Empire of Silver

October 11, 2010
Iggulden's smashing fourth installment to his Mongol series (Genghis: Bones of the Hills, etc.) picks up after Genghis's death as his three sons and four grandsons vie to be the Mongol leader. After son Ogedai is named khan, one of his brothers offers himself as a sacrifice; the other is dispatched to rule a distant kingdom; and the four grandsons begin to hatch schemes of their own. While the khan builds the city of Karakorum, his armies fight the Chinese in the east and discover the enemy's effective use of gunpowder against the Mongol horse archers. In the west, a mighty Mongol army commanded by Genghis's best general, Tsubodai, crushes the Russians and the Poles in a series of brilliant campaigns, and as the Mongol horde sacks the cities of Buda and Pest, only the arrival of a disastrous message from Karakorum saves Europe from destruction and Mongol domination. Add assassinations (failures and successes), jealousy, treachery, revenge, betrayal, and surprising plot twists, and Iggulden has created another rip-roaring historical that accurately depicts the cruelty of the age.

November 1, 2010

Genghis Khan has been dead for two years in this new entry (after Genghis: Bones of the Hills) in Iggulden's historical series about the Mongol Empire. While his anointed heir, Ogedai, has been acting as Great Khan, he has not been officially proclaimed by the tribes. As can be expected, others are waiting for the sickly Ogedai to fail or die. Ogedai stubbornly lives on, is crowned, and directs his armies to do what they do best--conquer. Mongol armies head toward Europe and armored knights. VERDICT Well written and well researched, this is a delicious pleasure for anyone who likes roaring, violent, and dramatic historical fiction. Iggulden has developed a knack for breathing life into otherwise fairly obscure historical characters while maintaining the logic of their personas. Knowledgeable readers know that it is not the end of the Mongols, particularly since the young Kublai Khan waits in the wings. [Library marketing.]--Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

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