Product Description

The powerful and exhilarating third novel in Conn Iggulden's No. 1 bestselling Conqueror series, following the life and adventures of the mighty Genghis Khan The fatherless boy, exiled from his tribe, whom readers have been following in 'Wolf of the Plains' and 'Lords of the Bow', has grown into the great king, Genghis Khan. He has united the warring tribes and even taken his armies against the great cities of their oldest enemies. Now he finds trouble rising west of the Mongolian plains. His emissaries are mutilated or killed; his trading gestures rebuffed. So, dividing his armies, using his sons as generals of the various divisions, he sends them out simultaneously in many directions, ranging as far as modern Iran and Iraq. As well as discovering new territories, exacting tribute from conquered peoples, laying waste the cities which resist, this policy is also a way of diffusing the rivalries between his sons and heirs and working out who should succeed the khan. This, the third book in the Conqueror series, is once more an epic story. Genghis Khan is an exhilarating and heroic figure. The sense of his ambition and his power, the relationships with his wives, sons and trusted aides, the sweep of his conquests, is all brought together by a masterful storytelling. It is a compelling read. With each book, you are left, even more, longing for the next.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #644 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 560 pages

Amazon.co.uk

One can only hope that the phenomenal success of his co-authored The Dangerous Book for Boys does not take attention away from the prodigious storytelling skills of Conn Iggulden. As Bones of the Hills forcefully reminds us, Iggulden is the real deal when it comes to historical fiction on the grandest scale. And here, all of his characteristic skills are well to the fore.

A boy was abandoned in the wilderness by his tribe -- but he did not die. As those Iggulden admirers who have read Wolf of the Plains and Lords of the Bow will know, this luckless boy has grown into one of the most feared and powerful figures in history, Genghis Khan. He has persuaded the tribes that had been tearing each other to pieces to ignore their differences and unite under his leadership to battle their oldest enemies. Under his ruthless (and ferociously inspired) leadership, a mighty nation has been forged. But this is only the beginning of his struggles: Khan sends out emissaries, but they are tortured and killed. He attempts to open trade routes; his efforts are met with violent rebuff. Soon, the Mongolian army is stretched to the furthest corners of Khan's realm, and destruction looms.

This is epic storytelling on a nigh-operatic scale. Iggulden has long been the master of the broad brush stroke and conjures up the ancient world with great panache. Of course, the success of a book such as Bones of the Hills depends on the vivid characterisation of its larger-than-life central character, and of the many novels which have attempted to capture Genghis Khan, none have mastered the task as successfully as Conn Iggulden.
--Barry Forshaw

Review
Praise for Lords of the Bow 'Iggulden is in a class of his own when it comes to epic, historical fiction.' Daily Mirror 'Iggulden's Khan is superbly drawn' Daily Mail 'Written with great pace and panache, its battle scenes are both stirring and elegant' Daily Mail 'Iggulden!tells an absolutely cracking story!the pace is nail-biting and the set dressing magnificent.' The Times 'Iggulden weaves an entertaining tale of this world of men,swords, bows and the call of war and the plains.' Daily Express '...every bit as addictive as his Emperor books.' The Bookseller 'a well crafted and interesting journey!the love of the adventure tale is very much apparent in his writing.' International Express 'This book does not disappoint and will no doubt leave you desperate for more.' South Wales Argus Praise for Wolf of the Plains: 'I felt as if a blockbuster movie was unfolding before me and a blockbuster movie will surely emerge from this. Read the book before Hollywood takes it over ' Daily Express 'This is energetic, competent stuff; Iggulden knows his material and his audience ' Independent 'Epic historical fiction at its finest; enthralling, exciting and utterly believable. Volume two is eagerly awaited ' Yorkshire Evening Post

Independent
`This is energetic, competent stuff; Iggulden knows his material and his audience.'

Customer Reviews

The Best Yet...
This has been nothing but a massive achievement for Conn Iggulden. To follow up on Emperor with Genghis Khan was a massive risk as the story doesn't have the same level of interest we associate with Caesar and Rome, but it has paid off spectacularly.
The story began with the Wolfs of the Plains and how a young Genghis managed to comeback from being rejected by his tribe to uniting them all under the same banner. The second book continued with Genghis's first main campaigns in which the Mongol tribes came against armies much larger and more advanced from their own and of course the epic Badger Pass.
One of my main worries about this book was that the sheer scale of the Lords of the Bow could not be surpassed, but in a way this book managed to equal or at least better it. Instead of constant victories we have something more. The story between Genghis and his sons is excellent and we also get encounter some resistance from the Muslim prince who sees it as his destiny to defeat Genghis in the name of Islam.

Like all his previous books once you pick them up, they're impossible to put down. Another epic.

The Best Yet...
What can I say, the best book of the series. All three books are superb but this is the icing on the cake. Like the last review I believe the risk he took writing about Khan after the equally superb Emperor series was a true testament to Conn's writing ablaties. It's not easy getting people to read about someone not very known compared to cesar but he did it and produced some of the finest books in the Conqueror series and with Bones of the Hills he draws you in futher to this fasanating man. Buy the other two and enjoy the read. I did.

The Epics Continue
Like most others who read Iggulden's works, I have read both Emperor also. At first I couldn't see Genghis Khan being as easy to adapt to as the legendary figure of Julius, but Conn Iggulden simply proved most of us wrong.

Iggulden has the skill to make a flowing piece of historical fiction which brings to life personalities of epic figures in history whom we all wish we could understand on a more human-level. This book continues explaining how Genghis turns from boy to a ruthless and legendary figure and that development carries the book series from strength to strength.

One note I feel is work mention is that as with the Emperor series we start to see a slight detachment from what Genghis is feeling inside, and his emotion seems to become detached and what he feels seems to be explained more by his generals than Iggulden's direct explanation of his thinking. I suppose this makes sense considering it creates a more substantial aura of the Khan, changing into a figure beyond belief. I personally found it worked, but missed the opportunity to be told his direct feelings unlike his childhood in the earlier books.

All in all it is a brilliant piece of writing, and no one can bring historical figures like this to life like this author. Enjoy the read!