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71 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'I am the land and the bones of the hills. I am the winter.', May 5, 2007
This review is from: Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Hardcover)
Published as 'Wolf of the Plains' in Australia, this is an action-packed story of Temujin-Uge and his making as Ghengis Khan. Conn Iggulden advises that he used an English translation (from Chinese) of 'The Secret History of the Mongols' as his chief source. Mongolia was, and remains, a harsh place. Genghis Khan forged an empire by uniting Mongol tribes. This novel is about the boy who became the man, and the vision and blood debts that motivated and sustained him. No doubt, some readers will find the story brutal. It is. But at the same time, it creates a wonderful backdrop against which to view the emergence of the Mongol empire. In short, it brings the figure of Genghis Khan to life. I understand that this is the first of a series on Genghis Khan and his descendants. I look forward to reading the next book. 'Tell them that I am Genghis and I will ride' Highly recommended. Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
High Adventure on Seas of Grass, June 2, 2007
This review is from: Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Hardcover)
Life on the steppes of northeastern Asia in the 13th Century was tough. On a backdrop of endless frozen tundra traveled by fierce Nomadic tribes, Conn Iggulden winds an entirely engrossing saga of Temujin, the son of a local warlord, who is destined to become the legendary conqueror and scourge of the west, Genghis Khan. Following the death of his father, twelve-year old Temujin, his mother, Hoelun, brothers, and infant sister are cast out by the treacherous new leader of his native Blue Wolf tribe, left on Mongolia's barren plains without food, shelter, or weapons with winter approaching. Through Hoelin's ingenuity and sheer determination, the family survives against all odds, strengthening Temujin's already-iron will and igniting the spark of vengeance in him and his brothers. Iggulden follows up with a swashbuckling drama of cliffhangers and suspense as gripping, and certainly more bloody, than the best pop thrillers. Told at a lively pace without unnecessary baggage as Temujin, now merely eighteen, succeeds in uniting the disparate and warring Mongol tribes to stand down the Tartar raiders from the north. "Genghis: Birth of an Empire", is one of those rare gems of historical fiction that is as entertaining as it is illuminating and educational. The research was exceptional, from Mongol "sky burials", to a uniquely brutal brand of cannibalism, to the life the northern Asian warrior's life on steppes - able to survive for days on end using their ponies not only for transportation, but also by tapping into a vein for sustenance. Since the details of Genghis Khan's childhood are sketchy at best, my initial assumption was that most of the author's content was speculation, heavily embellished to maintain a lively pace and hold reader interest. To my surprise, further checking confirmed the basics of the young khan's early days as depicted here, while not without some well placed poetic license, sticks closely to the facts as recorded, painting a vivid and noble portrait of the young general. In short, authoritative and inspirational, told in light and easy prose; a fun read well worth the time, and a worthy opening to the epic of Genghis Khan that Iggulden will clearly be continuing in subsequent volumes. I'm looking forward to the encore.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good first novel in what will be entertaining series - but what about the ponies?, August 13, 2007
This review is from: Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Hardcover)
Conn Iggulden's "Emperor" series was a fun, a-historical take on the life of Julius Caesar and his best friend, Brutus. Iggulden did not attempt to write a series that closely tracked the historical narrative (that's been done many times over, and Iggulden wasn't about to try to replace Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series). Historical liberties aside, Iggulden's take on Caesar was fun and action-packed. "Genghis: Birth of an Empire" appears to follow the same track. "Gates of Rome," the first novel in the "Emperor" series, used less-famous personal names for Caesar and Brutus in order to obscure their identities while they were children. Iggulden does the same here, as the boy that will grow to become "Genghis" is named Temujin. He is the second oldest of five brothers, all sons to Yesugai, Khan of the Wolves. Born with a blood clot in his palm - a dire omen - Temujin will become one of the world's great conquerors. But first he must survive his youth, which is a difficult struggle. Iggulden has spent his time in Mongolia, and it shows. The strengths of "Genghis" lie in Iggulden's depiction of the harsh Mongolian landscape and the life scraped out by its inhabitants. Iggulden uses several Mongol terms without definition, such as "ger," "deel," and the like, but it's pretty easy to figure out what is going on. Telling details like having one's hair frozen to the ground while sleeping transport the reader to the life-or-death edge that Temujin and his family live on most of their lives. Temujin begins his life as the favored son of a brave military man. But intrigue rears its ugly head, and before Temujin realizes it, he and his family are cast out and left to die on the steppe without so much as a bow or sword. In addition to the brutal winter, Temujin is also hunted by his former clansmen as well as the hated Tartars. But that which does not kill us makes us stronger - and Temujin emerges as hard as iron to reclaim his family's rightful station . . . and then some! This is a strong, entertaining novel. I don't know nearly as much about Genghis Khan as I do about Julius Caesar, so I am not able to quibble with Iggulden's historical fidelity. But I don't think that is one of Iggulden's primary goals - he seems more focused on good storytelling, and he excels at it. My only significant problem with "Genghis" is that there is so little attention paid to the bond between man and horse. The Mongols are still a horse culture to this day, and Iggulden professes in his Afterword that the Mongols adore their ponies. So why is there not one scene of a single Mongol bonding with a horse? There is basically no attention paid to life on horseback - the horses in the book merely serve as mounts and as the occasional source of nourishment. This seems to be an odd omission for a book about the Mongols. But for whatever faults it may have, "Genghis" is an exciting read. Iggulden writes a good battle scene, and he convincingly conveys the misery that formed much of Temujin's youth. I will definitely read the next volume in this series, and look forward to it eagerly.
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