Conqueror

Conqueror #5

by Conn Iggulden

„Завоевателят“ разказва за един от най-великите воини в историята – Кублай, невероятен владетел, който трябва да бъде помнен редом с Юлий Цезар, Александър Велики и Наполеон Бонапарт като един от големите лидери в човешката история.
Интриги и предателства терзаят огромната монголска империя. Наследниците на Чингис хан се борят помежду си за контрол над невижданата му империя и могъщите му войски. Бъдещето на човечеството зависи от изхода на тази борба. Но само един, пренебрегван от всички останали, ще отправи дръзко предизвикателство със своята храброст, с идеите си за бъдещето и със силата да бъде наречен...
ЗАВОЕВАТЕЛ

Романите на Кон Игълдън събуждат миналото за вълнуващ живот – от Древния Рим до Азия, Европа и Близкия Изток през тринайсети век. Сега той ни представя зрелищната история за възхода на внука на Чингис хан – човека, на когото е писано да стане един от най-забележителните владетели, живели някога: легендарния Кублай хан.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, War, Audiobook, Fantasy, Asia

559 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2011

About the author

Also publishes under author name C.F. Iggulden.

I was born in the normal way in 1971, and vaguely remember half-pennies and sixpences. I have written for as long as I can remember: poetry, short stories and novels. It’s what I always wanted to do and read English at London University with writing in mind. I taught English for seven years and was Head of English at St. Gregory’s RC High School in London by the end of that period. I have enormous respect for those who still labour at the chalk-face. In truth, I can’t find it in me to miss the grind of paperwork and initiatives. I do miss the camaraderie of the smokers’ room, as well as the lessons where their faces lit up as they understood what I was wittering on about.

My mother is Irish and from an early age she told me history as an exciting series of stories – with dates. My great-grandfather was a Seannachie, so I suppose story-telling is in the genes somewhere. My father flew in Bomber Command in WWII, then taught maths and science. Perhaps crucially, he also loved poetry and cracking good tales. Though it seems a dated idea now, I began teaching when boys were told only girls were good at English, despite the great names that must spring to mind after that statement. My father loved working with wood and equations, but he also recited ‘Vitai Lampada’ with a gleam in his eye and that matters, frankly.

I’ve always loved historical fiction as a genre and cut my teeth on Hornblower and Tai-Pan, Flashman, Sharpe and Jack Aubrey. I still remember the sheer joy of reading my first Patrick O’Brian book and discovering there were nineteen more in the series. I love just about anything by David Gemmell, or Peter F. Hamilton or Wilbur Smith. I suppose the one thing that links all those is the love of a good tale.

That’s about it for the moment. If you’d like to get in touch with me leave a comment in the forum or you can tweet me @Conn_Iggulden. I’ll leave it there for the moment. If you’ve read my books, you know an awful lot about the way I think already. There’s no point overdoing it.

Conn Iggulden

Reviews

[Pakinam Mahmoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

"أخبر كل شخص تلتقيه أنه يجب أن يعطيني زوجاته وبناته ليصبحن لي بالاضافة إلي ثروته وبذلك فقط يمكنه أن يحافظ علي حياته وأخبرهم إن أغلقت مدينة أو قرية أو حتي منزل سيحل الدمار بالجميع إلي أن تبكي الأرض من شدة الألم...!"
من القائل؟
مفيش غيره..أكيد هولاكو:)

الغزاة..الجزء الخامس والأخير من السيرة الملحمية لقائد المغول جنكيز خان...القصة التي بدأت بعائلة واحدة جائعة ووحيدة في سهول منغوليا و أنتهت بحكم الخان لإمبراطورية أكبر من إمبراطوريتي الإسكندر الأكبر أو يوليوس قيصر...
أو كما يقول الكاتب إنها ببساطة أعظم قصة تحول من الفقر إلي الثراء في التاريخ البشري...!

في هذا الجزء نري صراع أحفاد جنكيز خان علي السلطة و الغزوات التي قاموا بها ومن أهمها طبعاً غزو الصين و تأسيس سلالة يوان الحاكمة للصين الموحدة وهو الاسم الذي لا يزال يستخدم للعملة حتي يومنا هذا...
من أكتر الحاجات المؤلمة في الكتاب هو جزء سقوط بغداد علي يد هولاكو و هي تعتبر من أكثر المذابح الوحشية التي نفذتها سلالة جنكيز..
لأول مرة في التاريخ أصبحت بغداد مدينة منزوعة السلاح بعد أن أصر هولاكو علي نزع السلاح منها ثم ذبح ٨٠٠ ألف من السكان ويقال إن نهر دجلة اصطبغ باللون الأحمر بسبب الدم...
مشهد بكاء الخليفة المستعصم علي بيت الحكمة الذي كان يحترق و سيره علي غير هدي في شوارع مدينته مثل المتسول وهو يري أثار الدمار و الدم الحرائق كان مشهد صعب جداً في قراءته وانتهي بشنق الخليفة في النهاية و تم قتل الأطفال و سبي النساء أما الرجال فلم يكن لهم أي قيمة بالنسبة للمغول و النظر بس الي جثثهم كان بالنسبة لهم متعة!

إسلوب السرد في النصف الأول و الأخير من الكتاب كان ممتع بشكل غير عادي و لكن جزء مش صغير في منتصف الكتاب كان في تفاصيل كتير وممل شوية و كان ممكن إختصاره كتير عن كدة خصوصاً إن الكتاب حجمه كبير جداً ..الترجمة كانت ممتازة..المعلومات التاريخية كثيرة ومفيدة..ملاحظات الكاتب كالعادة في نهاية كل جزء
بتكون من أجمل ما يكون...

قرأت هذ السلسلة علي مدار ٦ شهور..
إستمتعت بكل الأجزاء خصوصاً الجزء الاول و الرابع والأخير...إستفدت منها جداً..عرفت معلومات كتير
مكنش أعرفها وعرفت حاجات أحب أقرأ عنها أكتر...
دور المرأة عند المغول وقوتها و تأثيرها سواء علي زوجها أو أولادها و إحترامهم ليها ولكلمتها من الحاجات التي تدعو للتأمل في تاريخ هذه الأمة..
حبيت جنكيز خان و حفيده كوبلاي و شايفة إنهم رجال لن يتكرر مثلهم في التاريخ..
كرهت هولاكو بكل تصرفاته ومع ذلك عاوزة أقرأ عنه تاني..
عجتني طريقة تفكيرهم وتخطيطهم للمعارك و عجبني جداً إصرارهم لتحقيق أهدافهم أيا كانت الصعوبات التي تواجهم..

الصراحة مش قادرة أفكر ايه تاني عجبني بعد قراءة أكتر من ٢٠٠٠ صفحة لكن أهم حاجة عجباني في هذه اللحظة إني خلصت الخماسية وده إنجاز بسيط و لذيذ و أكيد يستحق الإحتفال..:)

[Petrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings regarding the final book of Conqueror, one of my favorite historical fiction series.

I’m starting to think that there’s a real curse contained within five books series that haunts me. I don’t even know why or how this happens, but I’m never left completely satisfied by the concluding installment of all five books series I’ve read so far. Lightbringer by Brent Weeks, Heartstrikers by Rachel Aaron, The Shadow Campaigns by Django Wexler, and unfortunately, this series. All of them, somehow, felt plagued with the same issue that they either felt too long or unnecessary to be one whole book. That’s the thing with Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan, it felt more like a spin-off of the previous four books rather than a direct sequel or a concluding installment.

