Wolf of the Plains | Conn Iggulden | Wonderful view into a lost foreign culture

Wolf of the Plains | Conn Iggulden | Well done, Mr Iggulden!!!

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Wolf of the Plains

	Wolf of the Plains Conn Iggulden Harper, 2007 - 560 pages average customer review:based on 41 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Wonderful view into a lost foreign culture

Genghis Khan was born Temujin, son of Khan of his tribe, the Blue Wolves. Surprisingly much is known of his early life. It is known that when his father died he, his mother and siblings, were abandoned to die on the frigid Mongolian plains by the man who usurped the eldest son's claim to be Khan. This book covers about the first 20 years of Temujin's life. The most interesting, in fact the part that makes the book almost unable to be put down, is Mr Iggulden's description of the life as lived by 13th Century Mongol tribesmen. He covers every aspect of their lives, and, according to notes on the book lived among current Mongol tribesmen for a time, and clearly researched the time and the history. Their way of life comes alive and is truly believable: The drinking of the blood of their living horses when food was scarce; and drinking of the horse's milk; the use of yoghurt as a main food source along with mutton; the use of mutton fat on their skin to help keep warm and keep the icy wind off their skin; living in Yurht (much like teepees, with holes in the top for smoke to escape); the many similarities to American Indians to whom they may be related (the Indians would have crossed the Bering Strait in prehistoric times when the ice was solid); the strong tribal structure making it so difficult to live alone for even a strong family such as Temujin and his mother and siblings had. The constant warfare between the tribes, and between the Mongols and other groups on the land such as the Tartars, an ethnically different group. Constant warfare and raiding, with swords, bow and arrow, knife, spear, and axe, was the way of life, and there was no idea of peace. A type of ruthlessness, somewhat based on the terrible harshness of their environment, made everyone hard and unsentimental. Mr Iggulden seems to have entered their world and their minds. Excellent book.

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Well done, Mr Iggulden!!!

This book is about the early life of one of the greatest conquerors in the world history, Gengis Khan. Temujin is born the second son of the Khan of Wolves, a Mongolian tribe living in the plains. During a visit to another tribe, the Khan is ambushed, wounded and died some days later. Temujin's family is then evicted from the tribe and left alone in the plains. However, Temujin survives. He learns to fight against natural and human threats. He unites the Mongolian wanderers under his banner, and step by step, he unites the Mongolian tribes and is becoming one of the strongest Khans of Mongolian plains.
This book is the first one of the new Conqueror series written by Conn Iggulden, who is the author of the Emperor series about Julius Caesar. Wolf of the plains is a really good read. It is a very promising start of a new (hopefully) great historical fiction series. Well done, Mr Iggulden!!!

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How Genghis became the person he ultimately was.

People have pondered what made Genghis Khan the man he was for centuries. Here was an untutored Mongol who ultimately unified the wandering tribes of the steppes into an unconquerable military force, of untold cruelty and disregard for human life, and conquered most of the known world and ruled this empire for hundreds of years. This book gives us an inset into the many forces that molded Genghis into this powerful leader who had no respect for humanity and total distrust of others and especially of government. Mr. Iggulden answers most of our questions about Genghis and paints a fascinating picture of Genghis and of his place in time.

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Very Good Action Novel - Missing Out Historically

While a very good action novel and fitting in quite well - for the most part - with the historical facts known about Jenghiz, there are a number of historical fictions taken. The author himself admits as much in his comments at the end of the book (i.e., taking liberty at changing certain facts around, adding certain "extras" in, etc.).

The aspects that relate to the Great Khan's early life and personal aspects can be forgiven in the nature of the author providing "extra drama" to particular aspects of the story (for example, having the Tatars capture his wife and then her fairly immediate rescue when in fact it was a different Mongol tribe that captured her and actually held her for months).

But the part that I could not forgive dealt with the Mongols being portrayed as inferior warriors - even Jeghiz himself - to the Chins and the statements (and stronger inferences) that the Mongols learned their strategical, operational and tactical "secrets" from the Chins (i.e., Chinese). What total nonsense. I suggest that the reader obtain and read "Genghis Khan's Greatest General: Subotai The Valiant" to learn the real facts in that regard. Specifically the chapters on "The Mongol War Machine", "The Mongol Military Legacy" and "The Lessons of Mongol Warfare".

