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arkobla 's review for:
The Mongoliad: Book One
by Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Erik Bear
This book has a myriad of authors and I don't know what or how this came about. I saw Neal Stephenson's name on this and needed an audio book for help during my travels so I picked it up.
Overall, I enjoyed it. I need to go back and check on the reader, however, because he definately helped. He was able to use about 10 different (and well done) voices throughout the book and made the listening a pleasure.
The story has two major plot lines. The first is a group of knights who decide they will travel deep into the mongol territory in order to kill the Kagan. (Khan). This is a fairly straight forward story that is made enjoyable by the different personalities of the knights and the occasional combat between the knights and the mongols.
The second storyline is about a mongol emmissary from one Khan sent to another Khan's court (both son's of the late Ghengis), to tell him that he is drinking too much. Obviously, this is not an easy mission as Khans do what they like and be damned to anyone else who tells them otherwise. An older member of the court takes a liking to the emmissary and trains him in the way s of the court, as it is vastly different than life on the steppes. To do this, he uses a chinese woman/slave who teaches him about the court.
Ultimately, this is a true first part and doesn't resolve any of the storylines. When you buy a book 1, I guess you run this risk. Ultimately, in was an intriguing story about a time period I normally wouldn't pay much attention to. I will search out the Audio versions of Books 2 & 3 to finish the stories.
Overall, I enjoyed it. I need to go back and check on the reader, however, because he definately helped. He was able to use about 10 different (and well done) voices throughout the book and made the listening a pleasure.
The story has two major plot lines. The first is a group of knights who decide they will travel deep into the mongol territory in order to kill the Kagan. (Khan). This is a fairly straight forward story that is made enjoyable by the different personalities of the knights and the occasional combat between the knights and the mongols.
The second storyline is about a mongol emmissary from one Khan sent to another Khan's court (both son's of the late Ghengis), to tell him that he is drinking too much. Obviously, this is not an easy mission as Khans do what they like and be damned to anyone else who tells them otherwise. An older member of the court takes a liking to the emmissary and trains him in the way s of the court, as it is vastly different than life on the steppes. To do this, he uses a chinese woman/slave who teaches him about the court.
Ultimately, this is a true first part and doesn't resolve any of the storylines. When you buy a book 1, I guess you run this risk. Ultimately, in was an intriguing story about a time period I normally wouldn't pay much attention to. I will search out the Audio versions of Books 2 & 3 to finish the stories.