Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the World By Leo De Hartog

Saber Charge

Born into a minor faction of divided Mongol tribes, Temujin would rise to become emperor of half the world and leader of a united Mongol aristocracy. How’d he do it? Secimation of peoples and lands, yes, but also through the careful and good choices in appointing military leaders and government officials.

Archers Forward

Although he does tend to blow over the many varied battles that range anywhere from Mongolia to China all the way through the Middle East to European Russia, De Hartog does an exemplary job of chronicling the life and time of the Great Khan. He doesn’t alone simply harp on the battles and mass executions which followed a Mongol conquest, either. He devotes an entire chapter to the governmental and day to day running of the conquered lands. Also he give a detailed account of how Genghis Khan’s opponents ran their empires and the struggles that helped bring them to their knees. Aside from his tendency to blow through battles, the other only real complaint is that he just sort of ends the book in an awkward place.

All in all, though the book made for excellent and exciting reading 6 out of 6