Brothers at War

Empire of the Moghul #2

by Alex Rutherford

The second enthralling installment in Alex Rutherford's Empire of the Moghul series. 1530, Agra, Northern India. Humayun, the newly-crowned second Moghul Emperor, is a fortunate man. His father, Babur, has bequeathed him wealth, glory and an empire which stretches a thousand miles south from the Khyber pass; he must now build on his legacy, and make the Moghuls worthy of their forebear, Tamburlaine. But, unbeknown to him, Humayun is already in grave danger. His half-brothers are plotting against him; they doubt that he has the strength, the will, the brutality needed to command the Moghul armies and lead them to still-greater glories. Perhaps they are right. Soon Humayun will be locked in a terrible battle: not only for his crown, not only for his life, but for the existence of the very empire itself.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, India, Fantasy, War, Novels

514 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

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 travellers 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 – home to the first Moghul emperor, the boy-king Babur – to Iran and to the blue domes and minarets of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, across the red deserts to the Oxus River, over the Hindu Kush to Kabul and Afghanistan and down through the Khyber Pass to the plains of northern India.

'In fact, apart from on one occasion when we were stranded on a remote island off the coast of Borneo and forced to hide from pirates, some of our hairiest moments when travelling have been when researching our non-fiction books. While working on our book about Captain Scott and the race for the South Pole, 'A First Rate Tragedy', the Russian research vessel on which we were sailing into Antarctica's Ross Sea was nearly lost in one of the worst storms in Antarctic history with 140 knot winds (over 240 kilometres per hour) and 20 metre high waves. The life rafts washed overboard and the superstructure iced up like the inside of an old fridge, putting us in danger of capsizing. On another occasion while researching our book on one of our favourite characters the buccaneer-naturalist William Dampier, 'A Pirate of Exquisite Mind', we set out in his footsteps to cross the Darien Isthmus in Panama with local Indian guides. We had to dodge FARC guerrillas, Colombian paramilitaries and the deadly fer de lance snake, in the latter case wading waist high in rivers – our guide claimed snakes can't bite and swim at the same time!'

Reviews

[Jahnavi Jha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this even better than Raiders from the North. The writing was smoother and more skilled. We grew up with the notion that Humayun was the stupid one. He let his kingdom go, remained in exile all his life and died in a ridiculous staircase accident. Alex Rutherford has changed my entire belief. The depth of each character is truly commendable. Humayun's life is portrayed as a determined struggle to win back his empire. What is truly inspirational is the fact that he never lost faith in himself. His constant perseverance makes his years in exile an interesting one. Rutherford not only writes about war and politics but also deeply explores the various corners of the character's mind. Each action is a deeper reflection of his inner thoughts and inspirations.
In totality, it is a beautiful read and I am totally hooked on to this author. Ruler of the World here I come!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the first book in the series, A Kingdom Dividied/Brothers at War (depending on which country published your volume) is and engaging and quick experience in the Moghul world.

The second book focuses on Humayun, the favorite son and heir of Babur, the protagonist of the first book. Unlike Babur, though, I felt like Humayun makes for a less interesting and more problematic protagonist. Whereas Babur admitted his own flaws and seemed to learn from them, Humayun seems virtually unable to do so. He starts his reign off addicted to opium and star-gazing, ignores obvious threats from his brothers (who cause no end of trouble) and expects everything to go his way because he feels entitled to it. Obviously this doesn't quite happen as he thinks, or this would be the least interesting book ever, but after a while you want to reach through the pages and smack him upside the head.

Threat after threat, betrayal after betrayal, and it feels like all Humayun can do is feel entitled and offend those he needs the most.

When it comes to the end of the story, and somehow the stars have aligned correctly for once and Humayun's is back in the ascendant, it's easy to wonder if this Moghul Emperor genuinely deserved what he ended up with or not.

The ellipsis addiction from the first book is still present in this one. Characters still take absurdly dramatic pauses in the middle of sentences, in the middle of unnecessary soliloquies, in the middle of EVERYTHING. ALL THE TIME. After a while I started inserting my own dramatic "Dun dun DUN!" whenever the author slapped an ellipsis into dialogue and then the book took on a rather comic turn.

(Not real dialogue).
"I don't know, my friend - DUN DUN DUN! - It seems that we are prepared, but - dundunDUN! - what say you?"
"Your Majesty, I must confess - dun dun DUNNNN! - I feel a sense of disquiet - dun dun DUN! - and uncertainty."
"Yes - dun dun DUN! - I understand - dun Dun DUN!"

Gets very old.

Even so, it's a solid book, especially for airplane or beach reading and it sets the stage perfectly for Akbar's book, coming soon to the US? Hopefully?

Dun dun DUN!

[Luther Obrock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently the life of Humayun was like a bad historical novel.

[GS Nathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Does not work for me. Alex Rutherford may have grand ideas for his books, but the stories he tells are not that compelling even though the material he uses surely is. The tension between Babar's sons could have been much more satisfyingly told, it is a pity that it is all a bit superficial...perhaps it is difficult covering a dynasty like the Moghuls in a few books... But the point is, if it is just a retelling of events a history book would do well. And, unfortunately, that is what it reads like, a history book with rare flashes of story telling brilliance, that leaves me feeling a bit regretful, contemplating what could have been.

[Abhishek Behera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Plain history! this book was better than the first one, Raiders from the North. I didn't enjoy it as much I expected. I expected more epic and interestingly described war scenes. The middle of the book was a bit interesting. But the rest was just a drag. At sometimes I felt super lazy to turn next page, but I had to finish this book. If you want to just know what happened in history this is the book. But don't expect it to surprise you in the next page. Most of it was predictable. 2.5 will be my rating from the book I had high expectations.

[Dipa Sanatani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel itself was fascinating, but paled in comparison to the first book in the trilogy: Raiders of the North. Not because Rutherford's narration is bad, but because I found Humayun nowhere near as interesting as his father. As Humayun comes across as a spoilt prince who squanders away his father's kingdom, I spent most of the book generally irritated by his bad decisions and lack of foresight. Perhaps that is 'the point' of the story, but it's a bit hard to put up with for over 400 pages. It's worth a read, and Rutherford is brilliant in his narrative; just a pity that the subject at hand is not as brilliant.

[Arun Batra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally grasping...if you are interested in Mogul history, these are the set of books you should invest your time in. These books made me imagine those times, the mere scale of activities, the hardships compared to today!
Just like the first book, this book is as tasty to read. At times though, the description of battles becomes verbose, but I guess that's ok as this is a book about an emperor and his ambitions!
All in all, a great read, looking forward to the third book.

