Empire of the Moghul

Alex Rutherford's internationally bestselling series continues with the story of the third great Moghul emperor, Akbar, leader of a triumphant dynasty that contained the seeds of its own destruction. Akbar, ruler of a sixth of the world's people, colossally rich and utterly ruthless, was a contemporary of Elizabeth I, but infinitely more powerful. He extended his empire over much of Asia, skillfully commanding tens of thousands of men, elephants, and innovative technology. And despite the unimaginable bloodshed that resulted from it, his rule was based on universal religious tolerance. However, Akbar's home life was more complicated. He defied family, nobles, and mullahs to marry a beautiful Rajput princess, whose people he had conquered; but she hated Akbar and turned Salim, his eldest son, against him. What's more, as any Moghul prince could inherit his father's crown and become emperor, his sons were brought up to be intensely competitive and suspicious of each other: to see each other as rivals for the greatest prize of all. And, as Salim grew to manhood, the relationship between father and son became tainted by rebellion and competition to be the greatest Moghul of them all.

As the seventeenth century dawns, the vast Moghul Empire finally encompasses the entire Indian subcontinent. But despite controlling unimaginable wealth and ruling over a quarter of the world's population, the Moghul dynasty finds itself in increasing peril. Devastated by the death of his beloved wife, the once ruthless Shah Jahan has all but abandoned his throne. Where he should be protecting his power, he has instead devoted himself to constructing the elaborate Taj Mahal, a tribute to his wife's memory. Aging, ill and blinded by grief, the Shah cannot see the enmity building between his own sons-ambitious hatred so strong it could bring down the entire empire. Accurate and compelling, Alex Rutherford's The Serpent's Tooth is filled with strikingly human characters and heart pounding action, bringing India's bloody history to life.

India, 1606. Jahangir, the triumphant Moghul Emperor and ruler of most of the Indian subcontinent, is doomed. No amount of wealth and ruthlessness can protect him from his sons' desire for power. The glorious Moghul throne is worth any amount of bloodshed and betrayal; once Jahangir raised troops against his own father; now he faces a bloody battle with Khurram, the ablest of his warring sons. Worse is to come. Just as the heirs of Timur the Great share intelligence, physical strength, and utter ruthlessness, they also have a great weakness for wine and opium. Once Jahangir is tempted, his talented wife, Mehrunissa, is only too willing to take up the reins of the empire. And with Khurram and his half-brothers each still determined to be their father's heir, the savage battle for the Moghul throne will be more ferocious than even Timur could have imagined. The Tainted Throne, the fourth installment in Alex Rutherford's internationally bestselling historical adventure series, is set in the Moghul Empire, featuring a culture reminiscent of the Dothraki in A Game of Thrones

Already an international bestseller, A Kingdom Divided continues the epic story of the Moghuls, one of the most magnificent and violent dynasties in world history. India, 1530. Humayun, the newly crowned second Moghul emperor, is a fortunate man. His father, Babur, has left him wealth, glory, and an empire that stretches a thousand miles south of the Khyber Pass; he must now build on his legacy, and make the Moghuls worthy of their legendary forebear, Tamburlaine. But, unbeknownst 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. 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.