A review by emjay24
Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden

4.0

I read Iggulden‘s Caesar series and enjoyed it, so I finally got around to starting his Conqueror series, about Genghis Khan. This first book begins with his father, and then tells the tale of Temujin (Genghis’s original name) and his boyhood, and how he came to unite the tribes. There’s nonstop action, as he goes from being son of a respected Khan to having pretty much less than nothing, then raising himself back up again, with the help of his mother, brothers, and others. The book ends when Temujin is probably in his early 20’s and gives himself his famous name. Temujin actually wrote an autobiography back at some point in his life. The original was lost, but it still exists in translation, and that seems to be a primary source of facts for this volume. I got caught right into the story, and the large book went fast. I learned about Genghis and his family freshman year in college, in history class, but to be honest, I don’t remember much and it didn’t go into this much detail, so I’m excited to read more and see what happens.