[Mahir Farhan Khan · Rating 2 out of 5]

মানুষের নাম যে অর্থ প্রকাশ করে তা কি সেই মানুষের চরিত্রে প্রতিফলিত হয়? এমনটা মনে হয় না খুব বেশী ক্ষেত্রে দেখা যায়। যেমন, আমার কথা ধরা যাক। আমার নামের অর্থ করলে দাঁড়ায় ‘দক্ষ’। অথচ বাস্তবে মটকা মেরে শুয়ে থেকে বই পড়া ছাড়া কোনো কাজেই আমার দক্ষতা আছে বলে মনে হয় না!

তা হঠাৎ এই নামের প্রসঙ্গ কেন? দরকার আছে হে, দরকার আছে। লিখতে বসেছি যখন দ্বিতীয় মুঘল সম্রাট হুমায়ুনকে নিয়ে তখন নামের প্রসঙ্গ না এসে যাবে কোথায়! ‘হুমায়ুন’ শব্দের অর্থ করলে দাঁড়ায় ‘ভাগ্যবান’। এই নামটা আর কারও ক্ষেত্রে এতটা মানাতো না যতটা মানিয়েছে সম্রাট হুমায়ুনের ক্ষেত্রে। হুমায়ুন সৌভাগ্যবান জন্যই সে মহান বাবুরের পুত্র, যে কিনা উত্তরাধিকার সূত্রে লাভ করেছিল এক বিশাল সাম্রাজ্য। হুমায়ুন সৌভাগ্যবান জন্যই সে জীবনে বহুবার সঠিক সময়ে সঠিক মানুষটার কাছ থেকে সঠিক সাহায্য পেয়েছে, যা না পেলে একবার সাম্রাজ্য হারিয়ে তা ফিরে পাওয়া তো দূরের কথা রাজ্যহীন অবস্থাতেই হয়ত খুন হতে হতো তাকে।

অ্যাম্পায়ার অফ দি মুঘল সিরিজের এই দ্বিতীয় বইটা দ্বিতীয় মুঘল সম্রাট হুমায়ুনকে নিয়ে। যে কোনো ঐতিহাসিক উপন্যাসে পড়তে নিলে যে প্রশ্নটা মনে আসে সেইটা এইক্ষেত্রেও আসচিল, এইটা কতটা ইতিহাস আর কতটা উপন্যাস? ঐতিহাসিক উপন্যাসে কাহিনীর স্বার্থে মূল ইতিহাস থেকে কতটা দূরে সরা যাবে তা নিয়ে তর্ক-বিতর্ক কম হয় নাই। আমার মতে ঘটনা যখন নেওয়া হচ্ছে ইতিহাস থেকে তখন ইতিহাসের ঘটনাপ্রবাহ অন্তত উপন্যাসের স্বার্থে পাল্টানো উচিৎ না। কিন্তু এই কাজটাও লেখক করেছেন বারবার। যেমন ধরা যাক হুমায়ুন কীভাবে আফিম খাওয়া ধরেছিল কিংবা হুমায়ুনের রক্ষিতারা কারা ছিল সেইটা নিয়ে লেখক তার কল্পনা কাজে লাগাতেই পারেন কিন্তু তার মানে এই না হুমায়ুনের ভাই মির্জা হিন্দালের মতো ইতিহাস আর উপন্যাস উভয়ক্ষেত্রে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ চরিত্রর মৃত্যু কীভাবে হয়েছিল সেইটা পাল্টে দিবে। কিংবা পারস্যের শাহ যে তাকে সৈন্য দিয়ে সাহায্যের প্রতিদানে চেয়ে নিয়েছিল কান্দাহার সেইটার উল্লেখও নাই একবারও। ইতিহাসের দিক থেকে দেখতে গেলে বাদশাহ নামদার এর কাহিনী বরং বাস্তবের অনেক কাছাকাছি।

বইটা পড়তে পড়তে হুমায়ুনকে নিয়ে ইন্টারনেটে একটু ঘাটাঘাটি করছিলাম। সেইখানে একটা তথ্য চোখে পড়লো যেটা আগে জানা ছিল না। উইকিপিডিয়া অনুযায়ী আকবর হুমায়ুনের একমাত্র সন্তান তো নয়ই এমনকি প্রথম সন্তানও নয়। হুমায়ুনের প্রথম সন্তান আল-আমিন মির্জা, যে কিনা খুব অল্প বয়সেই মারা গেছিল। এছাড়াও আকবরের বৈমাত্রেয় এক ছোট ভাই ছিল মির্জা মুহম্মদ হাকিম নামে। এই বিষয়গুলো লেখক একেবারেই এড়িয়ে যেয়ে দেখিয়েছেন আকবরই হুমায়ুনের একমাত্র পুত্র।

আমার ইতিহাসের বিষয়ে একটু খুঁতখুঁতানি আছে, সেইজন্য উপন্যাসের স্বার্থে হলেও ইতিহাস থেকে এতটা সরে আসাটা মেনে নিতে পারিনি। সেইজন্য তিন তারা। বাকি একটা তারা কাটা বাংলা এডিশনের জন্য। অনুবাদ কিছু কিছু যায়গায় বেখাপ্পা লাগলেও মোটের উপর চলনসই ছিল। কিন্তু ‘কী’ আর ‘কি’ এর মধ্যে পার্থক্য কিংবা ‘ব্যথা’কে ‘ব���যাথা’ লেখার মতো হাস্যকর বানান ভুল রোদেলার মতো প্রকাশনীর কাছ থেকে মেনে নেওয়া যায় না।

[Abhishek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second part of the empire of the Moghul quintet narrates the story of the Mughal emperor Humayun.

This tale begins where it left at the end of the first book,'the raider of the north'. Humayun the newly anointed Mughal emperor is trying to establish himself as the supreme ruler of the vast Mughal empire. The empire which his father bequeathed him lacks in nothing, it has limitless wealth, has a formidable military strength and stretch from the Khyber pass in the west to the Bengal in the east, one of the largest in the whole of India. For Humayun what can possibly go wrong except for the fact that his own half brothers are plotting against him to control the throne. And this commence the lifelong struggle of Humayun to ensure his survival as well as of that of his empire. Amidst the stench of trust, betrayal and struggle lies the immortal tale of Humayun's struggle to reestablish the his legacy.

