BABUR!! from Ferghana. Review on Raiders from the North - Alex Rutherford

Remember History classes!! The Sleeping Zones!! And fortunately or unfortunately, we all have read about Mughal empire, put in foundation by the first Mughal - Babur.. What if, someone present the same old historical events in a story-style, as a fictionalized accounts, unlike the boring history-book chapters, but in the style of a fast paced fiction novel. Well that's what this review is about - Review on 1st book of a Moghul Quintet series named "Empire of the Moghul", and the book named "Raiders From the North".

This book is 1st in the quintet (total 5) of Moghul series, and is written by husband-wife pair Diana and Michael Preston under the alias of Alex Rutherford. Diana is a freelance writer, and wrote many non-fiction books. She studied Modern History at Oxford, and worked as a journalist. Also become a reviewer for Wall Street Journal and LA Times. Her other non-fiction accounts includes 'The Road to Culloden Moor", "A First rate Tragedy", "The Boxer Rebellion" and "Before the Fallout", but this alongwith her husband is her first fiction attempt, then too its purely history, and before writing, they did a lot and lot of research about the matter. They get very interested in India, and hence got and interest in Moghul empire. They have also written a non-fiction account on Taj Mahal named "A teardrop on the cheek of time". They researched and even traveled the paths covered by Mughal invaders who came first to India. 3 out of 5 books, are already released, and this is the book about first Moghul ruler, BABUR, who established Moghul empire in the then-called Hindustan. The book has a wonderful red-coloured cover page showing a big dagger, which automatically take the attention of reader. The book goes on for 497 pages divided over 4 parts and 27 chapters, hand-made map of Babur's areas and samarkand, information about characters included and a historical note about the story from the authors. Book is published by Headline Review, and it cost me Rs.269 from Infibeam. It took me 37 days to complete.

As said before this book traverses the life of 1st Moghul ruler Babur. He was born in a weak kingdom of Ferghana (present-day Uzbekistan), owned by his father who always dreamt of great land of Samarkand, the rightful land of his blood-ancestors, the great Timur (Tumberlaine). But when he was just 12 years, his father died in an accident, and he become the ruler of Ferghana. Everybody's plotting against him, to get the throne, but under the guidance of her father's loyal Wazir Khan, and with the help of her mother, who descended from Genghis Khan's family, he get the crown of ferghana. But he was never a king, and in 3/4th of the book, he was shown failed at all attempts. He attacked Samarkand, got it, but lost Ferghana to his half-brother Jehangir. He went to get Ferghana back, but in the result, lost Samarkand too. Then he become a more of guerilla king, attacking small empires, and taking them under control one-by-one. But then his greatest enemy - Uzbek ruler Shaibani Khan took everything from him, even her sister Khanzada. He was not able to do anything. He fled to Kabul, whose ruler being s relative to Babur, gifted him his reign after the death. Later-on a persian king killed Shaibani Khan, and offered Babur his alliances if he become his vassal, he accepted, despite being critisized by his close friend Baburi, and took Kingdom of Samarkand as a gift, later to lose it again. But his dream was to get the great kingdom of Hindustan, which was once conquered by Timur the Great, as told in stories by his father. He fought with Ruler of Delhi, Sultan Ibrahim Lodi in Panipat, and won, hence started ruling on his first-ever won-by-himself kingdom, and he was supported well by his favorite son Humayun from his favorite of 5 wives Maham. They attacked Rajputs of Rajasthan led by Mewar-ruler Rana Sanga, and defeated them too. At his death-time he made Humayun his successor, despite many plotting by his other sons against him.

It's a wonderful read, given it's history, but the magic is in storytelling. The way in which the story is presented is intriguing. A fictionized novel, and you started liking the book from first page itself, it goes just like you're watching a movie, started off with the scene where a father is teaching some values, and sharing his dreams with his adolescent son, and ending on a perfect note of the main character's death. It's a pacy read, and what a wonderful explanation of war events, many created by the authors themselves, giving each and every detail about ongoings of war. Easy language to support the book, you feel like living the whole journey which the book's characters took. Although there are many killing incidents, as was the habit of big invaders, like they use to punish everybody, in the cruelest possible way, although I don't think any such incidents are exaggerated by authors, but written to the point, as was done during those days. If you want to go with the story, you'll like the book, but if you don't want to read about Moghuls, don't go for the book. My take is 4/5. Two-more books are in the market - Brothers At War and Ruler of the World. Let me see when can I get my hand on them.

GRuchirG.

Jai Raam ji ki :)