Book Review – “Khan: Empire of Silver” by Conn Iggulden
“Khan: Empire of Silver” by Conn Iggulden
From the Synopsis:
“Genghis Khan is dead, but his legend and his legacy live on. His son Ogedai has built a white city on a great plain and made a capital for the new nation. Now the armies have gathered to see which of Genghis’ sons has the strength to be khan. The Mongol empire has been at peace for two years, but whoever survives will face the formidable might of their great enemy, China’s Song dynasty.”
Conn Iggulden (author of the Emperor series on the life of Julius Caesar) brings us the fourth in his Conqueror series covering the history of the Mongols. The book begins with a very unhorde-like activity…building a city. But quickly moves into palace intrigues as Genghis’ heir, the ailing Ogedai, moves to thwart his brother’s attempt to assassinate him and take over the assembled nation. From there, Iggulden takes us on a roaring ride—all battles, military strategy, and new weapons (including proto-cannons)—lots of blood, death, and unimaginable destruction. Not having lived in or studied this time period, I couldn’t say if it accurately reflects the thinking of the time, but it felt visceral and grounded in the known facts. Iggulden makes good use of everyday details from food, drink, clothes, geography and shamanism to build a world and give us access to it. (more…)
