I read this book as part four of my chronological survey of the life and times of the greatest jewel in the British crown. After greatly enjoying the original Flashman papers and the two following edited packages, I consider this installment the best so far.

Fraser not only gives us the expected portion of ribaldry, but puts our hero in an accurately described historic situation in which some of the players are so spineless that they make Flashy look rather virtuous, by comparison.The result is a well-documented narrative, describing the first series of big battles of the British in the Punjab in which the local powers did not have any scruples about plotting a defeat resulting in thousands of deaths of their own people, just to hold on to power a little longer.

In style, Flashman, who looks rather upstanding through it all, gets none of the credit that he for once deserved. Don't worry, even our weak-boweled toady bastard himself took it rather philosophically.

This book was a great read and I can't wait to devour the next volume in the series.

Reading this series in chronological order has been tricky, thanks to Fraser's skipping about history. Still, having already read "Flashman", "Royal Flash", and "Flashman's Lady", I saw a change in the "Mountain of Light": Flashy gets a little backbone.

The book itself focuses on a largely forgotten episode in British India, between the Afghan withdrawal in 1842 and the Great Mutiny in the 1850s. This time, Flashman is called into service just as the 80,000-strong Sikh army, the Khalsa, appears ready to sweep down on the English and drive them out once and for all. Flashman is drawn into behind-the-scenes subterfuge that take him from the Sikh royal court to the middle of bloody battlefields. To say much more would spoil the living history that Fraser's created.

However, I find it interesting to note a change in Flashman's character. The first novel, "Flashman", remains my favorite because the young character flees from every battle, and it is only through luck and chicanery that he rises to his fame. Never fear; Flashman still lies to save his hide and jumps on every woman he can get, but I finished "The Mountain of Light" feeling that Flashy had done a pretty good service--which he will tell you in the book. Maybe this is due to Fraser. While the book is the 4th chronologically, it's Fraser's 10th book about his alter ego. Having known the character for so long, maybe Flashman's done a little growing up.

Sadly, I don't know that much about the British Empire's interests in India, so the characters that paraded through this book I don't know anything about. But having read this, my introduction to the Flasman Papers, I'm sure as hell going to find out all I can about that period in colonial history. I devour history novels with as much voraciousness as Flasman devours female conquests and I'll certainly be reading the other installments in thsi magnificent series.

This is agreat analysis of the philosophy and history of the Sikh polity. It is really an amazing work by a renowned scholar who has been reckoned as one of the GREATEST 100 SIKHS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY by the surveys done in December 2000.
The book covers a period of about 400 years of the Sikh polity. The author deserves thanks for such a marvellous work. This is a must for every student and scholar of Sikhism. The author has also written an encyclopaedia of Sikhism under the title THE SIKH REFERENCE BOOK. In fact it is more than an encyclopaedia as it also includes the complete chronology of Sikhism from 1469 to 1996. Shiromani Akali Dal (A History) is another great work by the author. His latest books; (1) Sikh Philosophy and other essays and (2) Guru De Sher too are great works of scholarly research on the Sikh history. The author has given unknown information on each subject touched by him.

There is no better source than this three volume set for those who are interested in the subject of Ethnic background of the Punjabis. It is fascinating to read about the origins, trails and tribulations of various tribes of Aryan, Scythian and Hun origins migrating to the plains of five rivers, called Punjab. It is these tribes who embarked upon creating Indian Civilization and Hinduism. This book goes into great detail about various castes which originated out of this melting pot during 2000-700 BC. This is a must read for people of Punjab and belonging to Jats, Rajputs, Gujjars, Arain and a host of minor castes. As a Punjabi myself, it was fascinating to find the detailed historical background of my ancestors; through Vedic, Epic, Maurya, Saka, Muslim and British periods.

This book is one most authoritative books on Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Until now book has explored the development of culture and art during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Superb content, great illustrations and really high quality paper. It will great addition to any library or personal collection.

