I think historical fiction is perhaps the guiltiest of my guilty pleasures, the genre where I am most willing to accept indifferent writing in exchange for plots, characters and settings which expand my knowledge of a particular historical period, even if some of the history has been chopped around to fit the story. Having read Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series, about Julius Caesar, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy him turning his attention to Ghengis Khan. In retrospect, his problem with the Emperor novels was that, however much the details of Caesar’s life are unknown to most, his sticky end is known to all (a similar problem is affecting Simon Scarrow’s Revolution series about Wellington and Napoleon). However, while most Westerners know who Ghengis Khan was, I bet there aren’t many who can tell you much more than ‘king of Mongol horde, rampaged all over Asia’. This allows the story to unfold with less pressure, and for me it makes it a much, much more satisfying read.

At the beginning of the story, the Mongols are divided in to a series of warring tribes, despite being ethnically homogenous – they fight each other and the Tartars on the vast plains of what is now Mongolia, with the vicious winters perhaps the most difficult enemy of all. The chief, or Khan, of the tribe known as the Wolves, is Yesugei, father to the child who will grow up to known as Ghengis Khan. As a boy, though, he is named Temujin, the second of six children, and as he grows he learns that he may one day inherit the leadership of the Wolves from his father. Before that can come to pass, when Temujin is twelve years old, his father is killed and his legacy is betrayed – Temujin, along with his mother, brothers and sister is cast out, not expected to last the winter.

The tale of his survival is deftly handled, as slowly at first but later with great assurance Temujin builds himself up from being a nomad without a tribe to being a considerable power on the steppe, demonstrating the capability to make difficult choices even at a young age. He raids the Tartars with a ragtag group of warriors and with his brothers as his lieutenants; discovers the alien Chin (Chinese) and their interference in the life of the steppe nomads; and begins the process of unifying the Mongol tribes to face the threat of a great Tartar army whose presence he has done everything to invite. By the end of the book, it’s clear that Tumujin is a man with big ideas.

Iggulden’s research, based on both historical records and on spending time in Mongolia, shines through the whole of this book. I think it captures the values of such an alien society very effectively indeed, and with well-written battle scenes and a dynamic yet very human hero, is a great example of a fictional historical biography. It’s highly recommended, and I shall be moving on to the second book, Lords of the Bow, very soon. There isn’t even any need to feel guilty…

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