Customer Reviews

Genghis: Bones of the Hills

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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.

What a way to finish a GREAT series. I envy anyone who finds this series now because they didn't have to wait and pine away for the next book. As good as these books were I don't know how I did it! So when book #3 showed its face I knew I would put everything aside and enjoy another story by Conn.... which reminds me... I'm really hungry because I haven't eaten in three days! Ah well... it was nice to get back into the lives of Genghis, Temuge and his other brothers, Jochi and his other sons, and their unfortunate enemies. Woe to anyone who stands against or turns their back on Genghis. The man and the way he ruled, lived, trained, killed, and hunted can be summed up in just one word: brutal.

It was almost as if Genghis thought any form of niceness was a weakness and he would have nothing to do with that. Genghis roams the land and conquers everything he lays eyes on. His aspirations are large and he doesn't care how many warriors (including his own) he has to kill in order to complete that task. I love reading historical-fiction because I enjoy the brutality of the past. I love how armies would kill their enemies without any of the P.C. crap that we're seeing today. The ending of this book is extremely brutal right up to the last page. Actually I had to re-read it because I was like "wow". The way people treated honor and loyalty waaaaay back then is jaw dropping.

Conn, as usual, interweaves real history with creative license and brings us a simply amazing story and series. My appetite has also been whet because now I want to find out about his grandson Kublai, what others have to say about the Great Khan's death, and try to get a grasp of how big his empire was at the time. Mr. Iggulden has been a favorite of mine since the first Emperor book and reading his work have been one heck of a ride. I can't wait till my son is old enough to appreciate these books because they are truly very, very good.

**Oh, one more thing... what is that music playing in the background of Conn's interview? It's freaking awesome!**

Congratulations to Conn Iggulden. I was hooked with Genghis: Birth of an Empire, and now wish this series was much longer than three books. One of the best, if not the best, pieces of historical fiction ever written. Genghis: Bones of the Hills is gripping and probably the best of the series. Now that Ogedai has accepted his peoples oaths couldn't there be another book? And another, and another. Please.

Conn Iggulden is writing some of the most enjoyable historical fiction out there. He's not afraid from taking on big challenges, from a revisionist take on Julius Caesar to exploring the infamous but little known Genghis Khan of Mongolia. Like Bernard Cornwell, his battle scenes and research are impeccable, but this third book struggles to fill in the gaps in the personal story of arguably the most successful military leader of the pre-gunpowder age.

"Bones of the Hills" is the third book in the Genghis series. Genghis Khan is now triumphant, having taken on and beaten the Chin as well as the warlords of his homeland. Thanks to an unwise and unforgivable insult, Genghis turns his unbeatable armies loose in the Middle East. What ensues is a clash of two cultures that ends up in shocking losses and bloodshed on both sides. The battle scenes feature unrelenting slaughter, the madness of fighting elephants, and even a military quest to take out the legendary assassins, the clan on the Old Man of the Mountain.

When describing a battle scene, it's hard to beat Iggulden. But there are a bunch of other stories to be told here, and Iggulden's book gets a little uneven here. Supporting characters pop up and vanish without much of a sense of where they have been or where they are going, and indeed the most important event in the book comes completely out of left field.

So it is what it is. If you like Iggulden, you will read this book and enjoy it. But a better novel waits to be written about Genghis - and thanks to Iggulden whetting our appetites, I hope it comes soon.

If you like fantasy or pure fiction you might like this novel; however, if you like historical fiction you'll be disappointed.

The characters in the book are somewhat interesting and the struggles between a father and his two sons, one of which might not be his, are fascinating. That's the good part. The historical parts are too flawed, made up by the author to further some need I don't understand.

Not sure where to begin with the history, it's that bad. From all of the Mongols leaving China to the invasion of the Shaw's empire, everything is wrong. I understand the need to change small detail, to embellish facts or to expand personalities. What I do not understand is the wholesale disregard for history.

The Mongol army is one of the premiere armies in the history of warfare. It conquered more and with less than any comparable empire. The invasion of the Shaw's empire is a near perfect campaign. At one point in the campaign, four Mongols armies where marching toward the same city coming from the four main compass points. Basically none of this is discussed, you know the Mongols are mean warriors but you know nothing of the organization or planning that went into their way of war.

I wanted to like this book, it is OK at best.

I LOVED these books. I am starting the 3rd. I just could not put Genghis: Birth of an Empire and Genghis: Lords of the Bows down.

These books have kept me up until very late. I have to force myself to turn off the Kindle and go to sleep (usually about 1AM).

What a fascinating individual. I had no idea. I do love this author; and, I plan to read his books on ancient Rome.

I loved all three Genghis books. The "Bones of the Hills" is a great read. My only fear is that Conn might feel he is done. There is so much more to tell. I am hoping he goes three more generations. How about the conquest of Korea and the attempt of Japan. Why did they not pursue the Japanese on that first assult? Kuble in China would be interesting along with weaving in the story of Marco Polo. So much yet to tell. Don't leave it in the hands of another historical fiction writer.

JD Duncan

PS, Leaving for my fourth Mongolian humanitarian trip on May 4. I need another good historical novel to feed my spirit.

I love this series. Compared to his other Genghis books and Caesar books it is lacking, but lets be honest... your going to read it anyways. Why? Because it is lacking only compared to his other phenomenal books and who can stop in a middle of a series. It still deserves four stars compared to all books in this genre.