Customer Reviews

Mongol Warrior 1200-1350

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This is a short but excellent and very comprehensive account of the Mongol warriors who terrorized Asia and Europe in the 13th century. Turnbull analyses many topics including weapons, armour, tactics, siege warfare, the Mongol horses and above all the everyday life of those infamous warriors. I think this is the best introduction one can have on the subject and, if he is fascinated by these people and their campaigns, he should go a step further, reading James Chambers' magnificent book "The Devil's Horsemen".

The illustrations are the main point of these series of illustrated primer books on niche subjects. If so, the illustrations here are very disappointing, being crudely drawn, when compared to an earlier Osprey book on the Mongols by the same author but illustrated by Angus McBride. The text is merely there to support the illustrations.

This book is probably the best study out there on the life and experiences of the common Mongol warriors, and makes an extremely fascinating read. Wayne Reynolds provides eight excellent color plates for this title that really flesh out the text, as do some photographs of modern Mongol families and their ponies, weapons, and yurts. Some of the information is slightly repetitive from the previous men-at-arms title on the Mongols, but there is enough distinct information in this book to make it worth your money.