Genghis: Bones of the Hills (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: young wolves, black airag, own tuman, Yao Shu, The Old Man, Great Khan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The exciting third novel in Iggulden's Genghis Khan series tells the dramatic story of the Mongol invasion and conquest of Central Asia. Genghis has already defeated the Chinese and Koreans, and now marches his vast army west to punish and conquer the Muslim lands of central Asia ruled by Shah Mohammed. For eight years the Mongols ravage the shah's empire, crushing armies, destroying cities and slaughtering anyone who resists. Iggulden's vivid descriptions of bloody battles, masterful sieges and political intrigue are gripping, showcasing Genghis's brilliance as a strategist, tactician, administrator and leader. Side plots include the deadly rivalry between two of Genghis's sons, the rape and murder of Genghis's sister by a trusted adviser, the surprising rise of the shah's son as a capable enemy and the treachery of Genghis's son toward his father. This is epic historical fiction at its finest: exciting, suspenseful, colorful and well-grounded in fact. With this tale, it is easy to see why the name Genghis is synonymous with conquest and military genius. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Genghis Khan continues his conquest of Asia in the third installment of Iggulden’s stirring epic (following Genghis: Lords of the Bow, 2008, and Genghis: Birth of an Empire, 2007). As Genghis and his armies push into central Asia, they are challenged by the crafty and powerful Shah Mohammed. The Arabs prove to be formidable enemies, and the Mongols spend years attempting to defeat them. Meanwhile, Genghis is threatened by forces within his own camp as two of his sons vie for influence among factions of warriors. Iggulden’s mastery of the battle scene is in evidence as the brutally long campaign rages on. This appropriately page-turning treatment of a sweeping historical saga will appeal to fans of gritty combat fiction. --Margaret Flanagan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385339534
• ISBN-13: 978-0385339537
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,371 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Ending, March 28, 2009

By	David F. Mamrak "Mamrak" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the final book in the three novel arc on the life of Genghis Khan written by Conn Iggulden. I found it to be the best of three and a very interesting read. As you can imagine there are many battle scenes, but there is also much intrigue in Genghis's world. He finds many enemies within his own family and warriors as on the grassy plains and mountains of Asia. It is best to start with the first book of this trilogy and read all the way to this final book. Five stars and well worth your time.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite finale to the trilogy, April 8, 2009

By	Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Conn Iggulden claimed several days of my life reading the three novels comprising his Genghis adventure - and how I wish he would continue to more volumes.

Iggulden is simple the contemporary master of historical fiction. (Please note, these volumes are historical FICTION, not histories. Far too many people think that historical fiction is supposed to be a history volume. Wrong.)

In Genghis, Iggulden follows the rise of the eldest son of the khan (leader) of a small, but fierce tribe of Mongol leaders. After his father is ambushed and dies an agonizing death, Genghis's claim to the khanship is usurped and his family left behind to starve or be killed by lawless wanderers.

The first two novels detail the ascension of Genghis as he pulls together the constantly warring tribes into a single Mongol nation - that then attacks its eternal enemy, the Chin. Each book is rich in historical fact, legend and invention.

The third volume has Genghis, now the Great Khan, in Arab lands, avenging an insult to the Mongols from a satrap of the Shah. As you might expect from a man and people whose life from childhood to death revolved around war, there are extensive battle scenes which Iggulden handles with a perfect touch. You can smell the sweat, the horses, the blood, the death. You can feel the stoicism with which both Muslims and Mongols fight to the death.

Iggulden invents a family and tribal life for Genghis that embodies the few facts that are known and many of the myths and legends. There are the eldest sons ,Jochi, possibly a bastard product of rape, and Chagatai, Genghis's second, who are engaged in an increasingly savage sibling rivalry. Two wives sharing Genghis have their own conflicts. Genghis' generals, faithful onto death, have their own feelings to contend with.

It is, in all, a tour de force. Iggulden weaves in the Assassins (whom the Mongols did repeatedly attempt to quash), a Buddhist holy man, a vile Mongolian shaman, Arab princes, merchants and mercenaries, the Chin(ese), even some Russians whose lives were cut short.

Iggulden evokes an age when death was a constant companion to all. Not only death by natural causes and disease, but violent death, such as that suffered by the 163,000 captured by Mongols who were put to death by the sword as a lesson to the Muslim lands.

"Genghis" in its entirety is a compelling narrative of what life was like in the day of Genghis. It is, in a word, breathtaking and this third and final volume is the best of the lot.

Jerry

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fictional Biography of great historical conqueror, June 27, 2009

By	The Institute - See all my reviews

Good historical fiction, well written and the writer has in depth knowledge of his subject matter. The life of Genghis Khan written in the form of a novel. The emotional level expressed is a monotone as there is no humor or romance or levity of any kind, just relentless and ruthless struggle for power fueled by a harsh view of the world and a resentful attitude towards rivals that had traditionally held the upper hand (i.e. the Chinese). This one dimensional portrayal may be entirely accurate and appropriate for the subject matter and I would imagine that it reflects whatever historical records that exist, but I would be interested to see if there are other dimensions to this man that managed to unite the fractious Mongol tribes and conquer perhaps the largest swath of territory ever united under one ruler. I came away with a grim feeling of a man and a group of men that wanted power for its own sake without any positive ideology. History shows that tribal life and mentality has a central core value of "us" vs "them" with the assumed idea that one aspires to raid the neighboring tribe to steal his women, chattel, belongings and to kill the rival warriors. That view point makes human beings look like packs of snarling dogs, with no cultural creations of mitigating value.