Tag: historical fiction

Book Review – Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden (Historical Fiction Mongolia)

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Rating: 4/5 stars

My book review: Genghis: Birth of an Empire is a thrilling, historically rich 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. The pacing is excellent, balancing thrilling fights, emotional content, and historic information.

Accuracy: ?

I really appreciated the author’s endnote explaining his research and the few small changes he made for the sake of storytelling. On the whole, this seems like an accurate telling, though I don’t know much about this region’s history. I learned a lot about Mongolian traditions and the background of Genghis Khan. Before this, I knew nothing about his personal history except for the early loss of his father. They sure had a brutal “survival of the fittest” mentality with no real rule of law in the land.

I really appreciated all the details about horsemanship and archery and life on the Mongolian steppes. Apparently, the right time to loose an arrow is while riding at full gallop, when all 4 hooves come off the ground! Then the shot will not jolt off course. Insane. I absolutely recommend this for worldbuilding research if you write military fantasy.

Characters: 5/5

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. This 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 rose in my throat as I enjoyed the thrill of riding, the banter between brothers, the tenacity required to scale a cliff and to steal a great eagle’s chicks, and Temujin’s raw athleticism and skill with the bow even as a child.

He says, “my word is iron and iron does not break.” Temujin is a deeply passionate person, driven by a determination for excellence, a stubborn refusal to die, and sheer, absolute audacity. This is adult fiction, but he might sound a bit like a YA character. He has none of the infuriating elements of a YA hero though. Iggulden is not afraid to show him fail and suffer the consequences of his actions. His grand rhetoric sometimes falls on deaf ears, and other times succeeds, earning him the loyalty of great men.

Temujin 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. He 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 act 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.

Villains

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! Temujin’s rage and thirst for revenge fully consumed me. I found myself actually holding my breath and leaning forward on my seat, gritting my teeth as the mc is 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. Soon, the brutal conquest for which Genghis Khan is known started to sound pretty appealing.

Content: 4/5

This was a very character-focused book, which surprised me in a way. I thought it’d be more plot-heavy, but I really loved how much this focused on Mongolia’s cultural beliefs. What a marriage looks like, attitudes toward outsiders, hosting laws, and their opinion of the afterlife. The story also focused heavily on family relationships and the mental resilience required to survive a horrible event, and rise to thrive again.

I gave Genghis: Birth of an Empire 4, rather than 5, stars 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.” That mentality 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. They have no belief or hope in anything greater than themselves. Whether that be a god, the beauty of the 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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Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…

10 Historical Fiction Books Set in Ancient Times (NOT Egypt, Greece, or Rome): To Inspire Your Worldbuilding

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Apparently I’m in the minority, but I much prefer reading stories set in antiquity than in medieval times and on. Due to fragmentary or absent records, many people might not even consider books about ancient times to be “historical” fiction. Such stories do tend to incorporate much more of myth, legend, and folklore (which is perhaps why I love them).

For this reading list, I’ve compiled historical fiction books set in the BC era, with a focus on Bronze Age empires and civilizations. I love the Greco-Roman and Egyptian world, but they make up the bulk of ancient historical fiction. It can be hard to find novels from the perspectives of any other ancient cultures!

But I’ve wrangled up some options which are intricately researched and can help you expand your story’s worldbuilding beyond Medieval European or Mediterranean analogues (I would LOVE to read more “bronze age fantasy”).

  1. Historical fiction set in Mesopotamia
  2. Historical fiction set in North Africa
  3. Historical fiction set in the Americas
  4. Historical fiction set in ancient Europe
  5. Historical fiction set in Asia

This article contains affiliate links. I may make a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Historical Fiction Set in Mesopotamia

1. The Assyrian by Nicholas Guild

They were brothers, best friends, rivals in love. But, though it seemed that nothing could come between them, only one of them could become master of the dazzling Assyrian Empire that stretched from the Mediterranean to the western borders of India; only one could know the love of Esharhamat, the woman they both desired.

Seven centuries before Christ, the young Assyrian princes Tiglath Ashur and Esarhaddon were forced to compete fiercely against each other, for the greatest Empire the world had ever seen.

2. Son of Ishtar (Empires of Bronze #1) Gordon Doherty

1315 BC. The Hittite Empire faces threats from Egypt, Assyria, and Mycenae. The birth of Prince Hattu should unite the Hittites in celebration.

But the Goddess Ishtar delivers a chilling omen: the boy will bring ruin, betrayal, and bloodshed. Thus, he grows up as an outcast, feared by his people, scorned by his father and hunted by prophecy.

Yet as war burns across the horizon, Hattu is drawn into the fray. Will he fulfill the goddess’s curse—or rewrite destiny itself?

3. Creation by Gore Vidal

Old and blind but still unyielding, Persian ambassador Cyrus Spitama breaks his silence in 445 BC, furious at Herodotus’ tales and determined to dictate the Persian truth of empires, wars, and the gods themselves.

He recounts a life spent at the heart of Darius’ court, surviving boars and palace coups, debating with Buddha and Confucius, taking an Indian wife, and witnessing the rise and fall of kings from Babylon to Cathay. His “travel memoir” becomes a sweeping counter-history to the Grecian perspective.

Note: If you’ve read Herodotus, you’ll understand why many readers say this is hard to get through.

