My friend Shreya recommended Conn Iggulden's The Emperor Series to read on the excruciatingly long flight from California to New Delhi, but owing to the fact that all the book stores near my home have closed down, I couldn't get my hand on the books. Anyways, I landed in Delhi and came home to find the first book from Conn Iggulden's The Conqueror Series, sitting on the shelf.
I read the book in a few days and it has been one of the best reads this year. As I started reading, I knew I was being plunged into an epic. The story of Genghis Khan, spans three books and Wolf of the Plains begins with his birth. Abandoned on the plains by his tribe after his father's death, with his brothers and mother, the book shows the determination of Genghis as a boy and his dream of becoming a Khan. It is a fascinating journey of his survival, his immense will and the forming of the vision of uniting all the tribes as a nation.
What makes this book really interesting is the character of Genghis. One sees him in his moments of complete despair and humiliation, and how they make him what he is. His bond to his father and how even as a child he has been taught to mask his fear by putting on a "cold face." His mother Hoelum is also a strong character. It is interesting how the women who are chosen to be wives are chosen on the basis of their strength and ability to bear children, rather than physical beauty.
Besides Genghis himself, one can actually visualize the other characters, the setting and the battles. The book transports you to the bitter cold of the plains where the tribes struggle for their mere survival and how they are ultimately and reluctantly forged into a nation. Conn Iggulden makes the characters and the action leap from the pages and capture one's imagination. It is historical fiction at it's best.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series and the continuation of Genghis Khan's journey as he goes on to become a legend!