“What sort of a man would I be if I could just wipe out my errors with talking? A man has to live with his mistakes and go on. That is his punishment, perhaps.”

Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan is the fifth and final book in the Conqueror series by Conn Iggulden. For the content and what this book is about, the title pretty much speaks for itself; this is a book about Kublai Khan and his rise to power. If you’ve been following my reviews for the past couple of weeks, you should already know that this is a series I genuinely love. Before I get down to the nitty-gritty of what makes this book disappointing to me, let me clarify once again that Conqueror is still one of my favorite historical fiction series of all time; what I feel regarding this final installment won’t change that. And please keep in mind that my assessment and feelings towards this book most likely fall on the unpopular opinion side; so many readers and fans of the series loved it.

“No worthy goal should come easily, he told himself. Suffering created value.”

Let’s start with the main characters. As the title implied and prove, this is a book about Kublai Khan. Almost all of the previous main characters from the past four books are—understandably—no longer in the story here. This situation immediately meant that I’m reading about characters that I’m not invested in. In the previous four books, we followed the perspective of Genghis Khan, his brothers, his sons and Tsubodai, to name a few; these were characters we follow since their beginning and their first encounter. In the case of Genghis and his families, we read about them since they were a child and all of them received proper exposure and character development. Genghis Khan, for instance, has one book that centered on his coming-of-age story. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with the main characters here; Kublai Khan, Hugelu, Mongke, and Arik-Bore were characters that haven’t received a lot of developments previously, and then suddenly to read from their perspectives IN the final installment of the series was jarring. Reading about Genghis Khan and the previous main characters was miles apart better than reading about the new main characters here.

I have no idea whether it’s because I feel burned out by this series or not, that shouldn’t be the case because I still found myself completely hooked by Khan: Empire of Silver, but Iggulden’s writing here simply didn’t feel as engaging as his prose in the previous books. Plus, it felt like Iggulden tried to pack too much content into this one book and that disrupted the flow of the story. A lot of new characters introduced, important events like Hugelu’s brutal invasion of Baghdad didn’t receive enough exposure for lasting impact, and the battle scenes—which were A LOT and was superb before—somehow turned out to be a huge struggle to get through. All of these isn’t to say that Kublai Khan wasn’t interesting as a character, on the contrary, his distinctive personality from the other Khan and his insane achievements just needed more pages and proper development to shine through in the series that has focused the narrative on Genghis Khan, his brothers and his sons, and also Tsubodai for four books long.

“He was a man who loved his children and his people, Zhenjin. He took the Chin foot off the throat of the nation and made us look up from the struggles of tribes. He changed the world.”

Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan feels more like a spin-off that follows different characters and new storylines rather than a direct sequel, because of that, my mixed feelings regarding this book ended up becoming inconsequential towards my enjoyment and love of the previous books of the series. Seriously, this isn’t one of those “the last book of the series ruined my love for the entire series” case, Conqueror is still up there in my list of favorite historical fiction series together with The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. I honestly recommend reading the previous four books of the series with all my heart, none of them ended on a cliffhanger and they’re easily some of the most engrossing (and informational) books—all genres combined—I’ve read this year. And although I’ve only voiced my criticism for this book in this review, I did have a good time in several sections of the book, especially the beginning and ending sequences. Without a doubt, I will be reading more of Iggulden’s work in the future, no idea when yet, but I’m leaning towards reading his Wars of the Roses series.

Here’s one last passage from Conn Iggulden himself about the Conqueror series and why you SHOULD read it:

“This story began with a single, starving family, hunted and alone on the plains of Mongolia – and ends with Kublai Khan ruling an empire larger than that of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar. Over just three generations, that is simply the greatest rags-to-riches tale in human history.”

Series Review:

Genghis: Birth of an Empire: 5/5 stars
Genghis: Lords of the Bow: 4/5 stars
Genghis: Bones of the Hills: 5/5 stars
Khan: Empire of Silver: 4.5/5 stars
Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan: 3/5 stars

Conqueror: 21.5/25 stars

You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

[Dana Ilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conn Iggulden’s latest book chronicles the life of Kublai Khan, son of Tolui, grandson of Genghis Khan.

A warrior who would rule a fifth of the world with strength and wisdom.

A scholar who conquered an empire larger than those of Alexander or Caesar.

A brother who betrayed his own to protect a nation.

Conqueror paints a vivid picture of Mongol life post-Genghis and Iggulden masterfully brings almost legendary characters to life. As with all of his novels, he inserts many details from everyday life, which makes the story more authentic-feeling. He masterfully puts believable motivations behind all of his historical figures, which is the part of his writing that I love best.

The way he writes makes reading one of his novels an almost cinematic experience and he makes history accessible to the ordinary person. Another success of Iggulden’s writing, which is especially apparent in this novel, is his avoidance of creating a story that focuses too heavily on events, dates and geography. In Conqueror, the subject of exploration is the mind of the Kublai Khan from formative years through to a great civil war against his own brothers. As such, this novel appeals to those interested in history from a statistic as well as humanistic perspective. More generally, Iggulden’s incredible depiction of landscapes and battles should draw in readership from fans of thrillers and fantasy alike

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conn Iggulden follows up his excellent series on Genghis khan with another wonderful tale. This time it's about Genghis's grandson- Kublai. It follows the intelligent and different, from the Mongol norm, man from his young teenage years to his brother Mongke becoming Khan and sending Kublai on a conquest of the Southern Sung lands of China. The book does also track the experiences of Mongke, Hulegu, Batu and others.

As per his norm, Mr. Iggulden fills his pages with well researched and exciting tales. While, there are a few changes for the plot (the head of the Nizari Islamili Order at Alamut was NOT named Sulieman but rather Al Aud-Din), on the whole the story is historically accurate. It is also exciting and flows very well. The sheer range of the action from Russia to Baghdad to South China is phenomenal. He also understands the differing personalities of the grandsons of Ghenghis and how that affects their actions. Coupled with a good knowledge of how the Mongol's fought battles, from strategy to tactical formations- this a book that will not only entertain, but inform anyone interested in the Mongols.

I can not recommend this highly enough. Mr. Iggulden's work is amongst the best historical fiction I have read in a long while.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to rate this higher, but the end and major focus of the story was filled with missed opportunities. There should have been more focus and closure on Kublai. 6 of 10 stars

[Scott Hitchcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 books, all 5*'s. By far the best historical fiction series I've read.

The thing CI gets is balance. He doesn't try to minimize the raw violence which was the Mongolian horde but he doesn't make them into mindless killers either. They have hopes, dreams, families, fears, needs and endure physical and mental pain to accomplish their goals.

Likewise CI balances giving us a sense of their culture and the cultures they conquer without getting carried away and boring everybody this side of a sociologist or anthropologist to tears. The moving tribe and their supply lines, the women and children, the need for food in places where it's scarce at best.

We also get a really good sense of what it was like to have the horde sitting outside your gates knowing you were damned no matter what choices you made.

An epic tale that made you feel for people on both sides.

I'm currently also reading his Emperor series which is good but not close to this series. I'll definitely checkout War of the Roses after that.

[Zitong Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought, like many other readers that this was a great conclusion to the series, which surprisingly is, from the top of my head, the first historical fiction series that I have finished that has a large number of books in it. Many of the historical fiction have actually been standalones, or having maybe two or three books in the series, despite me really enjoying historical fiction as a genre. So if anyone knows any good historical fiction series, please recommend them to me.

