The first book in the Empire of the Moghul series: chronicling the rise and fall of the Moghul rulers of India, beginning with Babur who swept in from Central Asia to found one of the most powerful dynasties in history.

1494, and the new ruler of Ferghana, twelve-year-old Babur, faces a seemingly impossible challenge. Babur is determined to equal his great ancestor, Tamburlaine, whose conquests stretched from Delhi to the Mediterranean, from wealthy Persia to the wild Volga. But he is dangerously young to inherit a crown and treasonous plots, tribal rivalries, rampaging armies and ruthlessly ambitious enemies will threaten his destiny, his kingdom, even his survival.

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From Publishers Weekly

Drawn largely from the autobiography of Babur, the first Moghul emperor, this first of five planned novels about the Moghul empire is heavier on history than plot. The story begins in 1494, when Babur is 12 years old, and moves through the next 36 years, until his death. Babur is a descendant of Timur (Tamerlane to Westerners), a youth suddenly thrust onto a throne that he must defend against traitors and invaders, resulting in a quick education in leadership, torture, deception, merciless warfare, and unbelievable brutality. Babur's lust for power and glory lead him into vicious battles and deadly court intrigues where cruelty, treachery, destruction, and slaughter occur every day. The plot is thin, however, serving as a loose framework for Rutherford's exciting history lesson. The strength of this novel is not the story but the colorful depiction of savage leaders building voracious empires. (May)
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Review

"A totally absorbing narrative filled with authentic historical characters and sweeping action set in an age of horrifying but magnificent savagery. The writing is as compelling as the events described and kept me eagerly leaping from one page to the next.” – Wilbur Smith

“Rutherford’s glorious, broad-sweeping adventure in the wild lands of the Moghul sees the start of a wonderful series… In Babur, he has found a real-life hero, with all the flaws, mistakes, and misadventures that spark true heroism… Breathtaking stuff.” – Manda Scott, author of The Boudica Quartet

“Raiders from the North is a rousing, rampant gallop through the golden age of one of the world’s greatest empires. With a solid grasp of history and an eye for detail, Alex Rutherford imbues the story of Babur’s rise with unstoppable momentum. If the first volume is any indication, this series will conquer readers as utterly as a Moghul army.” – Nicholas Nicastro, author of Empire of Ashes and Antigone’s Wake

“A swift and exciting book that brings to new life a story that history had nearly forgotten. Rutherford’s handling of this complex tale is masterful, and I look forward to reading the sequels.” – Michael Curtis Ford, author of The Ten Thousand and The Fall of Rome

“Brilliant and bloodthirsty.” – The Northern Echo (UK)

“Rollicking.” – The Hindustan Times (India)

“A compelling series of novels.” – Deccan Herald (India)

“The pace is fast, and Rutherford carries off the battle scenes with élan.” – Business Standard (India)

“Alex Rutherford has set the bar high for his sequels.” – The Daily Mail (UK)

"The books belong to the bigselling genre of historical fiction -- where skimpy facts are fleshed out with vivid descriptions and adorned with the glittering brocades of imagination."--The Times of India

"An engaging, well-balanced work . . . [with] a certain cinematic helf to it, with a TV documentary-like treatment of the dramatic and the historic."--New Delhi (India)