The Tainted Throne: Empires of the Moghul: Book IV (Empire of the Moghul) - Hardcover

Rutherford, Alex

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312597037 ISBN 13: 9780312597030

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, 2013

Synopsis

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

About this title

About the Author

ALEX RUTHERFORD is the pen name for Diana and Michael Preston, whose nonfiction has been awarded the Los Angeles Times Science and Technology Prize and been praised worldwide. They are also authors of Raiders from the North, A Kingdom Divided, and most recently Ruler of the World. They live in London.

From Booklist

This is the fourth entry in the Empire of the Moghul historical-adventure series set during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by Alex Rutherford (pseudonym for the husband-and-wife writing team of Michael and Diana Preston). The Moghul emperors claimed to be direct descendants of Genghis Khan and ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent. In this installment, Janhangir (Seizer of the World), the newly proclaimed fourth Moghul emperor after the death of his father, Akbar, is not on the throne six months when his 18-year-old son raises up an army to overthrow him. Turnabout is fair play in this situation, since Janhangir had betrayed his own father in the same way. Janhangir’s four ambitious sons have learned much from their father’s cunning and ferocious nature, and are each determined to sit on his precarious throne. Adding to the backstabbing family feud are the machinations of Mehrunissa, the Moghul emperor’s last wife and the holy terror of his harem. She is determined to exert control over the empire by keeping her husband pliant with wine and opium. This is truly a family that rivals the Borgias, Medicis, and Ewings for ruthlessness and intrigue, but combined with bloody combat and conquest. The publisher is marketing this to fans of the Game of Thrones series, so not only readers of traditional historical epics will be interested but also those fantasy fans who would enjoy a multibook, convoluted sword (but no sorcery) extravaganza. --Michael Gannon

About this edition

• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0312597037
• ISBN 13: 9780312597030
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448