Being a fan of historical fiction as a genre I always acknowledge the fact that the author of this genre faces a herculian task of weaving a fictional account of popular history, which is already known to the readers. So any scope of the intriguing story plot and surprises are nullified, which leaves the author with pretty much only narration to play with. What I mean is that this genre doesn't allow its author much of leverage to play with, Its' the narration with the addition of a few minuscule fictional characters along with some minor plot twist. That's all an author can afford , and that is all which differentiate a good historical fiction from an average one. And to my pleasant surprise Alex Rutherford scores in all the relevant departments, this book is fantastic read, not very detailed but detailed just to the right degree to make it a light read. The narration is good and the plot's pace is consistent throughout. I would even say this book is better than its predecessor.

The portrait of the protagonist Humayun is one of the scoring points of the book. the evolution of the frail young, opium addicted emperor to a seasoned and shrewd warrior is something which makes you admire him and overlook his anomalies. His love for his family and his passion for his legacy are unmistakable traits befitting a hero, who we all like to support and relate to. For me, this book provided a whole different perspective on Humayun's character which was unbeknownst to me .

Now that I have finished the book, I can move on to the third book of the series. Two down , Three to go.

[Arun Divakar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first tentative grapple hooks of the Mughal empire placed on Indian soil get an almighty shake in the second installment of this series. Babur put down the light green flag of the Mughals in Delhi and left it to his son and heir, Humayun to strengthen and enlarge the empire. While he was the son of his father in matters of warfare, Humayun slowly sank into the complacency of being a ruler and paid the ultimate prize for it. He not only had to deal with an enemy in the form of Sher Shah who led a revolt against the Mughals from Bengal but also had snakes in the grass in the form of his three siblings.

The story of Humayun is one that is filled with a lot of dramatic elements. Victory, setbacks, treachery, passion and brotherhood all form a part of his campaign to retake the empire. Death and desolation nip at his heels and yet resolutely and with the help of a will as strong as steel he succeeds over his enemies. The character of Humayun that Alex Rutherford conjures is a person who made a lot of mistakes in his earlier age and learned from each of them to his own benefit. He is by no way as endearing as his father but the simmering ambition he kept alive in the face of all the obstacles that he faced is truly an admirable one. In the first novel, Babur approaches the Shah of Persia for military aid and yet gets double edged sword in return. The abrasion between Shias and Sunnis in Kabul was an interesting chapter in Babur’s life but circumstances are different in Humayun’s life and the Persian episode disappears pretty quickly among the jumble of events in his life. It is also one of those cruel ironies of fate that he did not get to spend too much time on his reclaimed throne. Time as always lays waste to the best laid plans of certain rodents and men !

The author retains his firm grasp of describing battles and the harshness of life for these men and women. Apart from a few artistic licenses, I did not notice much of diversions he inserted into this tale.

A little baby was born to Hamida and Humayun in the no-descript town of Umarkot. He grew up amidst hardships and shifting loyalties and slowly came of age as his father reclaimed the throne of Hindustan. When his father departed the Earth, he was only 13 years of age and a long life lay ahead of him. A life full of hardships, glory and the heydays of the Mughal empire. His name was Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar and that is where I am headed next.

[Tazbeea Oushneek · Rating 4 out of 5]

সম্রাট হুমায়ূনের শাসনকাল আমার সবসময় ই ম্লান মনে হয় বাবর আর আকবরের তুলনায়। হতে পারে তাঁর শাসনের সময় অনেক কম ছিল এজন্য।
বাবর বালক বয়সে সিংহাসনে বসে নিজের প্রচেষ্টায় যে মোঘল সাম্রাজ্য গড়ে তোলেন , তা পুরোটাই হুমায়ুন হারিয়ে ফেলে মাদকাসক্ত হওয়ার কারণে। আর তাঁর এই অসতর্কতার সুযোগ নেয় তাঁর ই সৎ ভাইয়েরা। পরবর্তীতে হুমায়ুনকে নিজের ভুল বুঝিয়ে শাসনকার্যে ফেরত আনার জন্য শক্তিশালী ভুমিকা পালন করেন তাঁর ফুপু খানজাদা। কিন্তু ততদিনে যথেষ্ট দেরী হয়ে যাওয়ায় সাম্রাজ্য হারিয়ে পথে পথে ঘুরতে হয় হুমায়ুনকে। প্রতি পদে পদে বিশ্বাসঘাতকতার শিকার হন। এরকম সময়ে আনগুত্য প্রকাশ করেন সৎ ভাইদের মধ্যে সবচেয়ে ছোটজন , হিন্দাল। একসময় ঘনিষ্ঠতা তৈরি হয় দুই ভাইয়ের মধ্যে। কিন্তু হুমায়ুন সেই ঘনিষ্ঠতাও নষ্ট করে ফেলেন হিন্দালের পছন্দের পাত্রীকে বিয়ের ইচ্ছা প্রকাশ করে। এমনকি ফুপু খানজাদাও তাঁকে এথেকে বিরত রাখতে পারেননি। পরবর্তীতে হুমায়ূনের এ সিদ্ধান্ত অনেক সাফল্য আনলেও একমাত্র ঘনিষ্ঠ ভাই তাঁকে পরিত্যাগ করেন। যদিও হিন্দাল তাঁর প্রতি বিশ্বাসঘাতকতা করেননি। সেই প্রমাণ দিয়েছেন শিশুপুত্র আকবরকে হুমায়ূনের আরেক ভাই কামরানের হাত থেকে মুক্ত করে।
অনেক প্রতিবন্ধকতা পার করে , অনেক বছর পর হুমায়ুন তাঁর বাবার রেখে যাওয়া সাম্রাজ্য পুনরুদ্ধার করেন। কাবুল থেকে একে একে রাজ্য দখল করতে করতে শেষ পর্যন্ত দিল্লীর সিংহাসনে পুনরায় অধিষ্ঠিত হন। কিন্তু তাঁর সেই শাসনকাল বেশিদিন স্থায়ী হয় না। সিড়ি থেকে পড়ে গিয়ে আকস্মিক দুর্ঘটনায় আহত হন এবং এর কিছুদিন পরেই মারা যান ১৩ বছরের আকবরকে মোঘল সাম্রাজ্যের একমাত্র উত্তরাধিকারী হিসেবে রেখে।
বইটা সম্রাট হুমায়ুন আর তাঁর বাকি তিন ভাইদের মধ্যকার সংঘাত নিয়েই যদিও লেখা; তাও অনেক পারিপার্শ্বিক ঘটনা বা গুরুত্বপূর্ণ যুদ্ধগুলোকে অনেকটা দায়সারাভাবে বর্ণনা করা হয়েছে। পরিবারের মধ্যের কথাও যদি ধরা হয়, হিন্দালের বোন গুলবদন এবং সম্রাজ্ঞী হামিদার এই পারিবারিক দ্বন্দ অবসানে , অসীম সাহস আর উপস্থিত বুদ্ধি দিয়ে অনেক কিছু মোকাবিলা করতে হয়েছে যা অনেক গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ছিল প্রতিটা ধাপে। আকবরের দুধ মাতা মাহাম আগার সাহসিকতাও ছিল মনে রাখার মত। আকবরকে জিম্মি করে নিয়ে যাওয়ার সময় আকবরের নিরাপত্তার খাতিরে স্বেচ্ছায় নিজের শিশুপুত্রকে নিয়ে আকবরের সাথে চলে যান তিনি। কিন্তু সেগুলোর খুব বেশি বিবরণ বইটিতে নেই ।

