Tag: historical fiction about central asia

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genghis: Birth of an Empire is a thrilling, historically accurate rendition of Genghis Khan’s journey to adulthood, filled with betrayal, brotherhood, revenge, and daring feats of battle across the brutal yet gloriously beautiful Mongolian steppes.

This is the first book I read in 2026 and the first I’ve truly enjoyed in over a year! I had an unfortunate reading slump in 2025 – nothing really hit the spot. A great way to kick off the new year.

Writing: 5/5

The writing style is beautiful – from the first chapter I was making happy noises to myself about the phrasings. There’s a great mix of narrative exposition and close scenes that enables the book to cover about 20 years of time with excellent pacing, thrilling fights, emotional content, and historic information.

Accuracy: 5/5

I really appreciated the author’s note at the end which explained the research he did and the few small changes he made for the sake of storytelling – on the whole, this definitely seems like an accurate telling, and I learned a lot about Mongolian traditions and the background of Genghis Khan – I knew nothing about his personal history except for the early loss of his father.

I really appreciated all the details about horsemanship and archery, life on the plains, and their brutal “survival of the fittest” mentality with no real rule of law in the land. Apparently, the right time to loose an arrow while riding at full gallop is the moment when all 4 hooves are off the ground, because there’s no chance of the shot being jolted off course. Insane. I absolutely recommend this for worldbuilding research if you’re a fantasy writer with any cultures centered around warfare and horses.

Characters: 5/5

The villains in this story are so hateable! It’s been a while since I’ve been so excited to see the villain finally get it – man, he needed to die! I was fully consumed with Temujin’s rage and thirst for revenge. I found myself actually holding my breath and leaning forward on my seat, gritting my teeth as he’s beaten and betrayed, nearly killed, and yet still manages to come out on top. This poor kid (and everyone he cares about) just can’t catch a break. It wasn’t long before the brutal conquest for which he is known started to sound pretty appealing.

I never expected to relate to Genghis Khan (birth name Temujin)… that’s the power of fiction. Temujin is actually really likeable, though the author does not minimize his very real character faults. He is ambitious and arrogant, but also deeply loyal to his family and clan – which makes it all the more heart wrenching when he is betrayed. He has a pure love of the Mongolian way of life that is contagious – my heart was in my throat as I enjoyed alongside him the thrill of riding, the banter between brothers, the tenacity required to scale a cliff face to steal a great eagle’s chicks, and his raw athleticism and skill with the bow even as a child.

He says, “my word is iron and iron does not break.” He is a deeply passionate person, driven by determination to be excellent, a stubborn refusal to die, and sheer, absolute audacity. This is absolutely adult fiction, but he might sound a bit like a YA character. With none of the infuriating elements though, because Iggulden is not afraid to show him fail and suffer the consequences of his actions. His grand rhetorical appeals to honor sometimes fall on deaf ears, and sometimes succeed, earning him the loyalty of great men.

He often acts reckless, but does not expect to come out unscathed. He clearly states that he does not expect to survive his most audacious act and is surprised that he manages to essentially BS and murder his way into the rulership of a clan. A YA character would strut around expecting to succeed and be shocked when they fail. Temujin is forced to become a man early – he knows his youth still predisposes him to recklessness and chooses older advisors to temper this inclination.

Content: 4/5

This was a very character-focused book, which surprised me in a way. I thought it’d be more plot (history) heavy, but I really loved how much this focused on cultural beliefs (what a marriage looks like, attitudes toward outsiders, hosting laws, the afterlife), family relationships, and the mental resilience required to not just survive a horrible event, but to thrive and rise again.

The reason I actually gave it 4 rather than 5 stars was because Temujin doesn’t really develop or change as a character. He starts out as a power-motivated, charismatic, talented boy, and ends the story as a powerful, charismatic, talented man and Khan. He is compelling, but actually pretty shallow aside from his unwavering loyalty to his family – “I want to kill my enemies and be great. Now I’ve killed my enemies, I want to be greater.” – which is entirely accurate to history! But it took me a while after I finished reading to articulate why, despite how much I enjoyed the characters, content, writing style, and emotional impact, it stood as a solid 4 star in my mind.

These are not deep people (there’s a reason the world doesn’t read Mongolian poetry, despite how far they conquered) – these characters overcome great hardships and earn their revenge and a place for their family again, but all they do is perpetuate the same cycle of blood-feuds and slaughter that destroyed them, with no belief or hope in anything greater – whether a god, the beauty of a civilization they might build, or even the lasting nature of their new clan bonds. It’s rather sad how nihilistic they are – kill, steal, drink, for tomorrow we die. This isn’t a fault on the author – in a way it shows how well he captured their attitude. But it does mean the tale can only make so much of an impact on readers.

This was a pretty intense story with a lot of R-rated content: mob rape, ritual executions, torture, fratricide, wholesale slaughter. So I definitely need a break from it, but I look forward to reading the sequels. I’m fascinated with how the Chinese were introduced near the end of the story and want to see how those politics lead into the war of expansion we all know.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and it was excellent. It would make an epic film!

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