Customer Reviews

Tiger Claws: A Novel of India

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

 

 

Readers of "The Temple Dancer" will likely enjoy "Tiger Claws," John Speed's second book in a planned trilogy. Chronicling the latter years of Mogul emperor Shah Jahan's reign and the power struggles that emerge as he declines,Speed paints a picture of 17th century Indian life that is both intriguing and, at times, horrifying. Through the eyes of a high ranking eunuch named Basant we glimpse the realities of life inside Jahan's palace: from Basant's vivid childhood memories of being made into a eunuch, to Princess Roshanara's clandestine affair with ambassador Shaista Khan, to the emperor's obsession with twin sister concubines. As Shah Jahan withdraws into an opium infused world his sons begin to vie for control of his empire - especially Dara, the pampered court favorite, and Aurangzeb, the dangerous Viceroy of the Deccan. While drawing you into this story Speed simultaneously introduces you to Shivaji, a disinherited Hindu chieftain who begins retaking his rightful territory with the help of longtime friends and sinister allies.

There is a lot going on in this novel and though the storyline is engaging the characters are almost exclusively male. Princess Roshanara plays a prominent role in the first third of the book, while the temple dancer Maya appears when the story moves outside the palace. Since "The Temple Dancer" focused mainly on two female figures I was surprised by this seeming reversal - neither Roshanara nor Maya progress beyond the two-dimensional sphere, though if you've read "The Temple Dancer" you'll be able to add much more personality to Maya than is present in the story. Nevertheless, the end of the novel makes it clear that Maya's time with Shivaji is just the beginning of another adventure, and in this sense the riveting dialogue, political maneuvering and action in the male driven story adds an exciting chapter to her life. In truth, had I not read "The Temple Dancer" and been so eager to learn more about Maya I probably wouldn't have missed her playing a larger role in the novel.

Fans of historical fiction will devour the detail in this story. Speed's profound knowledge illuminates the novel, drawing you into a world rich with Indian culture, religion and tradition. Though the ending is somewhat abrupt it seems that Speed is setting the stage for the final book in his trilogy. I can't wait to finish this adventure with him.

I cannot put my finger on what I do not like about Speed's writing style. I did read The Temple Dancer, and although I did not enjoy it either, I wanted to give the sequel a chance. This paperback is 436 pages long, and very little actually happens. Although the reader does get a good idea of the social customs, I still felt like I was reading in a vacuum. In both Tiger Claws and The Temple Dancer, I always felt like I was waiting for something to happen even though there never was a real climax. What could be called the one exciting moment of the book comes at page 417, and is over at 425! And then there is an abrupt ending in the last 10 pages. The first 75 pages are almost completely useless, and feel like they belong to another book as they have no real effect on this novel. Perhaps the inner-family scheming and corruption of the first 75 pages will be important in the third book, but the disjointed nature of this and the first book do not bode well for the third installment.
I feel like Speed has tried to create some sweeping, mystical epic, but falls unbelievably short. He claims in the intro to have "worked" on this book for 20 years. I am sure he did extensive research, and is very knowledgeable, but his storytelling is just horrendous. This book is just a mess.
I would literally recommend any book on India other than this one: Beneath a Marble Sky, The Feast of Roses, The Twentieth Wife, The Splendour of Silence, etc.

An enjoyable novel of India In the era of Shah Jehan (of Taj Mahal fame). Colorful characters and an engaging plot characterize this novel. For anyone who loves the culture... you can almost smell the incense coming through in the pages of this work. The book gives a nice sense of that period in Indian history. Loads of vivid imagery fill the book, and it seems to be extremely well researched... with attention paid to those myriad small details which make it so easy for the reader to slip into this time and place. While maybe not the very BEST of this genre, the book certainly has a respectable place amongst the novels of Mughal India.
SJD

I really enjoyed The Temple Dancer and was looking forward to following Maya along on another journey. Unfortunately, this story never delivered the excitement and intrigue found in the previous novel.

Tiger Claws has a promising beginning and I was eager to read more about Basant and Roshanara. However, the novel changes pace and slows to a crawl as we follow the development of an impending war. Although historical fiction is typically very enjoyable, Tiger Claws is incredibly dull in comparison to most. I hoped for treachery, treasonous behavior, anything to make the story more interesting!

The characters are flat and unlikable; I simply did not find myself caring about any of them. Shivaji is a far cry from an inspirational leader and it is difficult to see him as an individual that is able to cause a poor, hodgepodge army to rise up against one of the richest empires in India. At climatic moments when you typically find yourself rooting a character on, I felt rather indifferent towards the outcome. Even Maya herself, who plays a very small role, lost her initial draw. She is no longer the strong, determined woman she was in The Temple Dancer. Maya has become a woman who has given up on life and is filled with self doubt as she is pushed from one situation to another. While it appears that the Brotherhood will once again play a strong role in the development of the novel, they are added almost as an afterthought in certain areas. I missed the manipulation and deceitfulness they brought to The Temple Dancer that kept you wondering what would happen next. I was very hopeful that the story would improve when a few, seemingly dynamic, characters were introduced throughout the story, but they were simply used to unite one event with another and never heard from again.

Where I flew through The Temple Dancer, about 280 pages into Tiger Claws I began skimming sections that were redundant and incredibly slow-something I rarely do. Although the novel picks up the pace again in the final chapter, it was a relief when I finally reached the end.

This effort is not half as good as Temple Dancer. The story is way too long, a bit boring, scattered, and just not very engaging. The 2 star review pretty much says it all but 2 stars is too low.

I loved this book.
Fire up the time machine Mr. Peabody and become a fly on the tent wall of some of the greatest warriors that ever lived.
John Speed tells a story so rich and honestly written that it made me feel like I was there experiencing it. The characters were real and balanced, totally believable. Even Shivaji, the great hero of the story, had his moments of doubt and desperation.
This is a great summer read and I couldn't put down. It was both exciting, romantic and spiritual with a historically based plot that left me wanting more. I pray that Mr. Speed is hard at work with the next installment of this promised trilogy.

This book is a very good read, with vivid historical detail. On the other hand, the book is at times difficult to follow because I knew little of the history prior to the beginning of the tale. Perhaps his earlier book supplies the prior history (I did not read his first book). Also, there are many characters with unfamiliar and similar sounding names that can become confusing for the casual reader. I had some thoughts similar to the reviewer who thought the book was boring --in particular, waiting for something to happen and the disconnect of the first 75 pages from the rest of the book. I did not, however, think that the book was boring. I felt that the book was interesting enough to keep me engaged and the two principal issues seamed minor by the time I finished the book. An odd aspect of the book was that it starts out strong, hits a weak spot, then becomes strong again. Despite these considerations, the book is a very enjoyable read and one I recommend.