The Fourth Estate by Jeffery Archer

At first glance, Richard Armstrong and Keith Townsend seemed to have little in common. One was the son of an illiterate peasant, who emerged from the most backward corner ravaged by a bitter war. The other was raised in a mansion on the far side of the world while the war was just another piece of news. 
One was a hustler, a theif, ready to change his story, even his identity, if it would gain him a momentary advantage. The other was the scion of a well known family, groomed for a public role from his earliest years, a rebel who didnt care if any approved of what he got up to, 
One craved wealth, recognition, status. The other quickly discovered that real power comes from anonymity. But, they did have one thing in common. Both of them were gamblers. Both were prepared to risk everything in their battle to control the biggest newspaper empire in the world. 
Only one of them could triumph....

I got this book when I was searching in the attic for some books to sell to earn pocket money. As, I really wanted to read Jeffery Archer so I thought I'll start with this book. I must say that jeffery Archer's style suits only adults. But, that will not stop me form reading more of his books, partly because they show reality, and partly because you cant let go of the book.

The book was good. I cant say great because I found some parts boring. When Archer tells the life-story of the two rivals, it is boring. But, when he comes to the main part, it starts to get interesting. In the end, though, he repeats the first part. The story says about two newspaper barons, who are rivals. Both of them want to be the richest person in the world, but both of them come in the same amount of debt from the same bank. One has someone to guide him, the other doesnt know what to do. Ofcourse, when he cheats on his wife. Both of them have trouble. But, one of them survives this. You enjoy the book thoroughly when their rivalry starts, and the best part is, you wouldnt even know when their rivalry will start!! When they are rivals, you will flip back pages to see where is it written about their rivalry. You wont find it, and you wont feel like reading the book, but when you come back to the present book, the situation is so intense that you will not be able to leave the book. If I had to conclude this review in one sentence then I would say: "Awesome, great, fantastic, energising, proper book!!!"

Empire of the Moghul - Ruler of the World by Alex Rutherford

Akbar, the third great ruler of the glorious Moghul dynasty, is everything an emperor should be. He commands two - thirds of the Indian subcontinent and a hundred million subjects. His reign begins bloodily in 1556 and he soon proves himself to be brave, ruthless and supremely confident.

However, within the astonishing splendour of the Moghul dynastylies a fatal flaw. Any of the emperor's sons can inherit so Moghul princes become as bloodthirsty and secretive as their fathers. And as Akbar's eldest son, Salim, reaches manhood, this will surely spell trouble....

Ruler of the World is the third book in the gripping and brilliant Empire of the Moghul series; an epic tale of great wars and great sacrifises - and of an unparralleled dynasty that carries within it the unruly seeds of its own destruction.

This book was just great. In our history text books, we come to know only about the outer points of the rulers' life. How that person had his administration, what changes did he put on his followers, what were the taxes removed or added, ect., In this book you come to know about these people's personal life, through a fictious way. Suppose, Salim and Khusrau's rivalry was not highlited in our chapter. But, in this book, I came to know that Khusrau and Salim were fighting to be Akbar's successors. Well, we know that Jahangir i.e Salim got to be the King, so that ultimately means that Khusrau loses and rebels against his father, as we all know. We didnt know that, at first, Khusrau was very close to his father and broke away from him only when his father was starting a rebillion against his father. I dont know how many people ot there know that Abul Fazl was mudered, but I didnt know, and was shocked when I came to know.

 Like this, the book keeps on unwinding the personal life of two rulers and one rebel. Its a good read and I am sure anyone who reads it will enjoy it.

All in all, this was a good book. At first I was dissapointed, when I came to know that Empire of the Moghul is a series and this is the third book in the series, but, when I read it, I could read it as if this was the first book in the series! The first book is Raiders of the North, which is about Timur and Babur, and the second book is Brothers at War, which is about Humayun and the early life of Akbar, stopping just before the First Battle of Panipat.