Excellent work! It had me hooked right from the first page. ( )

At first, I was not sure I would like this book. During Chapter 1, I told myself to try to read at least a couple of chapters before giving up. Chapter 2 piqued my interest a bit. By the end of Chapter 3, I was hooked. [The Moghul] is one of those rare books that is so much better than the short "teaser" description. This is very likely to be a book that I will read again. ( )

Downloaded from Amazon.com and read on my Kindle.

Thomas Hoover has written an epic tale loosely based on the beginnings of the East India Company's entry into India. It has the flavor of a well researched story with perspectives of the Pope-centrism Portuguese, the self-centered English and the 'Heathen' Indians. There is something for everybody with battles, adventure, romance, wild animal hunts, cultural immersion and political intrigue. You will soon feel like the Portuguese and English were the 'heathens' and India a little understood cultural mecca.

The Portuguese have had control of trade with India, by water, for a century and the English their own agreement with India. Enter Captain-General Brian Hawksworth and his two ships, as England attempts to gain a toe-hold in trade with India. We start with a sea-battle, make a hazardous landfall at the trade port, are immediately immersed in political intrigue and in-fighting, adventure across country to meet the Moghul, ride elephants, participate in wild animal hunts and more. A fantastic tale of India!

This is a story I could easily read again and have rated it 4-Stars.

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. ( )