[Masen Production · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Sequel to - Raiders from North. The story of Humayun. Its a brilliant rendition of Humayun, thou the author has hidden the true character to build a strong protagonist. In real life like Babur, Humayun too indulged in the excess of Opium and thanks to it had come out with weird dictat to his Viziers where one had to wear certain colours on certain weekdays. Also thanks to his star gazing and heavy opium he made each day of the week into a theme day (for example on Monday - Justice, Tuesday - Finance etc) and thus due to this his power over his people started to wane. His step brothers too went against him as he was selected as the next Mogul Badshah. Internal squabbling, Heavy opium, Arrogance was then finally to lead Humayun to being defeated by the King of Bengal, Sher Shah. He had to flee from India to Rajasthan to Afghanistan to Persia, where finally with a troop of 10,000 cavalry gifted by the king who in return is gifted the Kohinoor Diamond. He first defeats his step brother Kamran and retains Afghanistan and step by step conquers everything that he had originally inherited from Babur. He survives just 6 months after he conquers all that he had lost. The throne Finally went to his only son Akbar.... Historically it may not be accurate as many characters and situations are created out of the blue. None-the-less it makes for a fantastic read of what may have been..... keeps you rooted to the end. I await the final book on Akbar. Who has finally ascended the throne thou his still very young at 14 to be taken seriously as the Badshah. ”

[সারস্বত · Rating 4 out of 5]

মোগল পরিবারের দ্বিতীয় প্রজন্মের পরস্পরের প্রতি ভালোবাসা, বিশ্বাস, বিশ্বাসঘাতকা, যুদ্ধ এবং বিজয়ের উপাখ্যান হলো রাদারফোর্ডের মোগল সিরিজের দ্বিতীয় বই ব্রাদার্স অ্যাট ওয়ার। যারা ইতিহাসের প্রতি অনুরক্ত তারা এই সিরিজের বইগুলোতে মাদকতা খুজে পাবেন।

তুমুল বৃষ্টিপাতের মধ্যে হুমায়ূনের সৈন্যরা চৌসায় তাদের শিবির স্থাপন করেছে। উদ্দেশ্য এক বিদ্রোহী শেরশাহকে উপযুক্ত শাস্তি দেয়া। হুমায়ূনের সৈন্য সংখ্যা সোয়া লাখ আর শের শাহের আশি হাজার। হূমায়ূনের সৈন্য সংখ্যা টা আরও বাড়তে পারতো কিন্তু সৎ ভাই কামরান, যাকে হুমায়ূনকে হত্যা করার ষড়যন্ত্রে এর মধ্যেই একবার ক্ষমা করে দিয়েছে সে সামর্থ্য অনুযায়ী সৈন্য পাঠায়নি। তবু হুমায়ূন নিশ্চিত সেই হবে বিজয়ী। কিন্তু সেই আত্ন��িশ্বাস ভেঙ্গে গুড়িয়ে দিতে শেরশাহ কোন কার্পণ্য করে না। রাতের অন্ধকারে আকস্মিক আক্রমণ করে পরাজিত করে হুমায়ূনকে। হুমায়ূন প্রায় পঞ্চাশ হাজার সৈন্য হারায় এই যুদ্ধে। পরাজিত হুমায়ূন রীতিমত পিছু হটে আগ্রায় যেয়ে প্রস্তুতি নেয় এই হারিয়ে যাওয়া গৌরব ফিরে পেতে।

কনৌজে হুমায়ূনের সারি সারি সৈন্য দাঁড়িয়ে আছে শেরশাহকে এবার তার যোগ্য স্থান চিনিয়ে দিয়ে। আগের কোন ভুল আর করতে চায় না হুমায়ূন। কিন্তু এবারে হুমায়ূনের সৈন্য সংখ্যা এক লাখ আর ঐদিকে শেরশাহের দুই লাখের কাছাকাছি। তবুও হুমায়ূন বিশ্বাস করে জয় তার অধিকার। কিন্তু শেরশাহের অচেনা খন্ড যুদ্ধের কৌশলের কাছে হুমায়ূনের ভুল ভাঙ্গতে সময় লাগে না। চূড়ান্তভাবে পরাজিত হয়ে হুমায়ূন তার পরিবারকে মরুভূমিতে নিয়ে উদ্ধাস্তর মত এক রাজ্য থেকে অন্য রাজ্য ঘুরে বেড়ায়। আর সেই যাযারবর জীবনে মরু ঝড়ে প্রিয় ফুপিজ��ন খানজাদা মৃত্যু হয় । আর অবশেষে অমরকোটের রাজপুত রাজ্যে আশ্রয় পেলে সেখানে জন্ম নেয় মোগলদের শ্রেষ্ঠ সম্রাট আকবর।

যখন হুমায়ূন তার পিতৃভূমি কাবুলে পৌছালে ভাগ্যে সেখানে তাকে পুনরায় কঠিন পরী ক্ষার সম্মুখে দাড় করার। কাবুল দখল করে বসে থাকে তার সৎ ভাই কামরান। গভীর রাতে হুমায়ন যখন কাবুলের সীমান্তে তার উত্তরাধিকীকার সূত্রে পাওয়া কাবুল পুনরায় দখলের জন্য শিবির স্থাপন করে তখন কামরান আকস্মিক আক্রমণ করে হুমায়ূনের শিবিরকে নিজের তরবারির নিচে মাথা নোয়াতে বাধ্য করে। শুধু এখানেই শেষ নয়। শিশু আকবরকে অপহরণ করে নিয়ে যায় আর শর্ত দেয় হুমায়ূন যেন আর কখনো কাবুলে ফিরে না আসে।

কিন্তু তারপরেও হুমায়ূন কাবুলে ফিরে এসেছিলো? আকবরকে মুক্ত করে কাবুলের নিজের দখলে এনেছিলো । এমনকি হিন্দুস্তানের হারানো সম্রাজ্য জয় করে প্রিয় স্ত্রী হামিদাবানুকে সম্রাজ্ঞী করবার কথা পালন করেছিলো।
কিভাবে???
সেটা জানতে হলে এই অসাধারণ লেখাটা পড়তে হবে।


