Customer Reviews

The earth is the Lord's: A tale of the rise of Genghis Khan

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For Taylor Caldwell's legions of fans, this novel provides her usual wealth of historical detail and finely drawn characters. The book covers the early life of the great conqueror, focusing primarily on characters: his stern and indomitable mother, the cynical and outcast uncle who educates him, his manipulative wife Bortei, the boyhood friends who become his generals and paladins, and his blood brother Jamuga, who is both his dearest friend and bitterest enemy. Caldwell provides considerable rationale for the Genghis Khan's later spectacular career of conquest, which is not covered in the book. The novel draws a hugely colorful and very detailed portrait of life in Central Asia during the Middle Ages: from nomadic desert tribes, to wealthy and decadent cities like Samarkand, to the decaying empires of China. For lovers of colorful historical fiction, this book is quite a treat!

I randomly came accross this book when gaining some interest in history's true barbarians. I decided to give it a try and was pleased I did so. The book covers the earlier part of Genghis Khan's life, tracing many events and relationships that help the reader understand how Genghis Kahn came to rule and terrorize most of Asia. The book also provides interesting insight into the nomadic lifestyle during that time. Caldwell does a great job of mixing in spirituality into the story, which also contains plenty of action. I flew through this book.......