Pyramid of Skulls: A Novel of Timur, Warrior and Emperor by Martin Fruchtman

I am officially up to speed on Timur, the most sadistic killer of the late 14^th and early 15^th Century, hence the title, Pyramid of Skulls, which was his trophy.

The story is told through the eyes of Timur’s Jewish doctor. It basically consists of a horrific war, a serial killer - killing only one prostitute a day - and typical daily political issues in Timur’s court.

There’s a lot going on in, Pyramid of Skulls, besides the style (if you will) of war during that era, and way of life. There’s philosophy and social issues of the era as in any historical fiction.

If reading between the lines, I wonder if we, as a society today, are any more tolerant than society was in the 14^th and 15^th Century.  Food for thought, if nothing else.

As far as Timur himself, all I got from, Pyramid of Skulls, was his brutality as a leader. As disgusting a man as he was, I wonder what kind of person it takes to become such a man. I mean, it seems he was rather brilliant. To his credit, he did make Samarkand the capital of his empire, where he built a new city and populated it with artisans and craftsmen from all of the places he had conquered. I wonder about this side of him.

I am no expert in this era, or of Timur, hence my deciding to read, Pyramid of Skulls: A Novel of Timur, Warrior and Emperor by Martin Fruchtman.  As I stated in the beginning, I’m officially up to speed, and it was a rough read arriving.