After their rendition of Shah Jahan's rise and fall, I was eagerly awaiting Rutherford to take on Aurangzeb - the most complex character among the prominent Mughal kings with 'Traitors in the shadows'. Aurangzeb was a more than competent warrior king with fox-like cunning, and yet he is credited with being the emperor who precipitated the eventual fall of the Mughal empire. As a dichotomous, divisive character, Aurangzeb is one of those characters that fiction cannot create.
And thankfully, the series does him justice. Even though there are scattered pages of ramblings and heated debates between Aurangzeb and his sisters, they set the tone for his thought process, inside-out. The battle portions are competent as usual, as well. All-in-all, the book delivered what it promised - a hard to put down historical thriller.
I now look forward to the authors' take on the dynasty after Aurangzeb. That's when things get really interesting with kings lasting days or at times months, until the eventual culmination of the dynasty with Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857.
And thankfully, the series does him justice. Even though there are scattered pages of ramblings and heated debates between Aurangzeb and his sisters, they set the tone for his thought process, inside-out. The battle portions are competent as usual, as well. All-in-all, the book delivered what it promised - a hard to put down historical thriller.
I now look forward to the authors' take on the dynasty after Aurangzeb. That's when things get really interesting with kings lasting days or at times months, until the eventual culmination of the dynasty with Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857.
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