Like the rest of the series, it didn’t feel quite like a five star read to me(I mainly give stars based off personal feeling towards a book more than anything), but was certainly a solid four. For some reason, I felt like that maybe the books won’t be as memorable as I would like, which may be a factor of the constant warring in every book, whereas I would have liked a bit more character development, though again, I know the author is trying his best to recreate historical figures here, and of that, I think he has done an amazing job.

There are certainly many books, often usually YA that, due to the audience, or maybe just style of the author, that some things can be left out, such as the brutal treatment of woman or that slaughter the Mongols inflicted among the people. It is stunningly brutal and I normally really dislike reading scenes like this, but I’m glad all the same that the author put these things in so that we can really experience the horror and almost relive in a way what these people have gone through. Just reading stuff like the Sacking of Baghdad really hurts in an odd way, seeing the ancient city, with the library getting destroyed, not to mention the hundreds of thousands that were slaughtered because of it. I thank him for putting such stuff in, despite the fact that it does almost make me wince at the brutality of the Mongols and their harsh treatment of people.

Another thing I liked about historical fiction is that it actually gets me googling up stuff on the topics and things in these books. I already am an avid learner of history and learning more stuff on these things is a whole load of fun. It also gets me the chance to look at maps, lots of maps, which, being both a fantasy and map nerd, is also, lots of fun to do. Even just reading more about each region’s history and such are good things as it gives me wider knowledge of the world.

I certainly plan to read more of Iggulden’s books in the future such as finishing off his series of Julius Caesar, which I think should be great. 8/10

[Tahani Shihab · Rating 5 out of 5]

هذا هو الجزء الخامس والأخير من السيرة الملحمية لجنكيز خان، وكما هو موضح من اسم السلسلة فقط كان هذا الجزء مخصصًا لصراع الأحفاد على الحكم والسلطة، غزواتهم انتصاراتهم وهزائمهم في الشرق والغرب.

استتب الحكم في عهد مونغ حفيد جنكيز خان، فأرسل إخوته لغزو الشرق والغرب، فكان الشرق بقيادة كوبلاي المتعلم والمثقف والحكيم والذي اتبع تكتيك مختلف في الحرب عن جده. وكان الغرب بقيادة هولاكو الذي كان مثل جده جنكيز خان، مدمر عنيف ودموي.

عندما قتل الخان مونغ وهو في طريقه إلى الصين، طمع الأخ الأصغر آريك بوك بالحكم، فأسرع بإعلان نفسه خاناً على أمة المغول، لكن الأخ الأكبر كوبلاي والذي كان قد عين نفسه أيضًا خان لأمة المغول رفض مبايعة أخيه، فرجع كوبلاي عائدًا من الصين إلى مدينة كاراكوروم لمحاربة وقتال أخيه، بالرغم أنه تاق لو لم يحاربه أخوه الأصغر ويستسلم له. لكن أريك بوك كان يعتبر أخيه الأكبر لا يصلح لحكم أمة المغول، لأنه لم يكن بنظره رجل حرب بل رجل فكر وثقافة.

بعد قتال دموي بين جيش الإخوة ينهزم جيش آريك بوك ويعلن كوبلاي نفسه خان لأمة المغول.

الشيء الممتع والرائع في هذه السلسلة أن الكاتب أفرد الصفحات الأخيرة لمناقشة أحداث الرواية، والملاحظات التاريخية حول ما كُتب في المخطوطات والسجلات المحفوظة.

رواية تاريخية خيالية رائعة تعطي بعض البصيرة والمعرفة للإمبراطورية المنغولية، ”في النهاية، هزم كوبلاي إمبرطورية سونغ وأسس سلالة يوان الحاكمة للصين الموحدة، اسم عائلة لا يزال يستخدم اسما للعملة اليوم”.

--

اقتباسات



“أنتِ تفاوضين ثعبانًا، فاحرصي ألا يلدغك”.

“لكل رجل ثمن، وأنا أسعى لمعرفة ثمنه”.

“عندما يحكم الكلاب القطيع سيتشرد القطيع”.

“عندما تصبح الخان، يجب أن تتملق أصحاب السلطة، وتشعرهم بأنهم مهمون، وأنك تقيم لهم وزنًا، وإن كان ذلك مجافيًا للحقيقة، لأنك عندما تحط من قدر أحدهم، وتبقيه على قيد الحياة، فإنك بذلك تكسب عدوا إلى أن تغادر روحه جسده، لأنه لن يفوت فرصة لينتقم منك ويرد لك الصاع صاعين”.

“فكّر في الجروح الملتهبة التي رآها، وقد كانت كبيرة ومتقيحة. كانت تحتاج إلى الشجاعة وإلى يد ثابتة لتستأصل الألم وتبدا مرحلة النقاهة”.

“سيسقط مونغ خان، وستمتلئ عيناه بالدمع والدم، ولن يعرف الراحة حتى أنه لن يستطيع النوم بسلام، سيرافقه المرض والألم وفي النهاية سـ…”.

“الموت ليس بالأمر الجيد، كل ما نستطيع فعله هو أن نتجاهله حتى يأتي الوقت المناسب. الناس يفعلون ذلك بشكل جيد. يعيشون وهم يعلمون أنهم سيموتون، ولكن بغض النظر عن عدد المرات التي يرددون بها هذه الكلمات، هم لا يصدقونها حقًا، يعتقدون بطريقة ما أن الموت سيتركهم، وأنهم سيعيشون من دون أن يشيخوا”.

“النار هي اختبار الذهب، ومحنة الرجال الأقوياء”.

“لا ترضِ النمر بإطعامهِ لحمك”.

“إنك تملك جيشًا قويًا، لكن قمة القوة ألا تضطر لاستخدامه”.

“ما من شيء يمكنه أن يؤرق عقلاً مكرسًا للقتل”.

“ليس هناك أي قواعد في هذه الحياة. لا يهم إن كتبها الحكماء أو صدرت عنهم فلا شيء يقيد الرجل أكثر من نفسه. لا شيء يحفظ الأكبال التي قبلها الرجل على نفسه إلا ذاته، إن القوانين والعادات لا تعني شيئًا إن ملكت القوة”.

“إن بإمكان أي أحد أن يغير العالم، لكنه لا يستطيع أحد أن يغيره إلى الأبد. فخلال مئة عام لن يبقى أي شخص ممن نعرفهم على قيد الحياة، وعندها ما الفرق إن كنا أمضينا كل حياتنا نقاتل أو نستلقي تحت أشعة الشمس ونرتاح؟”.

“ كنتُ صاحب الحق، والآن الحق للقوي والمنتصر". الخان المغولي آريك بوك.

[David Sven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good finale to the series. This book sees the rise of Kublai Khan. Growing up, nobody would have guessed it would be the scholar grandson of Genghis, with his head in books and adoption of Chin culture, who would turn out to be Gur Khan of the Mongols - Then again, a generation or two before that nobody foresaw that there would be such a thing as a Mongol scholar.


Of course, Kublai doesn't stay a scholar, forced to take the field by his brother Mongke to extend Mongol control beyond the Chin borders into Sung territory. Kublai's very non Mongol custom of sparing the cities he conquered saw a lot of of the Sung forts open their gates wide without seeing any battle. Having some very competent generals as well as learning and honing his own skill in war strategy and tactics served Kublai later on well when he wrested control of the Empire from his brothers.

