Customer Reviews

The Moghul

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Moghul is an overlooked book that offers enough action, sex, violence and shady characters to keep you turning the pages until you sprain your thumb. During the reign of King James I, English Sea Dog, Brian Hawksworth, is sent on a mission by The British East India Company to try to break the Portuguese monopoly on trading with the sub-continent. Needless to say, the Portuguese do not consider this a great idea, and they do everything in their power to sink him at sea and assassinate him on land. As if India wasn't dangerous enough on its own with a drunken Moghul who allows his Persian wife and her brother, the Machiavellian Prime Minister, Nadir Sharif, to run the affairs of the nation.

Hawksworth has a weakness for Indian luxuries, wine, and beautiful women. Don't we all? But, in this nation of myriad plots and sub-plots, he learns that nobody is what they appear to be on the surface. Not even Brian Hawksworth. He sees both sides of the issues as he first becomes a Khan at The Moghul's court and then gets caught up in the rebellion of the charismatic Prince Jadar. The book provides interesting background on Hindu, Sunni, Shiite, and Suffi religious traditions and lifestyles, not to mention a look at how Christian traditions appear to pre-colonial Indians. (One wife? Barbarous.) King James, whom many of us revere for the translation of The Bible he commissioned, does not fare well at the hands of Hoover. However, from what I have read of Stuart history, Hoover is dead on.

In the long run, the book hangs on its characters. We root for the underdog Hawksworth, wonder what trick Nadir Sharif will pull next, admire the brains and beauty of the Queen and the exiled harem woman, Shirin, Hawksworth's only love interest (though hardly his only bedtime companion).

A rousing adventure tale that will satisfy those who loved Shogun.

Thomas Hoover has taken the real history of the first interaction of English men with the Moghul court in India, and moulded it into a cracking good read. He sends his swashbuckling English sea captain, Brian Hawksworth, on the trip of a lifetime through 18th Century India. On his trip the Englishman is used and abused by various factions in the internal power struggles of India as he represents an opportunity to break the Portugese stranglehold on the Indian trade.

He is exposed to Muslim and Hindu culture, exotic foods, drinks and drugs, overt sexuality and worship of the senses, heady music, tiger hunts, unbelievable wealth and fickle abuse of absolute power.

A veritable feast for the senses, and a fun read.

Thomas Hoover's Moghul is a story which will stimulate and please many people. It is a tale of adventure full of anticipation with a wonderful sense of being there. Character development complements the swashbuckling story showing human development much like that witnessed in Shogun.
I thought it a wonderful read.

This epic takes place in early 17rh century India during the period of its early contact with England while all Indian trade was controlled by Portugal.

The story line is based upon actual events of the period with many of the characters historical, including the prince who became Mogul against fierce odds and who had the Taj Mahal built in honor of his first wife, also portrayed in the book. The plot easily holds your interest as events unfold and complications increase for the English captain, ambassador to the court of the Mogul as well as for the main Indian characters due to the difference between friendly words and on-going intrigues.

The book is full of both intricate and bold Intrigue, adventure, and believable characters. It is full of vivid historical descriptions of many facets of the period, such as costumes, decorations, customs, food, dancing, artistry, military, etc., the colorful descriptions fitting closely with the action narrative, not at all a distraction.

It is obvious that the author did an enormous amount of research, including into original period documents, as well as enjoying the advice and editing of expert professors and others knowledgeable of the period.

The read is very enjoyable, entertaining, educational, and moves right along with action, both in court as well as in the field. .

Blurb

India 1620: India is ruled by the son of the great Akbar, and is about to pass his crown to one of his sons. Brian Hawksworth, ship's captain and emissary of King James, must choose sides, but will he choose correctly? The future of England, and of India, depend on it.
He had come to India to open trade for "barbaric" England and squeeze out the Portuguese, who try to kill him at every opportunity. But once on land, he becomes captivated by the country and the people. The beauty and romance of the exquisite Moghul Empire seduce him from his material goals to a new quest for supreme sensuality in music, mystical visions, and sacred lovemaking.
From pulse-pounding sea battles, to tiger hunts, war elephants, harems and forbidden love--The Moghul takes you on a breath-taking tour of the India that existed before the British Raj.

This is a long book! I have to say I enjoyed the first third of the book, but then, for me, it got bogged down in Indian politics of the time and made the reading a slow progress.
The Moghul is not for the faint-heated and not one that you can easily put down for a few days and pick back up again. I did this and found myself lost. What makes it difficult is not only the foreign names, but the many characters. I am one who loves books that have numerous characters, but this book, with its unfamiliar place names and politics of the rulers of India at the time, was tough going in parts.
The descriptions are wonderful and at the beginning the plot is clear and enjoyable, but sadly the middle to the end of the book lost some of its magic because of the weight of intrigue and I lost interest in those fighting for the kingdom.
If the author had cut back on the politics I would have enjoyed the story much better.
I did learn much about the early times of India though, which was very interesting.
I read The Moghul by Thomas Hoover on my Kindle.

Hoover created a character and story much like James Clavall's English pilot in "Shogun". Both characters gradually transform over the arc of the story, providing the reader with fantastic insight into the culture of the host nation. This is a great read.

Have you read Shogun? If so, you've read Moghul
That said it is still entertaining and a good, fast paced read.
Don't expect to be carried away by the literary genius of the author. But just as Clavel's Shogun gave insight into the Japan of that time so Moghul does for India of the same period.

I have read a number of books by Thomas Hoover and he is a very versatile author who researches his subjects thoroughly this one is no different but perhaps it needed more research than most. The story is not entirely fiction but a blend of fact and fiction which works well but I found some of the later parts of the book particularly with the politics where lots of names were very similar heavy going. It is a book that could have been much improved on the Kindle by linking unusual words to the essential glossary which I wish I had realised was there before I got to the end of the book. In parts I found it difficult to realise who was being described as it sometimes jumped rapidly from scene to scene.
It is however a book worth persevering with as it gives a fascinating insight into the culture and politics of India at the time before the Raj.

i really enjoyed finding this book. my grandfather is from india, and i wanted a fiction book that covered a bit of the history. not quite as broad as a rutherford novel, but quite interesting. the ending is quite abrupt, especially given the length of the novel. but quite enjoyable to those who like historical fiction or interested in india.

Can't believe I got this book for free. It was terrific. I've read a number of his books. Many of them were good, this one was my favorite.