Genghis: Birth of an Empire, by Conn Iggulden

I have a passion for historical fiction. Conn Iggulden’s Genghis: Birth of an Empire (which published in the UK as Wolf of the Plains) is the kind of book that increases this passion in me. It is at the same time a wonderful piece of fiction and also a book that provides a glimpse into the life of the mysterious Genghis Khan. This is historical fiction of the first order.Genghis: Birth of an Empire, by Conn Iggulden Iggulden has previously authored the bestselling Emperor series on the life of Julius Caesar, and is an excellent craftsman.

Iggulden has been inspired by Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan, which supposedly is the leading primary source into the life and times of Genghis Khan, to weave a fantastic story that moves at a pleasant pace from the birth of Temujin to his first unification of the warring Mongol tribes, after which he assumes the title Genghis, claiming his birthright as the rightful khan of the Wolves.

This book is the first of a series about Genghis Khan. Still, it has both the plot and the content to be read as a standalone novel. And there is nothing unresolved by the end. Iggulden weaves a spellbinding story of an exotic and "unforgiving land" and the enigmatic young man — charismatic, a brilliant tactician and capable "of utter ruthlessness" — who sets out to tame it.

A book that may interest you:

The Bloody White Baron, by Jamels PalmerThe Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia, by James Palmer, tells an enourmously interesting real life story of the rise and fall of Baron Ungern-Sternberg - a demented, sagage and grotesque story of the man that became the last Khan of Mongolia.

The future conqueror Temujin, the name meaning a man of iron, is born to the khan (ruler) of a hard Mongol tribe that roams central Asia's steppes in the 12th century. The Mongols are constantly warring with the Tartars, while both parties are influenced by and manipulated by the Chinese.

When his father is killed by Tartar raiders, a rival claims the tribe, assumes the title of Khan, and banishes Temujin's family. Left behind without resources when the tribe migrates, the family struggles with nature and enemies to survive in the harsh environment. Thus Temujin is hardened and becomes a hard and tough warrior.

But, having been raised as a Khan's son, he still dreams of being Khan - he even feels destined to become one – and starts gathering outcasts into a new tribe. Then he begins raiding Tartar camps. And as his fame spreads, Temujin launches an ambitious campaign to unite the Mongol tribes "after a thousand years of warfare" into a single people, defeat the Tartars and invade China.

This is a really epic piece of work. To research it, Iggulden even spent time in Mongolia, and it shows. One of the strengths of "Genghis" lie in Iggulden's depiction of the extremely harsh Mongolian landscape and the life scraped out by its inhabitants. Genghis: Birth of an Empire is a gem of historical fiction – very, very entertaining at the same time as it is illuminating and educational. I strongly recommend it!

Links to the Genghis Khan series and The Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan (C & T Asian Culture Series) at amazon UK, amazon US: Genghis Khan, and amazon CAN: Iggulden: Genghis and The Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan.
See also our reviews of Iggulden's series about Rome - The Emperor series!

Genghis: Lords of the Bow, by Conn Iggulden

Genghis: Lords of the Bow is the second book in Conn Iggulden’s Genghis: Lords of the BowConqueror series of historical fiction novels on the life of Genghis Khan. The first book, Genghis: Birth of an Empire dealt with Genghis Khan’s younger years and with the process of unifying the Mongol tribes. This book starts after Genghis unifies the tribes and defeats the Tartars, and deals with the conquest of the Chinese empires.

Mongol life is a hard life under very harsh natural conditions. The Mongols are masters of the bow and excellent horse riders, and can shoot accurately even from the back of a horse. They had the ability to move far and fast. They also knew how to use the sword. But with the unification of the Mongol nation, Genghis also brought into Mongol culture and Mongol warfare a number of new elements: Genghis was not a man of great learning, but a man very interested in new technologies that could be used in war. Thus he learned about armor and equipped his men with iron armor, as well as other new technologies.

Genghis Kahn and his Mongol "horde" were extremely brutal. Genghis was famous for being able to quickly transport his army into an area and deploy for battle instantly, but he was also a master of intelligence, deception, and terror. He rarely went on a conquest without sending out extensive spies to determine the lay of the land and of his enemies. He knew well how to use traumatized survivors to spread fear to the next target.

In Genghis: Lords of the Bow, the Mongols sweep through northern China and destroy city after city using catapults that smash through the walls protecting them. Genghis moves in the direction of Yenking (modern Beijing), the capital of the Jin kingdom, and the Emperor deploys his crack troops to guard a pass in the mountains called the Badger’s Mouth and block the Mongols.

Using deception and attacks from several sides, the Mongol army crushes the Jin forces. The Mongols destroy almost all of the imperial army, and move on to the capital itself and lay siege.

Again Conn Iggulden does a great job in describing the world of the Mongols, as well as their meeting with the alien Chinese culture. I liked Genghis: Lords of the Bow. It is fast paced, the battles are well described, and the story is well told. Also, the book is entertaining. This is an epic story, and it is well written. However, I think Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Wolf of the Plains in UK) was actually better than the follow up.

Genghis: Bones of the Hills, by Conn Iggulden

The third book of the Conqueror series about Genghis Khan is spellbinding. This book tells the dramatic story of the Mongol invasion and conquest of Central Asia, as far as modern Iran and Iraq.

Genghis, the great warrior who lives for his fights, has united Genghis: Bones of the Hills, Conn Iggulden the tribes and organized their armies into an effective military machine. He has sent emissaries out to places he has so far not conquered. Now he finds that some of his emissaries have been mutilated and killed, and that has efforts to set up peaceful trade have been rebuffed.

This is not a state of affairs that Genghis will tolerate. So, he marches his vast army west to punish and conquer the Muslim lands of central Asia ruled by Shah Mohammed, and prepares take war to the offenders. He lays siege, prepared to wipe out an Arab city with a garrison of 20.000. Then he learns that the Shah is on his way with a huge force, well equipped and far outnumbering his own forces.

Genghis: Bones of the Hills has vivid descriptions of bloody battles and of masterful sieges. It is also full of political intrigue. My respect for Genghis as a leader, strategist, tactician, and man increased a lot reading this book. The story is well superbly told by Conn Iggulden, who also throws in a number of interesting side plots, including treachery, a deadly rivalry between two of Genghis' sons, rape and murder of Genghis' sister, and rise of the shah's son as a capable enemy.

This is historical fiction at its best. It is very exciting to read, it is fact-based, and it is told as a grand tale. The pace in this book just never lets up! And Genghis Khan, of course, is an exhilarating and heroic figure. Bones of the Hills is a compelling read. I already find myself looking forward to the next book in the series!

Links to the Genghis Khan series and The Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan (C & T Asian Culture Series) at amazon UK, amazon US: Genghis Khan, and amazon CAN: Iggulden: Genghis and The Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan.

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