Michelle read and liked Sandi's review of Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, Book 1):

"I started Genghis Birth of an Empire with a bit of trepidation. It starts out like a book for teenage boys. Indeed, it is a book that should have a great deal of appeal to teenage boys. Shortly after I did my eyeroll over brotherly rivalry and im...more I started Genghis Birth of an Empire with a bit of trepidation. It starts out like a book for teenage boys. Indeed, it is a book that should have a great deal of appeal to teenage boys. Shortly after I did my eyeroll over brotherly rivalry and impending manhood, I really got sucked into the story. In many ways, this book reminded me more of epic fantasy than historical fiction. A young prince finds himself in the lowest of situations, facing death. He finds a way to survive and rises to his intended greatness. The Mongolian setting is not unlike a setting in a fantasy novel. I usually think of historical fiction as being more romantic and less epic.

I knew very little about Genghis Khan when I started this novel. For one, I had no idea that his life and conquests were so heavily documented. In his afterward, Iggulden says that he relies heavily on primary sources for the history in this novel. He manages to take that documentation and create characters that truly come alive. His portrayal of Temujin's mother was excellent. A very minor gripe for me was that Iggulden never tells us when the story is taking place. Looking online, I found that Ghengis Khan lived from 1162 to 1227 A.D. I had no idea that his reign was so recent and I wish Iggulden had included that information in his otherwise excellent afterword.

Now, I'm not going to pretend that this is great literature or even a good history. It's neither. However, Genghis Birth of an Empire is a wonderfully entertaining read that also managed to teach me about a piece of history I knew nothing about.(less) "