Lowly’s Book Blog

This is going to be a fun review. As soon as I closed the last page, my husband snatched the book and got started. From there it is going to my father-in-law. So I will need to write a review relying on my memory.

Temujin is the second son of his tribe’s leader. He was only eleven when his father was killed in an ambush. Although tribal tradition indicated that Temujin’s older brother should become leader, there is a coup and the young family is cast out of the tribe and left to starve. We know Temujin better as Ghenghis Khan, so obviously he didn’t starve. This book traces his early life, the years of hardship, and his gradual gathering of men to form one of the greatest fighting forces of all time. The book ends with Temujin looking longingly at China.

Iggulden has previously written a series of four books about the life of Julius Caesar. He demonstrated in that series that there was no way he was going to let historical fact get in the way of a good story. As a youth I fancied myself somewhat of a Latin scholar, so this approach disturbed me. Fortunately I know very little of the historical fact behind the life of Ghengis Khan, so I simply went along for the ride.

And what a ride!! This books catches you up and sweeps you along with the adventure. Hours disappear, and there is no place in the story to slow down, stop and reflect. In fact as I was reading this book, sleep became a luxury.