ব্যক্তিগত অভিমতঃ
মোগল সম্রাট হুমায়ূনের একটি কবিতা
“অশ্ব অশ্বারোহীর বন্ধু নয় ।
যেমন বন্ধু নয় বায়ু, মেঘমালার ।
বন্ধু হবে এমন যাদের সাথে কখনো দেখা হবে না ।
দু’জনই থাকবে দু’জনের কাছে অদৃশ্য ।
দৃশ্যমান থাকবে তাদের ভালোবাসা ।’’

ভারতবর্ষের ইতিহাসে সম্রাটদের গ্রেট উপাধি দেয়া হয়েছে শুধু দুইজনকে। একজন হলো অশোক এবং অপরজন আকবর। মোগলদের মধ্যে সম্রাট হিসাবে শ্রেষ্ঠ আকবর হতেই পারেন তবে মানুষ হিসাবে শ্রেষ্ঠ হুমায়ূন হবার দাবী রাখে। হুমায়ূন শুধু একজন সম্রাট ছিল না, ছিল একজন কবি, একজন পাঠক এবং একজন জ্যোতির্বিদ যা সমগ্র সম্রাটদের থেকে আলাদা করেছে তাকে। নিজেদের ভাইদের বার বার ক্ষমা করে তিনি প্রমাণ করেছেন তিনি পিতার কাছে করা প্রতিজ্ঞার প্রতি কতোটা শ্রদ্ধাশীল একজন মানুষ। তবে প্রেমিক হিসাবে হুমায়ূনকে আরেকজন ছাড়িয়ে গিয়েছিলো। তার নাম হিন্দাল, হুমায়ূনের সৎ ভাইয়ের মাঝে কনিষ্ঠ। পাঠকেরা অচিরেই হুমায়ূনের সাথে সাথে হিন্দালের প্রতি তার একনিষ্ঠ আর সরল মনের প্রতি আরক্ততা অনুভব করবেন।

অনুবাদ রেটিংঃ ৩.৫

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book interesting for its period details an lavish depiction of around the 1530s in Northern India and Persia, when the Moghul emperor Humayun ruled, lost then conquered Hindustan again, while warring with his half-brothers for the throne of the Mughal empire. The book reads as a few interesting conflicts drawn up as plot points with lots of vivid descriptions of war and bloodshed in between which actually makes up 80% of the book. It’s interesting to note that one of the most intriguing plot points for me, the kidnapping of Humayun’s son Akbar by his rivalling half-brother, never really happened in history. A worthwhile point of note is that the authors (Alex Rutherford is the pseudonym for a British wife and husband duo) made brief chapter-by-chapter notes of where they fictionalized various historical incidents or bent certain time-lines to suit the telling of this story.

[Amjad Hossain · Rating 5 out of 5]

প্রথম পার্ট থেকে এটা বেশ সহজবোধ্য এবং গোছানো লেগেছে।
পুরোটা বেশ আগ্রহের সাথে পড়তে হয়েছে প্রতিটি বর্ণ্না ও ঘটনা খুব আকৃষ্ট করেছে।
বাবর এর পর পুরো মোঘল সাম্রাজ্বের পাদিশাহ হোন হুমায়ন ।তারপর ঘটতে থাকে একের পর এক ঘটনা
একদিকে শত্রুর মোকাবিলা অন্যদিকে আপন সৎ ভাইদের বিশ্বাসঘাতকতা ।রাজপুতদের বিরুদ্ধে হুমায়ন সম্রাট হবার পর প্রথম বিশাল কোনো বিজয় লাভ করে ।তারপর শুরু হয় বিভিন্ন ষড়যন্ত্রমুলক ঘটনা ।এদিকে হুমায়ন নিজেও নিজের বিপত্তি ডেকে আনে আফিম আসক্তি হয়ে ।তারপর সে পরিচয় দেয় তার মহানুভব হৃদয় এর, তার বাবার দেয়া প্রতিশ্রুতি রাখতে সে তার সৎ ভাইদের বিশ্বাসঘাতকার প্রমাণ পেয়েও তাদের মৃত্যদন্ডাদেশ দেয়া থেকে নিজেকে বিরত রাখে।প্রতিবার ই তার ভাইয়েরা নির্ঘাত মৃত্যু থেকে রেহায় পেয়েও আবার বিশ্বাসঘাতকতা করতে থাকে হুমায়ন ও বারবার তাদের জীবন নাশ থেকে বিরত রাখে নিজেকে।সিংহাসন হারিয়ে নানা চড়াই উতরাই পেরিয়ে ,বহু সংঘাত প্রতিঘাত প্রতিকুলতার মধ্য দিয়ে ঘেরা এই হুমায়ন এর জীবন,প্রেয়সীর প্রেম তারপর বোন ও চাচীর সাহচর্যেও বেশ ঘটনাবহুল সময় অতিক্রান্ত করতে হয় থাকে।
জীবন এর সাঙ্গ শেষ করার পূর্বে তার স্ত্রী কে দেয়া প্রতিজ্ঞা পালনে পুনরায় দিল্লির সিংহাসন অর্জন করে আকবর মাতাকে সম্রাজ্ঞী করেই এক অবাঞ্চিত দূর্ঘটনার মাধ্যমে তার এই ক্ষমাশীল হৃদয় এর দেহ থেকে প্রাণ টা উবে যায় দূর নীলিমায়।

[Kishan R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is really good and keeps you engages and the whole narration is very well. If humayun was as written in the book then he is the best mughal emperor known. We have not heard more about humayun or he is overshadowed by more powerful emperors like his son and grandson's. From the book we can make out that their was a love and respect in humayun for all his family members and that of enemies. He never attacked his brothers even though they brought so, I much pain and anguish to him. After recapturing Delhi again he became very wise and understanding person. If not for the sudden demise we might have remembered him for much more glory. The book was really well documented and the writer has made all effort to bring the truth wherever possible. Big fan of Alex Rurherford and loking forward to compete the other books in the series.

[Maddythinks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one starts off with an 'off' Humayun getting whatever he liked and whenever he wanted..so yeah he is spoilt, annoying, womanizing and opium addicted. You have reason to feel great when Khanzada slaps him repeatedly.
However, he wins you a few 200 pages down the line with his kind heart (a bit impractical, but Humayun wasn't the tough ruler like Babur)and endearing ways: his falling in love, his love of family and his faith in himself to make everything right.
Admittedly, he isn't steely and strategic like Babur, but that's what his charm is. He brought the softer and artistic side of Moghul rule in India. A really content read, makes you feel bittersweet when it ends.