Again, Conn Iggulden weaves a fascinating tale of war and intrigue with a very event oriented plot. At the end of the book Iggulden includes some historical notes to let us know where he indulged in artistic licence. He pretty much sticks close to the facts.

Having the main characters as actual historical figures does mean the story feels a lot like it's on rails at times with the plot dictated by actual historical events. If I contrast this to Bernard Cornwell's style of writing, I find Cornwell gives himself a lot more room to maneuver by having his main characters as grunts in an army, and then weaving the story around one or two major historical events. In this way he is able to invent and develop his own characters while still referencing actual events in history and I think I prefer this signature Cornwell style.

Still, I have enjoyed this series immensely and highly recommend it to any historical fiction buffs who like a good battle/war oriented story or are interested in Mongol history in general.


4 stars

[Mohammed · Rating 4 out of 5]

انتهت رحلتي مع المغول
خمسة أجزاء
ألفي صفحة
ستة خانات (جمع خان)
من هضبة منعزلة إلى أكبر إمبراطورية متصلة في التاريخ.

هذا الجزء يروي قصة تحالف وصراع أحفاد جنكيز خان، صعودهم وسقوطهم من السلطة، واكتساحهم المزيد من الأراضي وإزهاق المزيد من الأرواح.
أحسنَ الكاتب برواية غزوات هولاكو وقوبلاي بالتوازي. الأول جشع والآخر متزن، الأول دموي والآخر يميل نحو التسامح.
للأسف كانت بغداد من نصيب هولاكو، لا من نصيب قوبلاي.

شعور غريب اعتراني طول هذه السلسلة. كيف يمكنك أن تتعايش مع شخصيات دموية عنيفة مخادعة؟ النص متقن لدرجة إيقاعك في الفخ: تجد نفسك تتعاطف مع المغول، تتملكك الحماسة أثناء معاركهم، وتشاركهم نشوة خداع الخصم. وبالمثل، تمر لحظات تذوق فيها صدأ الدماء، مرارة ذل الشعوب التي كانت أكثر تحضراً وأقل شراسة. من نافلة القول أن انتهاك بغداد وأهلها بتلك الطريقة الخسيسة سيجعلك تعاني من غصة أليمة.

لا شك أن السلسلة لم تقدمهم كأبطال، كذلك لم تجتهد لجعل القارئ يبغضهم، وكأنه يقول: هاك ما حدث وأنت الحكم!

هذه فانتازيا تاريخية، لا يمكن استقاء التاريخ منها. أولاً، هناك أكثر من رواية لكل حدث، والمؤلف تبنى إحداها. ثانياً، يحتم السياق الدرامي عليه تغيير الترتيب الزمني للأحداث، إضافة أو حذف شخصيات أو تفاصيل. أخيراً، الكاتب يعترف في نهاية كل جزء بما قام بتعديله، ومع ذلك، فعن طريق البحث ستجد أن تفاصيلاً أخرى لم تكن دقيقة. هذا، في كل الأحوال، لا يعني أن العمل ليس قيماً. المقصد أنه يجب التعامل معه كعمل أدبي رائع، وليس كمصدر موثوق للمعلومات التاريخية. تقدم كتُب التاريخ تفاصيلاً موثقة بشكل أدق، غير أنها لا تتيح للقارئ زيارة الأماكن، وقراءة أفكار الشخصيات، ومشاهدة المواقف الحاسمة وكأنه هناك.

أفضل جزء من وجهة نظري هو الأول: ذئب السهول، وأقلهم إمتاعاً هو الرابع: إمبراطورية الفضة.

وصف المعارك يطول أحياناً أكثر من اللازم، غير أن بعض القراء سيروق له ذلك؛ مسألة اختلاف أذواق.

بإمكان القارئ الاكتفاء بالثلاثة أجزاء الأولى لتتبع حياة جنكيز خان حتى نهايتها، لكن مواصلة الطريق حتى الجزء الخامس سيكوّن لديه صورة أشمل للتحول الذي مرت به سلاسة الخان، كما عبر عنها كون إيغلدن في آخر فقرة من آخر جزء:

"بدأت هذه الحكاية بعائلة وحيدة، جائعة ومطاردة في سهول منغوليا، وتنتهي بقوبلاي خان الذي يحكم إمبراطورية أعظم من تلك التي ملكها إسكندر ��لأكبر أو يوليوس قيصر. كل ذلك حدث في غضون ثلاثة أجيال. تلك، بكل بساطة، هي أعظم قصة تحول من الفقر المدقع إلى الثراء الفاحش في تاريخ البشر."

[Lisa Reads & Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never considered myself a reader of historical fiction novels, probably due to the manner in which history was/is taught in school. In college, however, I had a favorite professor, educated at Harvard, with a keen intellect, and wit. During a class, and I still remember this, he mentioned the Mongols' sacking of Baghdad, where the city folks were so materialistic, they swallowed their jewels, only to have their bellies split open and their treasures robbed. Tremendous libraries and precious art were gleefully destroyed. Civilians were slaughtered and the city's treasury was plundered. The event was an extreme example of cultured civilization falling under swords of ruthlessness.

Well. I suppose that lecture was the reason I impulsively entered the Goodreads giveaway for Conn Iggulden's novel about Kublai Khan. It is a long, rich, finely researched, description of bloody battles, Mongolian strategy, barbarian character, and strength that lifted a family from a roving band of starving nomads to, by the third generation, conquerors of areas greater than those of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. If you would have gauged my level of interest in such things only a week ago, I would have yawned. Now, I'm going to read the first of the Iggulden's series about Genghis Khan, and perhaps the rest of the series as well. Goes to show, you never know a person, until they read a good book, and their interests are set ablaze.

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oct 16, 1pm ~~ Review asap.

Oct 17, 2pm ~~ I thought I might come into this review spouting all sorts of intelligent remarks about not only this books but the entire series. I have opinions about it all, of course, but I am no scholar or philosopher so I will spare everyone those thoughts about nation building, power, corruption, greed; how one man's vision shifts when he is no longer there to guide it, and the influences of different cultures on a new nation. If the accepted leader of your country prefers to live as if he had been born in a different culture, how true can he really be to yours?

Okay, well, I said I was not going to get into all of that. But you see some of the ideas that these books triggered.

I always like books about how a person becomes the person they are meant to be. In this book we see Kublai Khan transform himself from scholar to warrior to Khan. Heavily influenced by Chin culture, but still Khan of all Mongolia. Times change over the generations, of course. The weapons of war had 'improved' since the days of Genghis, but horsemen, their bows and their incredible endurance were still feared and necessary tools of power.

I am glad I read these books. In school we learned a little about Genghis, then there was just a confusing bunch of names until Kublai showed up. Here we get to see what happened in between the two. Perhaps the books were not always completely accurate (the author admits this himself in his notes a the end of each book, pointing out places he altered timelines and so on) but I think we get an idea here of what it takes to create a nation and then keep it together.

The creating belonged to Genghis. The keeping together fell to his sons and grandsons. We leave the nation with Kublai in charge, his battles behind him, ready to face the future. While I do think a book about his years would be interesting, I agree with the author that we should leave Kublai at the moment we do: taking the reins of the nation his grandfather brought into being in the first book of the series. It feels appropriate.

[Vagner Stefanello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over just three generations, that is simply the greatest rags-to-riches tale in human history.

Finalmente chego ao fim da saga dos mongóis, brilhantemente escrita pelas mãos do autor Conn Iggulden. Sentirei saudades da poderosa cavalaria mongol e seus arcos devastando exércitos inimigos, das manobras utilizadas para enganar os adversários e das três tendas (branca, vermelha e preta) em frente às fortalezas inimigas. Série recomendadíssima!

