Though I am only beginning chapter 11, I wanted to say...  WOW  What a brutal up bringing , and the SOB Eeluk I HATE him.  To be abandoned like that by their people.  I can't wait for Temujin and Eeluk to meet up again!  I sure wouldn't want to be Eeluk's shoes.

No wonder Temujin grew up to be the man he became.  I didn't want to put it down.  I think I am going to breeze through this. 

How about the way he described the brother being "jumped in" like the modern day gang lifestyle? If I thought gang members read I would worry they would feel reinforced!

I never made the connection but , it is an interesting parallel.  I am sure there are many "rights of passage"  like this in many cultures.

True. Men are so physical!

I agree that the brutality of the lifestyle is just incredible.  I am finding it a very interesting story though, much better than the first book I had read by this author.  The book was The Gates of Rome and I really felt the author played pretty fast and loose with the details of Julius Caesar's life and it bothered me through the entire story.

CheryI I just asked a similar question on the other thread but, the gist of it was did you mind him editing the history?  I didn't  mind because it am not well versed in the history of the rise of the Mongolian Empire.  So I don't know what I am missing.

Seriously, All I knew about Genghis Khan and that he was a real bad guy.   I intellectually know that there must be a lot more to the story other wise he would have been forgotten by history.

I read this book last year and it held me glued to it, too.  I didn't know anything about that area and era, so I had (and still have) no sense of what liberties he may have taken with the story.  So it didn't bother me.  I have no interest in reading his Rome series, however, precisely because I DO know a lot more about Rome and Ceasar, and the liberties would bother me.  But for Ghengis, doesn't bother me at all.  I have the sense (I think, correctly, but I'm not entirely sure) that there are a lot fewer records and information overall about Ghengis, and so a lot more room for creativity without being inconsistent with the "real" history.  Unlike Ceasar.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I've got the second waiting on my TBR.

I usually wonder how much is real also but this read is interesting enough to keep me going. Even after looking for info on Genghis and finding there is not much info available about his early years I am still hooked.

Bonnie, with good historical novelists, the known facts don't change.   There was a great deal written about Genghis Khan, contemporary accounts and histories commissioned by his sons and so forth. The Chinese records of this period are highly accurate.  If not colored to flatter the victors.  Something that always happens as we well know.  History is written by the victors after all.

Letty:  I don't mind the Genghis history editing because I'm not sure what I think I "know".  A lot of what I learned was from Hollywood movies and the facts there can be suspect although there are some consistencies too.  I guess I knew a lot more about Rome and Caesar and that REALLY drove me nuts.  I kept yelling at the book as I was reading it.

I'm really enjoying this book! It seems like there's something major happening in each chapter. And more blood drinking to boot - blech! I was really surprised at Beckter's end and I really do also hate Eeluk. I hope Temujin comes and takes his tribe (and eagle!) back. What a jerk! All of them need to take turns beating him or something really cool. LOL!