Short description
Iggulden, the acclaimed author of the Emperor novels, which chronicle the life of Julius Caesar, now offers an account of the life of Genghis Khan.
Long description
He was born Temujin, the son of a khan, raised in a clan of hunters migrating across the rugged steppe. Temujin's young life was shaped by a series of brutal acts: the betrayal of his father by a neighboring tribe and the abandonment of his entire family, cruelly left to die on the harsh plain. But Temujin endured—and from that moment on, he was driven by a singular fury: to survive in the face of death, to kill before being killed, and to conquer enemies who could come without warning from beyond the horizon.
Through a series of courageous raids against the Tartars, Temujin's legend grew. And so did the challenges he faced—from the machinations of a Chinese ambassador to the brutal abduction of his young wife, Borte. Blessed with ferocious courage, it was the young warrior's ability to learn, to imagine, and to judge the hearts of others that propelled him to greater and greater power. Until Temujin was chasing a vision: to unite many tribes into one, to make the earth tremble under the hoofbeats of a thousand warhorses, to subject unknown nations and even empires to his will.
Review
Zesty historical fiction, the kind with plenty of unbridled combat, accurate research, rampaging hordes and believable characters from very different cultures whose motivation rings true across the centuries.... Invigorating. --Deirdre Donahue, USA Today
Iggulden writes with sweep and immediacy...the novel races along as swiftly and inexorably as its main character. -- Christian Science Monitor
Brilliantly imagined and addictive.... This is historical fiction of the first order. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
Compelling.... this is historical fiction writ large. --Military.com