Historical Fiction Set in North Africa

I couldn’t find any historical fiction set in Africa during antiquity, except about cultures bordering the Mediterranean. It’s hard enough to find pre-colonial fiction and records from Africa, let alone pre-Medieval ones. There are many great novels about Egypt, notably River God by Wilbur Smith, but essentially all other fiction set in Africa in antiquity focuses on myths and folklore, as oral histories were lost.

4. Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert

Carthage—an opulent superpower ruled by greed, gods who demand sacrifice, and citizens far too wealthy to fight their own battles. Following the end of the first Punic War, 20,000 mercenaries, still unpaid rise in fury, laying siege to the city.

A rebel warlord’s obsession with the high priestess Salammbò adds fuel to the flame, resulting in a clash of armies so savage the earth itself seems to bleed. Epic, operatic, and unflinching, this is War and Peace by way of the Punic Wars.

Historical Fiction Set in the Americas

The same problem exists concerning historical fiction about ancient civilizations of the Americas. Records were deliberately destroyed by conquistadors, relegating much of what we know to the areas of myth and anthropology. It’s even harder to find historical novels that have been translated into English by native authors.

5. House of the Waterlily: A Novel of the Ancient Maya World by Kelli Carmean

Set amid the upheavals of the Maya civilization’s Late Classic period, House of the Waterlily follows Lady Winik, a young royal thrust into the rising danger and political chaos of a failing civilization.

As rival powers close in and the world she knows begins to fracture, Winik’s journey invites readers to explore the splendor and dangers of Mayan life, as seen through the lens of Kelli Carmean’s PhD in anthropology.

Historical Fiction set in Ancient Europe

6. The Druids by Morgan Llywelyn (best known for Lion of Ireland)

Centuries before Arthur and Merlin, the orphaned Celt Ainvar rises to master the druidic arts—mind, magic, healing, and war—becoming the unlikely soul-friend of the future warrior-king Vercingetorix.

Together they journey across a fractured Gaul, uniting the Celtic tribes in a defiant stand against Julius Caesar and the relentless legions of Rome.

Note: Yes, the antagonists in this are Roman – hard to avoid. But as the POV characters and culture are not, I let this slip in.

7. Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell

A dying stranger’s trove of gold ignites a deadly rivalry between three brothers. The eldest, Lengar, the warrior, harnesses his murderous ambition to take great power for his tribe.

Camaban becomes a feared wise man, and it is his vision that will force the youngest brother, Saban, to create a great temple where the gods will appear on earth. But when Saban falls in love with Aurenna, the sun bride destined to die for the gods, the great monument becomes a battleground.

Note: this gets into prehistory, but by the acclaimed author best known for his Saxon and Richard Sharpe stories.

Historical Fiction Set in Asia

Most novels set in ancient India are mythic retellings, taken from the delightfully massive epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata or other legends.

Chinese historical records from antiquity are apparently sparse, making accurate historical fiction difficult. I thought I’d be sure to find some fiction about the Warring States period and the first unified dynasty (Qin), or the Han dynasty’s Golden Age and the formation of the Silk Road, but almost everything (including the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms) takes place starting in early AD around the fall of the Han dynasty.

It’s even harder to find examples of historical fiction set in antiquity from the rest of Asia, though it looks like Korea has some popular options (Goguryeo by Kim Jin-myung) that haven’t been translated into English yet.

8. The Mauryan: The Legend of Ashoka by Komal Bhanver

Discover the ruthless origins of the famously peaceful Emperor Ashoka the Great.

A Brahmin prophesies that a legendary ruler will be born to the Mauryan ruler Bindusara, but the child is born frail and ordinary-looking. Shunned by his father, and bullied and humiliated by his elder brother Susima, prince Ashoka learns from an early age to be the master of his own fate.

Under the determined tutelage of his mother, and inspired by a spirited young woman, he begins to dream of ruling the vast empire.

9. Emperor Chandragupta by Adity Kay

India, third century BC: a conqueror from Greece has arrived on their doorstep. Chanakya, a wily political strategist looking for vengeance against the ruthless rulers of Magadha, seeks out a hidden heir. Moriya, raised by a tribe of peacock-tamers, is oblivious to his identity until Chanakya becomes his teacher.

The tentative young man, now christened Chandragupta, makes his way across the vast plains of Bharatvarsha to meet the famed invader Alexander, build an army of his own, and right the wrongs of his fathers.

10. Yellow Sky Revolt (The Three Kingdoms Chronicles #1) by Baptiste Pinson Wu

China, 184 AD: the Han dynasty is falling. Liao Hua, a young peasant boy, becomes the symbol of the Yellow Turban’s vengeful uprising. As untrained farmers face the full might of the empire, Liao Hua vows to do whatever it takes to become the greatest warrior of his time. However, when his path crosses that of the bearded warrior, he must face the fact that an iron will won’t be enough to triumph in an age of chaos.

Note: this story falls just barely at the end of antiquity, and is the only modern, well-reviewed novel about the Han dynasty that I could find in English.

Looking for more historical fiction set in Asia? Check out my book review of Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden! It does take place in medieval times, but is an absolutely thrilling account of Genghis Khan’s childhood and early rise to power!

If you know of other historical fiction novels set in ancient times, please leave a comment to recommend them!

Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!

Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…