— Somos o povo de prata, os mongóis. Quando perguntarem, diga que não existem tribos. Diga que sou cã do mar de capim, e eles me conhecerão por esse nome, Gêngis. É, diga isso. Diga que sou Gêngis e vou cavalgar.

http://desbravandolivros.blogspot.com...

[أحمد فؤاد · Rating 5 out of 5]

نهاية ملحمية تليق بالجزء الأخير من خُماسية عظيمة.

المُراجعة تجدونها بشكل مُنسّق وبالصوّر على الرابط التالي -مُراجعة الغُزاة على عالم موازٍ


بداية مُثيرة... كالعادة


رُبما خالف جنكيز خان مقولة سورهاتانا "سرقويتي بيجي" زوجة ابنه تولي خان "قد يستطيع أي شخص أن يقوم بتغيير العالم، لكن لا أحد يستطيع تغيير العالم إلى الأبد". فقد كان جنكيز خان يؤمن بأن العُظماء سيُنسَون بمجرد مفارقتهم للحياة. وعلى الرغم من أن سورهاتانا قد غرست هذا المفهوم في عقل ابنها قوبلاي إلا أنه الأخير كان مُدركًا بأن جنكيز خان صنع من اسمه ومن اسم قومه "المغول" -حتى وإن اندثروا تمامًا لاحقًا- أسطورة سيتناقلها العالم أجمع ويقفون مذهولين عن إرثه الذي أنشأه حرفيًا من العدم. وهكذا فهو فعليًا نجح في تغيير التاريخ إلى الأبد

يستكمل الكاتب الإنجليزي المُبدع "كون إيغيلدن " سلسلته الضخمة "السيرة الملحمية للفاتح جنكيز خان وأحفاده"، فيُكمل من حيث انتهى الجزء الرابع -إمبراطورية الفضّة - حيث نجت أوروبا الغربية من اجتياح المغول في حملة القائد الفذّ "تسوبوداي" وهم على حدود فيينا، لتعود جيوش المغول من جميع أماكنها بعد موت أوقتاي خان؛ امتثالًا لتقاليد شعبهم لاختيار الخان الجديد.

بدأت هذه الرواية بأحداث مثيرة للغاية تمامًا مثلما بدأ الجزء الرابع؛ ونجح الكاتب في إبقاء القارئ مُترقّبًا لسير الأحداث المفتوحة على جميع الاحتمالات (خاصة لغير المُطّلع على هذه الحِقبة التاريخية) وعلى الرغم من أن الأحداث قد قلّت وتيرتها في منتصف الرواية إلا أن الثُلث الأخير جاء ملحميًا مشوقًا.

أسجّل انبهاري بوصف المعارك وتفاصيلها وشرح تكتيكاتها الحربية وأساليب الكرّ والفرّ فيها، ولم يقع الكاتب في فخّ التكرار رغم أن الرواية تعجّ بالعديد من المعارك المُختلفة، فقد نجح في تغيير وصف المعارك وطرق سيرها وإخفاء أو إظهار وقائع مُحددة أثناء كل معركة بناء على أماكنها وتضاريسها وأجوائها.


فكرة خاطئة


على الرغم من قسوة المغول في معاركهم، إلا أنني أُكرّر أنني لا أستطيع إخفاء إعجابي الشديد بتكتيكاتهم التي هزموا بها أقوى جيوش العالم قاطبة؛ سواء كانت إمبراطورية سونغ في الصين الجنوبية أو تشن في الصين الشمالية أو الجيش الإسلامي في بلاد فارس أو الجيوش الهنغارية أو الجرمانية أو حتى كتائب فرسان المعبد أقوى فرسان في العالم الغربي حين ذاك.

هناك فكرة خاطئة لدينا أن جيوش المغول كانت كبيرة وحشدهم الهائل هو الذي جعلهم يكسبون معاركهم أمام الجيوش الأقل عددًا منهم. الحقيقة المُدهشة أن العكس هو الصحيح؛ جيوش المغول دائمًا كانوا أقل عددًا من الجيوش التي هاجموها. لكن كان العامل الحاسم في فوزهم هي مزيج من تكتيكاتهم السريعة وقوة احتمالهم الرهيبة التي اكتسبوها من قسوة حياتهم ومن حروبهم المستمرة مقابل بقية الجيوش التي دفعت ثمن السلام الذي عاشوا فيه!

نتابع في هذا الجزء صراع أحفاد جنكيز خان ورحلات غزوهم غربًا إلى بغداد وتدميرها بقيادة هولاكو في سعيه لمدّ نفوذه إلى الشرق الأدني (الشرق الأوسط - المنطقة العربية)، وشرقًا للسيطرة على إمبراطورية سونغ القوية. لاحقًا ستُوحَّد الصين ولأول مرة في التاريخ منذ قرون عديدة على يد شعب من خارج الصين (على يد المغول)

لا أنكر انحيازي لقوبلاي في هذه الرواية عن بقية الخانات، رُبما لأنني قرأت عنه كثيرًا من قبل. وسر انحيازي هو انجذابي إلى الأمل الذي نبت من وسط القسوة والقذارة التي كانت تملأ روح المغول قبل أجسادهم. تغلّبت عاطفتي البشرية للتعلّق بالرحمة التي تلمّستها في هذا القائد الذي جاء بما لم يأتِ به القادة من قبله، بل وحتى من بعده، وهذا نتج من نشأته المُنفتحة على الثقافة الصينية ومن تعاليم أمه المسيحية النسطورية سورهاتانا، فما كان منه إلا أن تقبّل الديانات الأخرى وانتشر في عهده التسامح واستعان بكثير من المسلمين والمسيحيين في حاشيته ووزرائه.

من الشخصيات المُفضّلة عندي في هذه الرواية كانت شخصية قائد جيش قوبلاي "أويانغ خاداي" شخصية عسكرية صارمة تجبرك على على احترامها وتقدير موهبتها وثباتها. فبمثل هؤلاء الذي يُمكن الاعتماد عليهم تُربَح الحروب وتُقام الممالك.



تغيير المغول لخريطة العالم


حسب الجزء الثالث من رحلة ابن بطوطة "فارس والعراق" نرى كيف غيّر المغول من ديموغرافية بعض مناطق آسيا. مثل استبدال شعوب بعض مناطق آسيا الوسطى المُتحدثين باللغة الآرية وإلفارسية ليحلّ محلهم شعوبًا ناطقة بالتُركية. أيضًا في الجزء الشرقي من العالم الإسلامي قد تسببت المجازر والمذابح على يد المغول إلى تحويل شمال وشرق إيران (الدولة الخوارزمية) إلى صحراء. كما انخفض عدد سُكّان إيران من 2.5 مليون إلى 250 ألف نسمة أي العُشر! بسبب الإبادة الضخمة للبشر والمجاعات وذلك ما بين عامي 1220 إلى 1260.

عندما بدأت إمبراطورية المغول في التفكّك، ونتيجة للتغيرات الثقافية الهائلة في إمبراطورية المغول الهائلة، بدأت مراكز القوى تتبدّل وتظهر أنوية بلاد جديدة ستُشكّل خريطة العالم الحالي، فقبائل التُرك سيوقفون المدّ الغربي الآتي من الدولة البيزنطية المُتهالكة، لتنمو فيها بذور القومية التركية التي ستصبح لاحقًا الدولة العُثمانية. أما الجيوش المغولية التركية التي كانت بإيران، فقد اتحدت بعد سنوات من الفوضى تحت مُسمّى الصفويين التي كوّنت بعد ذلك دولة إيران الحديثة.



