Helpful Score: 1
I made the mistake of reading this book before I ordered The Temple Dancer which introduces all the characters and the history of the story which is told in Tiger Claws. I ended up letting someone else have Tiger Claws and then got my copy of the Temple Dancer in the mail. When I was about halfway finished with that book, I realized that Tiger Claws was a much better book looking back on it when I knew the history of the characters so I reordered Tiger Claws, finished the Temple Dancer and then immediately read Tiger Claws again. NOW the story made perfect sense:-). When I read Tiger Claws the first time, I had a lot of unanswered questions which were answered in the first book. The book relates Indian history in a very enjoyable manner but without reading the first book in the series, it can be very difficult to understand the characters' interactions and motivations. I really enjoyed this follow-up book to The Temple Dancer when I read it the SECOND time....AFTER finishing The Temple Dancer. It is a very good book and while it is possible to enjoy it without having read The Temple Dancer, it is incredibly more interesting and enjoyable if you have just completed The Temple Dancer and then go on to read Tiger Claws. If I had one major criticism it would be that the character's names are similar but since the book is using actual historical figures as it's characters in most places, it is a criticism that cannot be visited on the author. The part of Tiger Claws that I found most intriguing was at the very end of the book, when a tie-in from the first book appears most unexpectedly. It made a wonderful closing to the set of books and the story as a whole.
