I enjoyed this book simply because I like the subject matter. It took an embarrassingly long time to finish because of its sometimes idiosyncratic strI enjoyed this book simply because I like the subject matter. It took an embarrassingly long time to finish because of its sometimes idiosyncratic structure and tedious style. However, I did learn a lot from this book. I liked how it interweaved different cultural aspects of the empire along with the rulers. I particularly enjoyed the second half of the book where it began to pick up the pace....more