من نجا من الغزو المغولي؟

أشهر مدينتين نجتا من الغزو المغولي رغم أنهما كانا على مشارف التدمير هُما القُدس وفيينا وذلك بسبب موت الخان العظيم للمغول، مما أجبرهم على سحب معظم جيوشهم إلى عاصمتهم قراقورم.

لم يستطع المغول أبدًا دخول فيتنام رغم محولاتهم لثلاث مرات وكانت النتيجة هزيمة قاسية على يد الفيتناميين.

أيضًا اليابان نجت رغم محاولاتهم العديدة في ذلك، أوقفهم استبسال محاربي الساموراي بالإضافة إلى عدم خبرة المغول مع البحر وأعاصيره التي دمرت أكثر من أسطول لهم.

سلطنة ديلهي التي كانت تحكم شمال الهند استطاعت دحر المغول، وكان ذلك على يد السلطان المملوكي غياث الدين بلبن سُلطان دلهي، وقد كتب عنه وعن فضله وعدله؛ عبد الحي بن فخر الدين الحسني الطالبي في كتابه الشهير "نزهة الخواطر وبهجة المسامع والنواظر – الإعلام بمن في تاريخ الهند من الأعلام" الجزء الأول – صفحة 13

وأخيرًا نجت المنطقة العربية بعدما نجح المماليك في إبعاد المغول من الشام ليضعوا حدًا للمدّ المغولي في المنطقة العربية، كان ذلك عندما انتصر المماليك على المغول في المعركة الشهيرة عين جالوت سنة 1260، مع الإشارة بأن ذلك كان بدعم من القائد المغولي المسلم "بركة خان" والذي تحالف مع المماليك ثأرًا لتدمير ابن عمه هولاكو لبغداد وقتله للخليفة العباسي.



اختلاف أم خطأ تاريخي؟

هناك بعض النقاط التي اختلفت فيها أحداث الرواية عن الحقيقة التاريخية، وقد أشار إليها الكاتب في نهاية الرواية كعادته الجديرة بالاحترام. لكن نقطة أتحفّظ عليها. وهي أن "باتو" في الرواية يظل حيًّا بعد تدمير بغداد. ما نعرفه من المؤرخين العرب مثل ابن كثير، أن هولاكو لم يقتحم بغداد إلا بعد موت "باتو" الذي عبّر عن غضبه -بطلب من بركة خان- لخان المغول "مونغ" عندما عرف بنية هولاكو اقتحام بغداد، وما كان من الخان "مونغ" إلا أن أرسل لهولاكو يمنعه من الهجوم. فامتثل هولاكو للأوامر وأجل الهجوم إلى بعد موت "باتو". ولا أعرف إن كان هناك اختلاف بين المؤرخين العرب والمؤرخين في الغرب في هذه النقطة أم لا.




المرأة مُلهمة في أُمّة المغول


قد لا ينتبه القراء إلى دور المرأة في حياة المغول، ولم يغفل الكاتب "كون إيغلدون" عن ذلك بل عبّر عنه بكل أمانة. صحيح أن شجاعة المغول وقسوتهم كانت هي سبب نجاحهم، لكن في رأيي أنه لولا دور الأمهات والزوجات هُنا لقُضيّ على هذا الشعب في مهده. لأن تأثيرهنّ كان محوريًا في تاريخ أُمّة المغول.

كان للمرأة دورًا عظيمًا سواء في استنهاض همّة خانات المغول، و حتى في استمرار عظمتهم أثناء حُكمهم. نجد في الرواية شخصيات نسائية عظيمة مثل "هولن" أم "تيموجن – جنكيز خان" التي أنقذت أبناءها من ظروف قاسية للغاية ولم يكن ليُكتَب لهم النجاة سوى بصمودها المُذهل، كما قرأنا في الجزء الأول -ذئب السهول

أيضًا "بورت" زوجة جنكيز خان وتأثيرها على زوجها وابنائه كما قرأنا في الجزء الثاني -سادة البراري والجزءالثالث - عظام على الهضاب. و "توروغين -توراكيان خاتون" زوجة أوقتاي خان والتي حكمت خمس سنوات بحنكة وبراعة لتسيطر على شعبها قبل أن تُمهّد الطريق لابنها غويوك ليصبح خانًا على الأمة، وأخيرًا "سورهاتانا" زوجة "تولي خان" والتي كانت ناصحة أمينة لـ"توروغين" كما قرأنا في الجزء الرابع - إمبراطورية الفضة
، بل وفي هذا الجزء نرى تأثير "سورهاتانا" في الأحداث بشكل فعّال



اقتباسات

الموت ليس بالأمر الجيد، كُل ما نستطيع فعله هو أن نتجاهله حتى يأتي الوقت المناسب. الناس يفعلون ذلك بشكل جيد. يعيشون وهم يعلمون أنهم سيموتون، ولكن بغض النظر عن عدد المرات التي يرددون فيها هذه الكلمات، هم لا يصدقونها حقًا، يعتقدون بطريقة ما أن الموت سيتركهم، وأنهم سيعيشون من دون أن يشيخوا.

النار هي اختبار الذهب، ومحنة الرجال الأقوياء

إنك تملك جيشًا قويًا، لكن قمة القوة ألا تضطر لاستخدامه

ما من شيء يمكنه أن يؤرق عقلاً مكرسًا للقتل

إن بإمكان أي أحد أن يُغيّر العالم، لكن لا يستطيع أحد أن يُغيّره إلى الأبد. فخلال مئة عام لن يبقى أي شخص ممن نعرفهم على قيد الحياة، وعندها ما الفرق إن كًنّا أمضينا كُل حياتنا نُقاتل أو نستلقي تحت أشعة الشمس ونرتاح؟

لقد كنتُ صاحب الحق، والآن أصبحت أنت صاحب الحق

التقييم النهائي

تقييمي 5 من 5

رواية "الغُزاة" الجزء الخامس والأخير لسلسلة مُذهلة عاصرنا فيها قيام إمبراطورية المغول على يد تيموجن الوليد، وحتى توحيد الصين على يد خامس الخانات. مررنا بصراعات ومعارك وحروب وقسوة وألم، رأينا دروسًا عن الشجاعة والثبات والكرامة. كُل ذلك وسط أسلوب مشوّق بديع مليء بمشاهد سنيمائية بامتياز. ولا أجد أفضل من خاتمة الكاتب في نهاية سلسلته والتي يقول فيها:

بدأت هذه القصة بعائلة واحدة جائعة مُلاحَقة ووحيدة في سهول منغوليا، وانتهت بحُكم المغول لإمبراطورية أكبر من إمبراطوريتّي الإسكندر الأكبر أو يوليوس قيصر، لما يتجاوز ثلاثة أجيال فقط، إنها ببساطة أعظم قصة تحوّل من الفقر إلى الثراء في التاريخ البشري.

مُراجعة الجزء الأول - ذئب السهول
مُراجعة الجزء الثاني - سادة البراري
مُراجعة الجزء الثالث -عظام على الهضاب
مُراجعة الجزء الرابع - إمبراطورية الفضّة


أحمد فؤاد
الخامس والعشرون من كانون الثاني - يناير 2021

[Clemens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2011, and its the 5th and final episode of the "Conqueror" series, featuring the Khan family throughout the ages of time.

