My review :Raiders from the North

Ok so I was MIA for a couple of days as I was on a holiday (yipee!)and also because the net connection was down and out for the last two days.Finally managed to finish the book...believe me hardly an effort as the book was indeed very interesting.Let me start off with the fact that until recently I was not too interested in the Mughal history if someone was to ask me who was Akbar's father I would not have an answer yes as clueless as that!So I thought this bad knowledge of History and disinterest had to change and I should have the answers before my children end up learning history.So in that way this book was a good pick as it starts off with the story of how Babur managed to end up invading India and thus followed the great Mughal era which is much chronicled by various historians.
So in this book we get to know about Babur not only as a ruler but also as a son,grandson,brother,friend and a father.At the age of 12 after being anointed the king of Ferghana his ambition is to ultimately rule Samarkhand.After his two failed attempts he also ends up losing Ferghana to his half brother.He ends up as a king without a throne till fate finally smiles on him.He is requested to take over the reigns of Kabul, as the king who was Babur's distant relative is dead, and he being the descendant of Timur is offered to take charge.He accepts the offer and moves to Kabul to rule as the king but his sights are set on Hindustan.So from there his journey begins to capture Hindustan and his yet another failed attempt to rule Samarkhand.
Every page offers a vivid image that captures the deeply violent world of the Moghuls. The rivalry, the paranoia, poisonings, torturing and killings, flaying, blinding, knifing...you'd find it all in the pages of the book.
SO if you would want a course in History this is the book to read!though it is a historic fiction it is filled with historical characters and situations which indeed happened.

Some interesting facts about the book and the author: ‘Alex Rutherford’, author of the historical novel relating the epic rise and fall of one of the most powerful, opulent and glamorous dynasties in history are actually Michael and Diana Preston, the husband and wife team !Read more about them here
the second part of the book is Empire of the Moghuls:Brothers at War which will hopefully be out by early next year! Looking forward!
The book I also just finished reading is Chetan Bhagat's 2 states...more on that soon!