Started: November 25
Finished: December 1
Notes: Some while back I exchanged books with Jason M. Waltz, editor of Rogue Blades Entertainment, and I ended up with this Harold Lamb novel in the deal. If my memory serves correctly, Waltz also received a Lamb book from me, so it was an even exchange, in my opinion. I've had this older paperback for a while, so it's about time I got around to reading it. I've read some Lamb before, and found it quite interesting. I'm sure this historical novel will be the same.
Mini review: I have to admit to being a little disappointed, but I don't believe it is the author's fault. I believe my expectations were too high. The writing style is fine, so there wasn't a problem there. I'm familiar with some of Lamb's other writings, so it wasn't as it I was going in unprepared, but I felt there was a lot lacking here. The life and times of Genghis Khan felt glossed over to me, but then I might be too much to expect a scholarly treatise from what's basically a short paperback. I wanted more information, much more, but at least this book was a good place to peak my interest. My whining aside, I did learn a fair amount here. For one thing, I'd never realized just how completely brutal the Mongols were, with no respect for human life whatsoever. Also, I had not been aware to the extent the Mongol invasions had had against the incursion of Islam into Europe in the late Middle Ages. So, my eyes were definitely opened to a few things, and at some point I'll likely look more into the history of Genghis Khan and the Mongol hordes of the 13th Century.
1 comment:
I look forward to seeing what you have to say about it Ty. This was the 2nd Lamb title I read, and it firmly cemented Lamb as a must read for me. And that was years before I knew he wrote short fiction.
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