Equally ridiculous was the Mongols adopting heavy armor from the Chins - especially at that early a time period in the maturing of Jeghiz and the building of his empire. Specifically by being less heavily armored (even with his heavy cavalry which comprised 60% of his force normally - the other 40% being light cavalry)....

Some quotes from the above mentioned book:

" Metal scale armor and chain mail were introduced to the Mongol armies only AFTER their wars with the Chinese and the West"... BTW, Mongols used composite recurved bows with an average pull of 160-lbs (...renowned for its power, accuracy and range. Mongol bows are still used in Siberia and were common in the early 20th century.)... compare this with the English longbows of which the British Long Bow Society, estimates the bows of the Medieval period drew between 90 and 110 pounds, maximum (with most averaging 70 - 90 lbs). And yet the Mongol arrows - driven by 160-lb draw force - bounced off of inferior scale iron Chin armor while arrows from English longbows (driven at less force) readily penetrated full-sheet steel armor worn by French knights at battle of Crecy in 1346 and later at the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War??? Give me a break. There is no historical references to Mongol archers having any difficulty with penetrating "Chin armor". ("...A 150lb bow, shooting a 900 grain arrow, would impart about 1157J of kinetic energy, nearly three times the energy as the former bow. Plenty sufficient to punch a hole in even tempered steel armour."... so much for primitive Chin scale iron armor).

Additionally, the Mongols (until later adopting chain mail armor primarily in the heavy cavalry units) wore lacquered leather "armor" along with padded overcoats. After the war with the Hsi-Hsia the Mongols did adopt the silk undershirt worn by the Hsi-Hsia and the Chins. ("After the first war with the his-Hsia - 1207 - Genghis adopted the silk undershirt for his troops..."

Also, much mention is made of the sword as a mystical personal weapon of the Mongols. The author clearly does not know his historical facts. Mongols consistently considered the sword as a secondary weapon. The primary weapons for the heavy cavalry was the bow and - for impact charges - the lance. The sword was strictly a secondary consideration for use once the lance was lost or shattered. The light cavalry's primary weapon was the bow with the sword basically relegated to being used to slaughtering enemy forces once they were routed and fleeing the field of battle.

Also the author makes much of Genghis (and other top notch Mongol archers) making sure to release their arrows (when on horseback) when all four of the horse's hooves were on the ground... yet the truth: " ...and were trained to release their arrows when the hooves of the horse were all simultaneously OFF the ground"! How about some accuracy here as to weaponry, armor, individual capabilities, etc.?

Grand strategy, Operational strategy, and Tactics? I wouldn't know where to start... according to the book it's a good thing that Jenghiz was exposed to the expertise of the Chin Master Warrior when he was or there probably would never have been a Mongolian Empire (sarcasm).

Well, rather than go on and on, let's just return to recommending that the reader - and this author - read the book mentioned above.

And finally, the book mentions his father (whose real name was Jarchigudai - and who was purely an ironsmith, not also some elite warrior swordsman) and Jelme, his brother, but makes no mention whatsoever of Subutai. As they joined Jenghiz (still then Temujin) it was 1187 and Subutai was ten years old. (By the way these individuals were NOT Mongols but were Uriangkhai, one of the forest people tribes that lived as non nomads in the forested mountains north of the Mongols).

Subutai was 10 years old when Jelme joined with Temujin in 1187 (the father returned to his forest village after delivering Jelme to Temujin). At age just under 14 (1190 - 1191 AD) Subutai also joined Temujin's forces. This was clearly within the scope of the era of this book (Temujin being declared khan of the united tribes, thereby Genghis (Jenghiz) Khan, much later, in 1206). Historically, Subutai was very much a part of Temujin's efforts to unite all the tribes of th Mongols and create a national fighting force.

In that note, I find it interesting that there's no mention of Subutai at all! This from the primary general who would go on to win major xbattles, campaigns and wars for Jenghiz (as the Great Khan, Jenghiz - beyond that time - did not directly participate in campaigning but remained at home running things administratively - like our president would). Subotai went on to "conquer 32 nations and win 65 pitched battles" (almost all of which his forces were outnumbered - sometimes greatly outnumbered), all for Jenghiz and the Mongols, but curiously unmentioned by this author.

Hopefully this will become a series (such as the "Emperor Series") and hopefully the author will manage to work in more historically accurate facts - and give Subutai (also spelled some sources as Subotai) the field credit that he deserves!

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