The Serpent's Tooth is the fifth book in Alex Rutherford's Moghul Series, a series I started and read the first four books of last year. This instalment deals with the ShahJahan's reign and the coming in power of Aurangzeb. This book also includes the making of Taj Mahal, the actual construction of which, was lightly touched upon, a shortcoming in my opinion, given the status of the monument, as well as the general aura of mystery surrounding its construction.
The battle scenes have grown stale and all we learn from the book is ShahJahan's sob story, how much he loves his wife, and how much he misses her once she dies, neglecting his kingdom and his children (and yet, oddly, not denouncing the crown in favour of his eldest, who is well into his 30s). We probably were supposed to feel sorry for him, I didn't. Equally lacking was the lacklustre character development of ShahJahan's children, including the wicked-most of them all, Aurangzeb. He comes across as a fanatic, conspiracy freak who is either (or not) a good General. Perhaps the next book (the last in the series I guess) would shed some more light.
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