I have to admit I found this book hard going. Maybe the scope of the novel was too vast, allowing for only generalisation and brief character development. Whatever it was I couldn’t get involved.
The narrative starts with war, and continues with war for quite some time. I don’t think enough was made of the other facets of the narrative that were part of the plot: the role of Akbar’s family and the political aspects of the wars that all of the fighting centers around. I did, however, enjoy the scenes centred around his family, and I found his relationship with his ‘milk mother’ (his wet nurse) and his ‘milk brother’ (her son) intriguing, so I wish that had been explored in more depth.The first half the novel was certainly more interesting than the second half.
Akbar is considered by history the greatest Mughal emperor. The third installment of the Empire Of The Moghul series, Ruler Of The World, does a reasonable job of sketching in both the strengths and weaknesses of Akbar, but falls short in detailing the man.
The first half of the book describes Akbar’s early campaigns. From defeating Hemu of the Suri dynasty barely 10 months after ascending the throne at the age of 14, to the quelling of the Shah Daud rebellion in Bengal in, you see how Akbar develops as a warrior, a strategist and an emperor. And then those very qualities draw him apart from his eldest son, Salim (Jehangir).
The second half of the book deals entirely with the father-son relationship, and is written from Salim’s point-of-view where father Akbar comes across as a father who underestimates his son’s capabilities.
As a book the novel tended to start at point A and conclude at point B. It was slow reading War was certainly a principal point, but intrigue particularly that of father and son could have been more interestingly developed.