This book is dedicated to Kublai Khan, who's an extraordinary man with a great a heroic mind, its about his action-packed rule, as well as the conquering of one-fitfh of the inhabited world, and all these actions will change the course of history forever.

We will see Kublai Khan from a young scholar to one's most powerful warriors, and as man that is in statute certainly as Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great or Napoleon Bonaparte, as a conqueror of the world.

Its a story of a man who will bring fame to the Mongol Empire and that will end with a civil war between him and his brothers.

What is to follow is an epic tale about an extraordinary man and one that will keep you gripped from start to finish, for this is a man with a vision and the power to fulfill his dream of building a nation from sea to sea, and achieving that all in a man's lifetime is a tremendous feat by this exceptional man.

Highly recommended, for this is a terrific ending to this marvellous series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fabulous Khan Conclusion"!

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have gone off this series by Conn Iggulden. I appreciated Book 1 and 2, but I have not felt anything for the books since then, and this is book 5, so that tells you how long it has been since I have gotten into this series.
I have persisted in the hopes that sooner or later I would feel what I felt in Book 2 and because I keep buying the damn books so that I have the collection. Nice covers make me weak.

I find the writing quality in many of Iggulden's books simplistic and inconsistent. Like a slow building headache.
It is not always wanting though, there are moments where it is perfectly fine, but then it would stumble and fumble along, and I would find myself wincing often.
One of the major issues I had was with the low brow blood and guts description. It was the equivalent of a B Grade slasher movie. Violence for the sake of violence. Description of blood splattering and people dying in every possible way.
This form of description is for a different class of reader than I. I don't go "haw haw..that's some bloody ripping good shit!" when someone's slashed up, gutted, exploding in parts, dismembered, disembowelled, crushed and broken.

Moving on.

The book was too long. It needed shaving down. Too much blow by blow of nothing of any great significance, too much soap opera and too much (as mentioned) description of violence.
Hiding within the pages of Conqueror was a decent book crying to be let out. Instead, it was smothered in cheese and a fair amount of corn.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much I had to get all of Conn Iggulden's books on the Khan series and the books on Rome.This book was wonderful full of action,battle plans,hard choices and trickery.Conn Iggulden has done a wonderful job of making the mongols live for me.I loved how alive these men and women became for me while reading this book. I couldn't put this book down.While reading this book it was like being there in a way just so vivid.I highly recommend reading this book if you are a fan of historical fiction.This author has truly made a fan out of me with one book.I can't wait to read all of the other books Conn Iggulden has written.

[Ron Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in this series focuses on the Mongol Empire after 1241.

Plot. Rating 4
The book has a fairly rich and ramified plot. However, due to the long time periods of the events described, many events are shown quickly and simplistically. For example, I liked the sudden beginning of the book. I was looking forward to a big story about the ten-year internecine strife of the Mongols, but this period was only described superficially.
Nevertheless, the parts of the book related to the military campaigns of the Mongols again interested me. I think that in these parts fiction is well intertwined with historical reality.

Characters. Rating 4
The book contains a large number of characters not only from the Mongol side, but also from the side of their opponents. As in the entire series, the episodic characters are created to be authentic and interesting. The main characters are well complemented by the inhabitants of Central Asia, southern and northern China, old and new military leaders, rulers of the Mongol empire, and the wives and children of various rulers and khans.
It seemed to me that the four sons of Tolui are the main characters of the book, but Kublai Khan stands out from them. This last great ruler of the Mongol Empire is shown excellently. I liked his character as well as his clever political and military decisions.

Dialogues. Rating 5
The dialogues in the book are nice and varied. For example, the great dialogue between Subutai and Batu. In comparison to the other books, it seems to me that the dialogues of the fifth book are the most skillful and accurate in advancing the plot and reflecting the personalities, behavior, and intentions of the many characters within.

Writing style. Rating 4
It hasn't changed by the end of the series. The fifth book reads smoothly and easily. Intense and rather detailed descriptions of hostilities do not interfere with reading.

Worldbuilding. Rating 4
This book devotes less time to the various details of worldbuilding. As with some of the previous books, there are controversial statements. For example, the thesis that the Mongols took their women and children on military campaigns seems dubious to me.
However, the possible errors are balanced by a brilliant description of the military action. I liked the interesting details about the first cannons and other weapons.

Conclusion. Overall rating 4
The fifth book successfully completes the series by talking about two large military companies.

[Lance Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful conclusion to the series. Once I was into the last one hundred pages, I just had to keep reading until I had finished at 2.30 am this morning.

As Conn Iggulden says in his historical notes at the end of the book, there is still so much that he could have continued to write about the Mongolian empire. Sorhatani, mother of the four grandsons of Genghis: Mongke, Kublai, Hulegu and Arik-Boke, deserves a book of her own. However, I think that Conn is correct in deciding to leave the story at the point that he does.

In this book, three of the four sons of Sorhatani, and Tolui, become Gur-khan (the Great Khan), following the early demise of their cousin Guyuk. As the author points out, this is a work of fiction, and the exact nature of any of the deaths and battles are made up around known historical fact. This is waht makes Conn Iggulden such a great writer of historical fiction. He brings it to life. He adds excitement to the (possibly) dry historical reference. This is why I love the genre so much.

Although it is possible to read any one of the five books in this series as a stand-alone volume, I would advise against it. One can only wonder at the rise of an empire that, at its peak, extends far further than either the Roman or Alexandran empires, from the tiniest of beginnings in the first episode. Terujin, as a small boy, is purssued into the wilderness. He grows to become Genghis, uniting the Mongolian nation and conquering most of the known world from western Europe to Eastern China.

The Conqueror series is a marathon read, and I have read them as they hit the book shops. I am glad that I did. This is tremendous series, and Conn Iggulden and his supporters have done a fantastic job.

I thoroughly recommend the whole series starting from the first volume and ending in the early hours of one morning sometime in your future. You will not be disappointed!

[Петър Стойков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Сагата за Монголската империя завършва силно, ако и да остава практически недовършена. Кублай е внук на Чингис хан но да��еч не поема управлението от баща си, а той от неговия баща - линията на предаване (по-скоро вземане) на ханската власт в империята е много по-дълга, объркана и пълна с кървища, от простото наследяване и петата и последна част на поредицата се занимава с издигането на власт на Кублай, но приключва до там, без да разглежда дългото и интересно управление на практически единствения достоен наследник на Чингис.

Когато човек чете за Монголската империя, остава поразен от много неща. Наред с обичайните, като нейната невероятно огромна територия (втората по-големина империя в световната история след Британската), невероятното човешко изтребление, което монголите извършват (10% от населението на света) и т.н. това, което видях аз в тази книга и което ме шашна е именно как членовете на династията на Чингис и като цяло монголските племена успяват да завладеят толкова народи и да сразят толкова армии ДОКАТО се избиват едни други непрекъснато!

Може да се каже, че различните китайски, европейски и арабски армии, които монголите прегазват, са им отворили работа само между другото, докато най-тежките битки с най-много жертви от тяхна страна са били при вътрешните войни за власт на различните монголски племена и ханове.

