Skip to main content

Raiders from the North by Alex Rutherford


Publication Date: January 1st 2009
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5
Source: Own Copy

Hello everyone! Today, I'm going to be reviewing "Raiders from the North" by Alex Rutherford. It is the first book in her "Empire of the Moghul" series, and revolves around the life of the first Mughal emperor, Babur.

 Babur became king of Ferghana at the young age of 12, following the death of his father. From the moment of his coronation till his last few breaths, Babur's life was one of danger, ambition, courage and war. He lost control of his lands several times, but came back to build an empire in India ( that was previously known as Hindustan).
 The book takes us through the long journeys that Babur undertook as a child, and shows us his growth from a King to an Emperor, and from a warrior to a leader.

 Rutherford tells her tale as a narrative from the third person point-of-view, and creates fictional characters along the way. Most of the events have basis in real life, but some have been skipped or merged together to create a more legible novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and have now finished the second novel as well.
 I didn't quite think that I'd enjoy the book, but I loved it, and am surprised that I want to continue with the series. This book was over 400 pages, and therefore counts for my Big Book Challenge as well. I know that this review was quite short, but I wanted to let you know about the book without spoiling it for you. The book does involve a lot of war and expansion of territory, and telling you about any one could ruin the whole book for you.
 I'd recommend all of you to try out this book- trust me, you will be surprised!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Hero, by Rabindranath Tagore

 The narrative poem" The Hero" was written by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore. Set in a young boy's imaginations this narrative has all the necessary elements and is rich in imagery. The characters, plot, setting, theme, climax and idea are all very clearly outlined.  The setting of the poem falls within the boy's imagination. It is described to have 'spiky grass' and a 'narrow broken path'. It is also mentioned that the country is 'strange and dangerous'. The rurality of the setting is further accentuated when Tagore talks of the 'cattle' and 'wide fields'.

One by Shawnee Kellie

  The poem "One" by Shawnee Kellie is a very interesting and thought-provoking piece of writing. The poem spreads the message that it is not only a large group of people that can make a change, but one idea, one thought, one human that can help make the world a better place. 

Coromandel Fishers by Sarojini Naidu

Hello! For this post I will be exploring another poem written by Sarojini Naidu, called "Coromandel Fishers". This poem can be taken as an allegory, for although it speaks to fishermen, it's metaphoric value speaks to the nation, and can be considered a wakening call for the people of our country. When I wrote about "In the Bazaars of Hyderabad", I mentioned that Sarojini Naidu was one of our freedom fighters, and believed greatly in the Swadeshi movement. Naidu reflects her passion for India in this poem.