[Biogeek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rutherford works hard to glorify the tragic life of the second Mughal emperor Humayan, who loses his empire, his throne, and the most famous jewel of the time, while leading his few loyal soldiers through the harshest deserts and coldest mountains. When he finally does regain the throne in Delhi, fate conspires to have him tumble to a a fitting end for a man who may have been remembered as one of India's more moral and thoughtful leaders, were it not for the pesky business of empire-building.

[Lindsay Eaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Brothers at War' is the second instalment in the 'Empire of the Moghul' series by Alex Rutherford. It tells the story of the second Moghul Emperor, Humayun – who loses and then regains the empire bequeathed to him by his father in 1530. This is a good read - enjoyable and informative - although slightly less gripping than the first book in the series.

[Sunil Mathur · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series and thus there is tendency to compare with the first one. The first book was a lot more positive and had more excitements built in than this one. This is partly due to the life history of Humayun but at many places the books drags on unnecessary details which is confusing.
Overall what partial content that book has is worth reading.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

While reading this novel, I kept getting the sense that I read the book before. I haven't but I've read several other works of the Moghul life that made this book very typical. However I found this novel had boring characters and a poor plot. The tone was flat and uninteresting.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

ahhh....it was a Conn Iggulden Ghengis Khan rip-off and not as good. Still, if I hadn't read the Iggulden books this would have been a pretty good book to read.

[Mrinmoy Khataniar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unputdownable if you are into history stuff.

[M.R. Maiti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally done with this book.
Historical fiction is so not my thing.
Thumbs down!!

[Tahsin Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

অনেক দিন লাগলো বই টা শেষ করতে ,
বাদশাহ হুমায়ন নিয়ে আর আগের পড়া বই হুমায়ন আহমেদ এর "বাদশাহ নামদার" ছিলো ,
কিন্তু তাতে এত্ত বিস্তারিত ভাবে প্রতিটি ঘটনার বিবরন ছিলো না , প্রথম দিকে কিছুটা ধীর শুরু হইলেও
শেষের প্রতিটি পর্ব অসাধারন লেগেছে ,
সিরিজের পরের বই গুলার পড়ার অপেক্ষায় আছি।

[Marcus Follin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. A worthy second book in an epic series.

[ItsNeha]

“Ambition corrupts wisdom.”

Shakespeare used to say…

No one knows whether this is true or not, in a general sense, however, in the life-story of Humayun, this saying could be witnessed in a chunk of reality absolutely crystalline.

Typically and mostly, in the history’s narratives, Humayun is depicted to be a spoilt ruler, who brought much downfall to the Mughal dynasty due to his carelessness, addictions and over-sensitivity of emotion.

Well, this is true; only partly however.

While his father, Babur, built the fledgling Mughal empire from scratch, on the other side, Humayun was born mollycoddled in the silken chambers of the royal; already dolled up in glittering gems from head to toe and feasting on the delicacies of the shahi rasoi of the sun-baked sandstoned Agra Fort. Also, this is true on the account that Humayun had an obsession with stargazing and cosmic symbolism. He even had a time period in his life, when he would wear dresses according to the colour which, he believed, was most suited to a specific day; specific colours for specific days of the week.

And he divided his court’s departments as well as his royal officers according to the elements, namely the ‘Office of Fire’, ‘Office of Water’, ‘Office of Earth’ and ‘Office of Air’. He had a special carpet embroidered too, with circles of the solar system featuring in its design, and each time someone would have to say something in his court, the officer had to stand in a specific circle according to the planet most relevant to their communication.

Things like that.

Though very fascinating an organization, however, this arrangement crumbled away soon enough and didn’t last very long, because his court officials had started to mock him behind his back. Also his warriorlike Moghul aunt, Khanzada Begum reprimanded him, saying that, his obsession with these symbols was causing him to lose his grip over reality, thereupon, weakening their grip over the newly gained lands of Hindustan. And so, Humayun had to give it all up, until, atleast, his later years.

Post the death of his father Babur in the Agra Fort, Humayun spent the initial days of his life as a voracious womanizer, droopy with the red wine of Ghazni and laced with opium, pondering over dreamlike hallucinations, attempting to discover the answers of questions that agitated his soul and willing to connect his mind with the mystical world, with particularly little, if no, interest in the matters of the court. It was, perhaps, too much for a mere boy to fully comprehend and grasp this new, vastly and strange empire of Hindustan, all alone.

However, this is merely one part of Humayun’s story. The rest of it demonstrates a catastrophic fragment of Humayun’s life story; a cluster of knotty conflicts; a snarl of devious betrayals; a cross-sword of heart and mind; and a tangle of grapples with his own flesh and blood….

Brothers At War is the second book in the Empire of the Moghul series by Alex Rutherford. In line, it depicts the story of the second Mughal emperor Humayun.

Humayun was born to Babur, in the kingdom of Kabul. He was also the first Mughal prince to accompany his father in their conquest of Hindustan.

During the ‘First Battle of Panipat’, he, still in his boyhood, fought side-by-side with his father Babur. Upon their victory over Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi, he brought him the magnificent Koh-i-noor diamond, that, an elderly royal woman had gifted to him for bestowing courtesy to her Hindustani women, who were his captors in defeat.

However, not long before he could strengthen his stronghold over the Hindustani lands, he was tossed away by Sher Shah Suri, back to the northern mountains and he found himself as vulnerable as a footstep atop a shard of old ice, that could melt and crack anytime beneath.

There is especially a chunk in history which outlines Humayun’s journey through the death-engulfing deserts. It is said that there were some days when he and his family had to survive on spiceless horsemeat extracted by killing one of their horses, and boiled inside the steel helmet of one of the soldiers in their cavalry. Not only this, Humayun even had to dig a grave for his aunt Khanzada, midway through the deserts of Rann of Kutch, as she lost her breath to a gushing whirlpool of sandstorm.

Encapsulated amidst the sweltering heat, Humayun took shelter in the fortress of Marwar (present-day Jodhpur), only to secretly retreat away from the fortress one morning, on account, that he came to know, that the Raja of Marwar, Rao Maldeo Rathore, had joined hands with Sher Shah Suri and together they were plotting to warp away his armies. Betrayed and powerless, Humayun charged his enemies through the blistering Thar Desert; alongwith his eight-month pregnant wife Hamida Bano Begum; all men and women starved and parched as crunchy dead leaves.