"The Maharajah's Box" reads as well as any splendid mystery written by the likes of Agatha Christie or P. D. James. But best of all, it is a gripping account of a forgotten plot in 19th Century British history, which had widespread reprecussions for Great Britain's relations with both France and Russia. Campbell does an admirable job recounting the sordid tale of Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last king of Lahore, in what is now Pakistan and northwestern India, and his feeble, almost comical, attempts at regaining his throne. Along the way we meet an intriguing, often bizarre, cast of Indian spies, Russian politicans and soldiers and Irish revolutionaries. If you're interested in a true story of political intrigue, this is one tome which shouldn't be missed!

A great book about a subject that not too many people have written about. A thorough research by the author on the status of muslim women of the eighteenth and the nineteenth century British Punjab has shed light on a topic that was never given enough importance by historians.

The task of writing any religious group's history is like walking on a mine field. Grewal has come out of this walk unscathed, nothing less than a miracle. Many historians have burnt their fingers doing what Grewal has done so well. This books starts with the evolution of Sikh philosophy and traces the Sikh history as it went through many twists and turns. The noticable difference is that author doesn't treat Sikhs in isolation from their surroundings. It puts the Sikhs and their history in full social context of those times. In fact, the book also offers the best history of Mughal period as it coincides with Sikh Gurus very well. It dwells upon the political, cultural and religious unfolding of this period. The internal conflict among various Sikh sects and communities is represented very well. The language is very crisp, concise and without any repetition or unwanted opinion pieces. Anyone trying to understand the modern political upheaval in the region must start with this book. It covers the period from well before Guru Nanak to 1980s. One can easily see why it took author 10 years to write it. A must for anyone having anything to do with Sikhs or Punjab. Worth every cent of its price.

A caution. The recent events brought out many "pop" books on Sikh history. Most, if not all, are just long op-ed articles, sprinkled with catchy photos, glossy papers and hot politcal buttons. Just a waste of your money.

J.S. Grewal's is truly the first professional history of Sikhs. It sets bar quite high fo future historians.

Violence is a matter of human nature. In Sikhs of the Punjab: Unheard Voices of the State and Guerrilla Violence, by Joyce Pettigrew, there is an interesting take on a much talked about world affair, national self determination. For the Punjab and its Sikhs, it is solely due to lack of respect on human rights issues. In this book, the message is clearly manifested through its gut wrenching details and any reader must prepare to wrap their minds around unbelievable concepts of war and violence. On occasion the terminology is hard to understand but it does not stand in the way of a magnificent hold on a revolutionary idea.

A beautiful book! Altho Kali/Durga/Shakti is a well-known Goddess to many in the West, almost all information about Her worship comes from the Tantrik cults of Southern India.
Here, Erndl introduces the reader to the Northern India Seranvali cult, in which the Goddess is worshipped as the Great Mother.

We are taken on pilgrimages to many Goddess sites, walked through a night-long ceremony in Her honor, and told Her important myths.

This book moved me deeply. Jai Mata Di (Victory to the Goddess)!

This book is well written and organized (as one would expect from this author) and I'm not sorry I bought it, but it is not a star of my collection. The beginner will find it an excellent overview and introduction to east Indian cuisine, but it provides very little that is new for the serious collector of Indian cookbooks.

This book is absolutely excellent. You will need some specialty spices, but each recipe is easy to follow and produces fabulous results. I've had this cookbook for about a year and have not found a single recipe that I didn't like. Don't expect this food to be the watered-down generic version - these recipes are spicy, flavorful and exciting.

Three years ago, I purchased this book wishing to recreate dishes that I had at local Indian restaurants and to save money. I got more than I bargained for! Since then I bought several other Indian cookbooks, but I cook from this book most often. I no longer need to go to restaurants to taste Indian cuisine because I can cook better! Everything I cooked so far were delicious; I have impressed my Indian friends! Legume and vegetable sections are especially good for people who wants to have more vegetables in their diet and enjoy them too. I think many recipes are from northern India. Ms. Chandra gives menu suggestions and how to vary a dish with her charming writing style. Thank you Mrs. Chandra!