Genghis: Birth of an Empire: A Novel (The Khan Dynasty) Paperback – July 13, 2010

Where to begin? It was such an amazing series!I love historical fictions, they give you a front row seat into how our world was shaped while breathing life into long dead people. This series did that and MORE!I recommend starting at the first book and, if you are half as into these books as I was, you won't be able to put them down.Pros:- Battle scenes, very descriptive and exciting. I would like to congratulate the author on keeping the types of battles written throughout the series fresh and interesting. They fought constantly for generations but always a new location, new odds, new strategy, new obstacles. Very EXCITING!-Character development. The number of characters is never overwhelming and you become emotionally invested in their lives. They have varying personalities, goals, dreams, while still keeping a bit of humor.-Extremely well written-Great mix of historical fact and page turning dramas. I really enjoyed understanding the life of the Mongols. They are strong people. Very impressive.-Scenery descriptions, I loved the changes in scenery and I have a much deeper understanding of the climate and environment of the Mongol, Asian, and Islamic parts of the world. Plus the struggles that had to over come to survive and conquer.-Assassins~! Only the Mongols would take on assassin strong holds...The author truly captures the essence of this book in his final note:"This story began as a single starving family, hunted and alone on the plains of Mongolia -- and ends with Kublai Khan ruling an empire larger than that of Julius Ceaser or Alexander the Great. Over just three generations, that is simply the greatest rags-to-riches tale in human history" Conn IgguldenI am now going to read his Ceaser series and any other historical fiction Conn Iggulden writes!!WONDERFUL!!!!

Life on the steppes of northeastern Asia in the 13th Century was tough. On a backdrop of endless frozen tundra traveled by fierce Nomadic tribes, Conn Iggulden winds an entirely engrossing saga of Temujin, the son of a local warlord, who is destined to become the legendary conqueror and scourge of the west, Genghis Khan.Following the death of his father, twelve-year old Temujin, his mother, Hoelun, brothers, and infant sister are cast out by the treacherous new leader of his native Blue Wolf tribe, left on Mongolia's barren plains without food, shelter, or weapons with winter approaching. Through Hoelin's ingenuity and sheer determination, the family survives against all odds, strengthening Temujin's already-iron will and igniting the spark of vengeance in him and his brothers. Iggulden follows up with a swashbuckling drama of cliffhangers and suspense as gripping, and certainly more bloody, than the best pop thrillers. Told at a lively pace without unnecessary baggage as Temujin, now merely eighteen, succeeds in uniting the disparate and warring Mongol tribes to stand down the Tartar raiders from the north."Genghis: Birth of an Empire", is one of those rare gems of historical fiction that is as entertaining as it is illuminating and educational. The research was exceptional, from Mongol "sky burials", to a uniquely brutal brand of cannibalism, to the life the northern Asian warrior's life on steppes - able to survive for days on end using their ponies not only for transportation, but also by tapping into a vein for sustenance. Since the details of Genghis Khan's childhood are sketchy at best, my initial assumption was that most of the author's content was speculation, heavily embellished to maintain a lively pace and hold reader interest. To my surprise, further checking confirmed the basics of the young khan's early days as depicted here, while not without some well placed poetic license, sticks closely to the facts as recorded, painting a vivid and noble portrait of the young general.In short, authoritative and inspirational, told in light and easy prose; a fun read well worth the time, and a worthy opening to the epic of Genghis Khan that Iggulden will clearly be continuing in subsequent volumes. I'm looking forward to the encore.

Well-paced story, good writing

Enjoyed this first book of the "Conqueror" series very much. For me it combined the best of historical fiction, with a seemingly thorough enough research and a plot-driven story full of action that didn't make it feel like an history lesson (I'm buried in history in my daily life, so when I pick a book that has nothing to do with my own fairly narrow field, I want to enjoy the story and learn without feeling that an history lesson or customs of unknown culture were forced on me - in other words, historical fiction, in my opinion, should be entertaining and not only enriching).Well, Temujin's story in this first book of the series answered this criteria of mine perfectly. It was difficult to put down and between one action-tension-filled-scene and another I found myself on the edge of my seat and sneaking more reading when I needed to do other things. They leapt from the pages so very alive for me, Temujin, his brothers, especially Kachiun and Khasar, his mother Hoelun and his father Yesugei, his future wife Borte. The whole scenery around them, their customs and way of life, were more than fascinating, recreated again with liveliness and no attempt to "europenize" those, not to my knowledge (which again is absolutely minimal when it comes to the Mongolian People, so I can't vouch for the authenticity, but to me the story felt authentic enough, presented in a natural way. I felt the same reading "Shogun" - one moment a completely outlandish custom, a few chapters later I can't see a more natural behavior and horrified when this or that character doesn't follow it or doesn't understand. To me it's the best of historical fiction, to be able to put reader into a foreign-to-him setting so naturally and smoothly.)I already started on the book two. Hope it will be as good.