It is only during these tough times that Akbar was born to Humayun and Hamida, in the desert near a small village called Umarkot. And it is only there that this little prince was kidnapped from the queen’s sleeping tent, by Humayun’s half-brother Kamran.

Just like Babur, Humayun too had to underpass the suffering of being a king without a throne. And just like Babur, he too had to learn it the hard way, not to trust others so easily and readily – not even his own flesh and blood.

Having said that, unlike his father Babur, while he didn’t have to deal much with the uncertainty of external enemities, however, his greatest challenge was posed by his internal enemies which mainly included his half-brothers Kamran and Askari, as well as his stepmother Gulrukh.

Whilst his stepmother Gulrukh adopted a quiet means to destroy him by making him addicted to her specially-crafted brew of wine and opium pellets; on the other side, his brother Kamran, the green-eyed prince, crossed every perimeter of deception, betrayal, plotting and trickery…

Driven by a deep sense of resentment and grudgery, Kamran even kidnapped Humayun’s baby prince Akbar, holding him captive in the fortress of Kabul and demanding that Humayun leave his empire or lose his only heir.

Traversing the deathly, sun-bleached deserts of Rajasthan that seemed to stretch across everwhere, and other times, pushing their sweat-trimmed horses to the steepy slopes flaked with slippy glassy wet snowlands, Humayun moved his cavalry from place to place, city to city; his younger half-sister Gulbadan and his beloved wife Hamida Bano Begum by his side yet all of them stricken with melancholy and fear over his separated son Akbar.

Throughout most of his lifetime, Humayun’s mind was agonized over the butchery and betrayal of his half-brothers. Unable to concentrate either his mind or his forces towards a bigger conquest, Humayun was, at all times, walking on eggshells, to survive and to protect his family from the sudden attacks plotted by his brothers. Withal, he always pursed his lips at a promise that he had given to his late father in his last moments; that is, to be always merciful and loving towards his brothers despite whatever.

Despite the incident that his brother Kamran bribed his men against him and, kidnapped his son Akbar, Humayun forgave him and let him go, only to be betrayed again as, another time, Kamran plotted to kill him and take his throne. At last, he had the eyes of Kamran removed by his hakims and half-heartedly had him sent to Mecca for pilgrimage.

It was only after that all of his half-brothers had ceased to torment his soul and his kingship, was that, he began re-establishing his empire in Hindustan and planning the conquests.

Nevertheless, the lessons learned over these years and his strong will reflected in his kingship when, in his late forties, Humayun discovered himself to be a handsome king, shining bright with grace. He had re-cultivated his charm with the might of his strong will, abstaining totally of all wine and opium, and re-establishing his conquest over Hindustan, this time, relinquishing the traces of his last few enemies and setting up a reorganized and vaster empire for the Mughal generations to come.

Whilst sitting on the throne of Delhi after his victory over his last enemy Sekunder Shah, Humayun renovated the Purana Qila and brought up many plans of city’s improvement.

However, unfortunately, one of the octagonal buildings that he had got constructed as his library and observatory, turned out to be his last exploration. When on one evening, he was walking down the staircase of his observatory’s towering balcony called as the Sher Mandal, he tripped his foot, and rolling from stair to stair, slipped down straight into heavens.

The life story of Humayun, just like his father Babur’s, is inspirational and oozing with a pastiche of deep insights. Unmatched in his skills of astrology and mathematics, Humayun also loved painting and wrote poetry. In fact, as it turns out, the reveries of Humayun’s youth only conferred much depth, contemplation, patience, kindness, generosity, inquisitiveness and stillness to Humayun’s overall personality. This mystical personality made Humayun not only the second great Mughal emperor, but also, the one who was an epitome of a great artist, a romantic lover and a soft-hearted compassionate human being.

This novel by Rutherford is based on the writings of Humayun in his diary as well as on the historical details jotted down in the documents of Humayunnama, the diary of his half-sister Gulbadan – the rosebodied Mughal princess.

Drama and treachery; wars and victories; feasts and famines; rise and fall; the book presents all these emotions interwoven into a stimulating piece of written historical fiction. A fine read, overall!

You may like to read the book as an independent volume however, my recommendation is that the storyline will be better grasped if you read the book in accordance to the number of the hexalogy series, that is, after reading the first part titled as “Raiders from the North”.

[Rahul Khatri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profoundly Moving !!!

" Brothers at War " is the second installment of Empire of the Moghul series , narrating the life span of a true warrior & leader , Humayun with the pinch of fiction making it one of the riveting historical fiction of all times . Book covers almost all the adventures , tragedies , contradictions and eventual triumphs of Humayun's extra-ordinary life .
Story launched with Babur's reign in northern India as the Emperor of Hindustan but with time gets infected with the social ills that pulls him on the path as that of his father . He'd discovered the sensual languor that a few pellets of opium could induce which triggered some chain of events that not just degraded his name but also the standard of living and hence starts the true gripping portion of the book . Plot also holds how treachery , haughtiness and greediness cause the downfall of the the grand empire left by Babur but at the same time author had successfully embedded the fact that doesn't matter how much bigger issues are they could be resolved by several ways , Death is not an answer in every case and how sometimes promises too need not be broken just for the cause of justice .
Likewise raiders from the North , authors had beautifully depicted each and every scene from the battlefields to the village and even the forts . And what touched my heart after reading the book are two facts :
1) Loyalty : Author had bolted some characters that were unconditionally loyal to Humayun and his cause . They followed him in every battle , from treacherous Himalyas to Persia . And probably same people are the root cause of establishment of such a great empire which indirectly directed this nation to a more peaceful path .
2) Humayun : In schooling all I'm taught in History regarding Mughal era is about Akbar , Humayun's son and the others in the family tree like Babur , Humayun , Shahjahan & Aurangjeb covers barely a paragraph . And after reading more than 400 pages about this fiercest warrior , I'm bound to put this man among some of the inspiring personalities . He fought and win just to make sure his heir , Akbar , will get more than what his own father had left for him . Unlike other Kings , He stand by his soldiers in the battle field and sometimes even lead them deep into enemy's territory . He also respects women and hence always make sure that their protection should be done with utmost care . A Man of words he was , fulfilling the promise he'd given to his father till the last breath and even remembered the one he'd made to a mere soldier to sit on his throne as an emperor for few hours .
As I'd mentioned above , authors had not just described milieu in a wonderful way but also minutely crafted each and every character . Bairam Khan , a persian who was send by Shah of Persia as 2nd in command of his army to help Humayan for recovering his empire but surrendered his loyalty to Humayun just 'cause he'd saved his life once and world knows what a sharp military strategist he was . Next comes , Hamida who was wedded to Humayun even before her teenage but stood with him in his every high and low . She devoted her complete life for the sake of mission that her husband had initiated . Khanzada , my favourite and aunt of Humayun , who palys the role of a true mentor in Humayun's life just like his grandmother played a crucial role in advising to his father Babur . The lady in herself is the described as an epitome of women-power . Ahmend Khan , chief of Scouts of Humayun's army , who used to plan up the procession details of his own that too by sending advance scout parties and lead his scouts in the worst-case scenarios . Jauhar , Humayun's personal attendent indirectly played a crucial role in Humayun's life serving his master at his best and most importantly sticked with him through out his journey . Kamran , Humayun's half brother is embedded as a witty and greedy prince who thinks of being undermined by his father 'cause his name was not second by his father for the Emperor . Askari , Kamran's full brother is depicted as the the alterego of Kamran doubting the strength of Humayun and declared him unfit to rule . Hindal , closest half brother to humayun , is shown as the only brother who from all his heart wishes to play an important role in Humayun's cause but destiny had not written same for 'em . Last but the least Gulbadan , Humayun's half sister who grown up in the fort with other brothers but supported Humayun and played herself as ambassador for Humayun on numerous occasions .
So " Brothers at War " is an unputdownable book with a grand narrative style that reveals the history in gripping way .