[Gordana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uživala sam u svih pet divnih knjiga s bogatom poviješću i opsežnim opisima bitaka te mi je žao što je ova zadnja u seriji, al' razumijem način zbog čega ju je završio na taj način. Iggulden mi je majstor pripovijedanja te se nadam da će i ostale njegove knjige biti prevedene :)

[Mariya Mincheva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Харесах този вълнуващ завършек на сагата за монголските принцове- потомци на Чингис хан, устремени към правото над ханския меч с вълчата глава.
Сега знам,че успехът на монголите не се дължи на численото превъзхоство на пълчищата им, а на сериозна семейна, военна и племенна йерархична структура и доста доброто образование на наследниците на трона.
В тази последна част битките са още по-мащабни, жертвите -стотици хиляди дневно, реките са кървави, а сухата земя- разкаляна и все пак в диваците има много чест, достойнство и благородство - готови са да жертват семействата си и самите те да умрат за хана.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in a five book series. I do not think I have binged on a series in very long time. I started book 1 in mid July and never let up. Conn's storytelling is some of the best out there for HF and war.

The series starts with Genghis Khan at about the age of 10 and finishes here with the adult years of Kublai, his grandson. Of all the children and grandchildren Kublai was the only one to embrace the Chin (Chinese) culture. Kublai began as a scholar but in the end the warrior blood of the Mongols caught up with him and he completed his grandfather's dream of conquering and uniting the Chin as one nation.

A fantastic story, told by a stellar writer.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a great Historical Fiction series. I enjoyed this one and it was the perfect end to this series. The characters shined all throughout the entire series. I'll say that I gave the 4th installment only 3 stars, but this summed it all up. I loved the drama of war and the author showed what propels one to climb to the top, no matter the cost. That was all well done. I highly recommend this series, especially the audiobooks.

[Allen Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m feeling let down… not remotely by this book and series, but solely by the fact that I will never be able to experience them for the first time again. It’s a good problem to have, really. After having completed the fifth book, I can now safely rank this series in my all-time favorite works of fiction, along with selected works by J. R. R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert, and Rosemary Sutcliff. This series is on that incredible level.

You probably think it’s weird to read the epic story of a family leading a nation of bloodthirsty, conquering killers, and actually feel empathy for them, and root for them, and care for them. And I would agree with you. Yet, that’s precisely what this story as told in its five volumes will make you feel.

If you are into historical war fiction that leaves you breathless with high drama and page-turning anticipation, and does so with excellent writing, superb character development, and a visceral immersion into the dangerous, exotic 13th-century world, you really ought to treat yourself to this series by Conn Iggulden. You’ll thank me later. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conn Iggulden follows up his excellent series on Genghis khan with another wonderful tale. This time it's about Genghis's grandson- Kublai. It follows the intelligent and different, from the Mongol norm, man from his young teenage years to his brother Mongke becoming Khan and sending Kublai on a conquest of the Southern Sung lands of China. The book does also track the experiences of Mongke, Hulegu, Batu and others.

As per his norm, Mr. Iggulden fills his pages with well researched and exciting tales. While, there are a few changes for the plot (the head of the Nizari Islamili Order at Alamut was NOT named Sulieman but rather Al Aud-Din), on the whole the story is historically accurate. It is also exciting and flows very well. The sheer range of the action from Russia to Baghdad to South China is phenomenal. He also understands the differing personalities of the grandsons of Ghenghis and how that affects their actions. Coupled with a good knowledge of how the Mongol's fought battles, from strategy to tactical formations- this a book that will not only entertain, but inform anyone interested in the Mongols.

I can not recommend this highly enough. Mr. Iggulden's work is amongst the best historical fiction I have read in a long while.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

'This story began with a single, starving family, hunted and alone on the plains of Mongolia - and ends with Kublai Khan ruling an empire larger than that of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar. Over just three generations, that is the simply the greatest rags-to-riches tale in human history.'-Conn Iggulden

Conqueror is second only to the first book in this series as my favorite. It's just a well written novel and I could tell Conn put his heart into this one. In addition to what is usually guaranteed from this author (great battles, epic moments, heart moving scenes), I really enjoyed the political intrigue here. The play for Power, and how it can change you (usually for the worse) once achieved.

"Power is always dangerous, it attracts the worst and corrupts the best"-Ragnar, Vikings.

The princes Mongke, Kublai, Hulegu and Ariq-Boke are in the spotlight. We see their differences in the way they deal with situations. But we clearly see what binds them as brothers: An Iron will.
I particularly enjoyed Kublai and Hulegu's sections.

In a time filled with clashing swords and ambitions, treachery, vengeful assassins...a Conqueror will rise.

[Natasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all his novels, it was a well written, thoroughly researched book. Great history of culture. Significant insight into the great detail that the Mongols put into warfare and tactics.

[Jefi Sevilay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conn Iggulden çok yetenekli bir Tarihsel Kurgu yazarı. Fatih serisi de gerçekten adına yaraşır bir serüven oldu. Zaman zaman gereğinden fazla uzatıldığını düşünsem de yine de sıkmadı ve yormadı. Yine sonundaki tarihsel gerçekler bölümü hoşuma gitti çünkü en azından yazar hikayenin ne kadarını kurguladı açıkça belirtti.

Cengiz'in imparatorluğu dünyanın 5'te birine hükmetmiş bir imparatorluk. Geldiği nokta Cengiz'i bile kıskandıracak nitelikte. Bu kitapları okumak özellikle Moğolistan'ın tarihi hakkında daha fazla araştırmaya itti beni. Kudretli kardeşlerin nasıl bir imparatorluğu yücelteceğini ve zayıf kardeşlerin nasıl çöküşe sebep olabileceğini gösterdi bir kez daha. Mesela Kubilay'la Arık Böke'nin çatışması tek savaşta çözülmüş gibi anlatılmış oysa ki iç savaş aslında tam 3 yıl sürmüş.

Ben özellikle bu seri için Koridor Yayıncılık'a teşekkür etmek istiyorum. "Bir seriye başlayalım, tutarsa devamını getiririz" sorumluluk sahibi bir yayınevinin düşüncesi olmamalı.

Mesela Nitelik Yayınları'ndan çıkan Conn Iggulden'in İmparator serisi. 5 kitaplık serinin 2 kitabı var.
Mesela İnkılap Yayınevi'nden çıkan Ken Follett'in Kingsbridge serisi 3 kitaplık serinin 2 kitabı var.
Mesela Olasılık Yayınları'ndan çıkan Ken Follett'in Yüzyıl Üçlemesi 3 kitaplık serinin 2 kitabı var.

Değerli yayınevleri bir seriye başladığınız zaman okuyucunuza karşı sorumlusunuz. Belki kar getirmeyecek ama bir seriye başlandıysa kanımca tüm kitapları çevrilmeli. İşin kötü tarafı orijinal dilinde de bulamıyorsunuz ve Ken Follett'te olduğu gibi yarıda kalıyorsunuz.

Neyse, Fatih serisi gerçekten çok uzun sürdü ama keyifli bir yolculuktu.

Herkese keyifli okumalar!

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conn Iggulden writes that this story of Genghis Khan began “with a single, starving family, hunted and alone on the plains of Mongolia—and ends with Kublai Khan ruling an empire larger than that of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar. Over just three generations, that is simply the greatest rags-to-riches tale in human history.”

All five volumes were excellent historical fiction.

They are a reminder, too, that “great men” like Genghis Khan and his successors were capable of unspeakable brutality and (I can think of no other word) demonic barbarism. They left in their wake killing fields swimming in blood.

The lust for power will do that. And worse.

I am glad to have learned more of Genghis Khan, for I learned more of the evil of which the human heart is capable. And thus learned more about myself.

God save us from ourselves.