia king of Persia Shah Tahmasp. I could almost feel the urgency as the deposed Padishah runs away from his brothers and the usurper Sher Shah. The book is written with suspense and drama, never boring of monotonous, a real page turner.Humayun, probably because he lost Hindustan to Sher Shah, does not have a great perception among six great Moghuls. The authors have done a great service by charting his life because he was the father of the great Akbar, so must have been some influence to produce a son like him. On his final campaign to win back Hindustan, Humayun realises the value of collective confidence. For if he was to succeed he was to have troops confident in his success, for each victory would add to the tide of this confidence and deplete the strength of his opponents. There is another positive dimension when success is attributed to a particular family like the Moghuls, for each victory is attributed to the Moghul name, further enhancing their charmed reputation. The benefit is that even if you lose, people will still choose to back you because of your families reputation.It is uncanny that the exact strategy is still employed by family based politicians in Pakistan when planning and executing their election campaigns.

An excellent book and follow on from Raiders of the North.Babur has passed away and his kingdom has now fallen to his eldest son, Humayun. However Humayun's brothers are not happy with being subjects to their brother and as the title of the book suggests, this leads to war. I won't spoil anymore but suffice to say the balance of power swings from one to the other and back again.The plots are wonderfully written, the scenery beautifully described. The characters are convincing and the action is non-stop. The book flows along at a good pace and makes a great read. However don't read this unless you've read the first in The Moghul Series, Raiders of the North.

This follows on from Raiders from the North (Empire of the Moghul) where Babur wins a kingdom in the modern Indian / Pakistan / Afghanistan regions.This book follows the story of Babur's son, Humayun, as he attempts to keep and expand his dynasty to leave a lasting legacy to his heirs. Unfortunately all does not go according to plan. What follows is a grand adventure of battles, shifting loyalties, and sibling rivalry.A really fantastic story based upon historical fact, with only minor alterations admitted to by the author.

Having just read the first book about the exploits of Babar, his father, I found it slightly difficult to engage with this book, at first. However, as it went on, it was clear that the story of Humayun had as many similarities with his father's story as it had differences. Both suffered early setbacks and betrayals and both lost kingdoms and went close to oblivion, only to rise in triumph which was still tinged by its fair share of tragedy. Rutherford writes well and has a great eel for this particular era and the Moghul dynasty that emerged dominant from it. But like most great dynasties the internal family feuds with siblings and their kin creates as much, if not more, tension that eventually determines who will emerge triumphant. For many of us who grew up in the best the Moghuls were distant and exotic and not particularly influential on our immediate history. Rutherford places them in a context that we can understand and appreciate the scale of their achievement as well as wetting our appetite for more.