[Debjit Sengupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s second book in the series on Mughal empire. It gives an account of 2nd Mughal king- Humayun. The book is all about his initial success, reverses which bought him down from zenith to nadir and ultimate comeback. His half sister Gulbadan used to record his victories, tragedies and adventures. His attendant – Jauhar also used to write notes on his master life. Later on, Abuz Fazal had a section on “Akbarnama” devoted to Humayun rule. This all became a major source of information on his life and events surrounding him.

Humayun became king after Babur demise. The advantage gained by Babur due to Cannons and matchlocks was lost with passage of time as other rulers too has acquired it and was part of their weapon repository. Humayun had an initial success in Gujarat where he led from the front. Though he was considered a fine warrior but he also had a fascination for worldly charms. He had an inclination for astrology and based on planetary position, he felt that he was destined to win and rule which has been his undoing. He then ran into extremely skillful and meticulous ruler Sher Shah, who despite being outnumbered unleashed two humiliating defeats. Humayun had to run for his life along with his family and close & trusted warriors. The fear of Sher Shah made him wander from Agra to Kabul. The entire journey was painstaking and perilous and they never could snuggle into a position where he can launch counter attack. The experience was not transient and further impediment was caused by his half brothers, which made him drift further west to Persia. The Shah of Persia provided him necessary initial military support. This coupled with certain events in Hindustan which went his way and turned favorable to him. His hunger to re-capture his lost throne was always there and he made the best use of the opportunities and rest is history.

As far Humayun is concerned, you can draw parallels with Babur life. Both acquired throne from their father, only to lose it. Both had to wander from one place to another along with their family and some trusted soldiers. If Uzbek warlord – Shaibani Khan was Babur nemesis then it was Sher Shah who was the cause of pain and hardship. Against their wishes- both had to make a compromise- Babur had to give his sister to his bête-noire and Humayan had to compromise with his religious belief. Both became king of Kabul with no or little effort. Kabul was the place where both launched their campaign for Hindustan. Both ultimately could never defeat their most feared enemy. Both were very fortunate as certain events turned favorable and cemented their position.

As this being historical fiction, as expected a lot of liberty has being taken. At the end, the author had mentioned about the degree of liberty that he had taken. Going by that notes, almost all characters introduced in this book did had an existence. He had the same section in the first book too but I missed it. The writer has travelled India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran for visiting most places that exist and figured in the book. I’m just fascinated with his writing style and the manner in which he has chronicled historical facts with certain liberty that makes this book presentable. Despite reading chronicles on Mughal empire multiple times, there have to be something inexplicable which is drawing people like me to this series. About the author and the genre, I’ve already written while reviewing the first book in the series. I’m looking forward to the next in the series but will do so after a couple of month later. Go for this book if you had found history book boring in the past but wish to enhance your knowledge on Mughal history. The book is highly recommended for such category of users

[Jash Ghedia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brothers at war is the second book in The moghul empire series. As much as I loved the book, it was not good compared to the first book which tells us the story of Babur, the first moghul emperor. This book covers the story of Babur's favourite child Humayun. We see the fall and rise of Humayun, how he started his emperors life with glorious Hindustan and struggled to keep it. We see his journey to success again.

The writing in the book was alright, nothing special. I did feel that the author went back a bit from the first book because the writing in the first book is really sophisticated and in this book the writing is kept simple and normal for all audience. The book mainly shows the journey of Humayun and he did have other characters along side him but we don't get to see a lot about them. Humayun has developed immensely in this book but I don't feel that other characters have developed the same. I feel the author has mainly focused on Humayun and Hamida. I am happy that we see Hamida a lot in this book because most female characters have not appeared a lot in the book. For example we don't see Humayuns half sister Gulbana and characters like her have not been developed slot in the book. Don't get me wrong! There is character development and if you compare it to the first book, I think this books had better character development except from the protagonist. But still if there was deeper development of character the book would be more engaging. I would like that to change because I am really looking forward to the third book about Akbar who was really famous and we know a lot about him. Everybody knows about his relationship with Jodha and if the author doesn't show females characters a lot, we will not be able to see their chemistry.

The reason why I felt the second book was not as good at the first one was mainly because of the protagonist. Babur as the protogomist makes the book really exciting. He seems to understand his mistakes and works towards rectifying his mistakes. Humayun was not a very impressive protagonist. Maybe it was just me who felt that but he wasn't. Mainly, I think this is because the author has not depicted his character deeply. I felt that he did not have the hunger, that Babur had. I also thought that straight in the beginning of the book he becomes addicted to opium but after a few chapters he changes and never touches opium again. I felt that was not polished because if someone is addicted he can't just stop using drugs easily. I think the author has not shown the struggle well enough.

The book is not all bad. In fact, there are many places where I loved the book. I loved to read about the actions and battle strategies in the book. They were more explained in this book than the first one. I loved to see Humayun grow from a young boy to and emperor. I love the chemistry between Humayun and Hamida. The mercy Humayun has shown to his brother was great to see, not many people can have such a big heart even though he was quite selfish.

Overall I thought this was a great book. Great story line but I just felt that useless bits were quite stretched and the other characters were not developed enough. Don't be discouraged from the bad points be user there are many other good points but my emotions are just raw right now.