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What a wonderful and entertaining read! I am absolutely blown by the assiduousness with which the writer has transformed herself into an equally-abled historian. Ira Mukhoty neatly divides the emperor's life into six phases which are almost distinct and self-contained. Readers are taken through Akbar's upbringing, initiation into the world of warcraft and politics, life as a comfortable monarch in his dream city of Fatehpur, through the venturing out into the more dangerous campaigns in Kabul, Kandahar, and Kashmir. Finally we read of the mourning emperor who failed to make a stiff son, an adept grandson into an emperor, and make the Deccan fall before him. The highlight of the book is the thread of his relationships with courtiers primarily Munim Khan, Aziz Koka, Man Singh, Badauni, Birbal, and Abdurrahim. No two love stories are alike. In each we see a different face to Akbar, but always human. All reviews of course have spoken about Ira's specialty: her portrayal of women characters. In line with her earlier books, she totally aces those character sketches. By the end Hamida Bano and Gulbadan rise higher certainly than even the emperor.