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Published May 2010
448 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
The mighty Empire of the Moghuls burst out of Central Asia into India in the sixteenth century. The first in a compelling new series of novels, Raiders from the North tells the largely unknown story of the rise and fall of the Mogul dynasties.
It is 1494 when the ruler of Ferghana dies in an extraordinary accident. His only son, Babur, faces a seemingly impossible challenge. Babur is determined to live up to the example of his legendary ancestor, Tamburlaine, whose conquests transformed the face of the earth from Delhi to the Mediterranean, from wealthy Persia to the wildernesses along the Volga. But Babur is dangerously young to inherit a kingdom.
Before Babur can summon enough warlords to declare him the rightful king, plots against his crown, even his life, are hatching. And soon, he will discover that even the bravest and most fearless leader can be betrayed. With the wisest of advisers and most courageous of warriors by his side, Babur can achieve a great destiny and found an empire in India, but every step of his journey will be fraught with danger.
"The strength of this novel is not the story but the colorful depiction of savage leaders building voracious empires." - Publishers Weekly
"This is a sprawling, roaring epic of violent people in a turbulent time. It is rich with vivid and sometimes gruesome detail..." - Library Journal
"A totally absorbing narrative filled with authentic historical characters and sweeping action set in an age of horrifying but magnificent savagery. The writing is as compelling as the events described and kept me eagerly leaping from one page to the next." – Wilbur Smith
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Alex Rutherford is the pen name of Diana Preston and her husband Michael. Both studied at Oxford University reading History and English respectively. They are keen travelers and have now clocked up visits to over 140 of the world's countries.
Says Diana 'our greatest love is India where we've spent at least a year of our lives. Our research into the building of the Taj Mahal for our non-fiction book A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time, led us to explore the early history of the dynasty which built the Taj – the Moghuls. To help us get inside the heads of the founders of the Moghul dynasty for our fiction quintet 'Empire of the Moghul', we've read all the chronicles of the time. Over the years we've also retraced the steps of the Moghuls from the Ferghana Valley in Kyrgyzstan – ...
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