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Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (c. 1162-1227), born Temujin, was the eldest son of a Mongol ruling family whose power was in precipitous decline. At his birth, the Mongols, living in the arid steppes of Asia, were a leaderless nomadic people scattered by constant warfare with competing tribes and by a hostile Chinese government to the south. When he died, Genghis Khan was Emperor of the Steppes and conqueror of a vast territory stretching from China through Persia, as far east as the Caucasus Mountains.
This compelling biography recounts the early life and rise to power of one of the world's most fearsome warriors, as seen and remembered by Genghis Khan's compatriots. The author based his work on The Secret History of the Mongols ―the sole contemporary record of the great Khan and his people. This rare and remarkable view of politics and power in the thirteenth century, lost to history for some seven hundred years, is made accessible in this incisive look at a fascinating leader as skilled in government as he was in battle.
This compelling biography recounts the early life and rise to power of one of the world's most fearsome warriors, as seen and remembered by Genghis Khan's compatriots. The author based his work on The Secret History of the Mongols ―the sole contemporary record of the great Khan and his people. This rare and remarkable view of politics and power in the thirteenth century, lost to history for some seven hundred years, is made accessible in this incisive look at a fascinating leader as skilled in government as he was in battle.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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April 3, 2012This makes a story of The Secret History of the Mongols. Indeed, the author says he 'invents no dialogue' though he does 'condense speeches' - the Secret History is big on speech. R.P. Lister is the one who said of the Secret History it reminded me in many respects of the Morte d'Arthur which is a quote that nestles in my heart. Although I ought to add he goes on to say, It is rough notes for the Morte d'Arthur combined with a manual of infantry training and the London Telephone Directory..
October 4, 2017
85% of this book is a recounting of Temujin's rise, basically a more readable version of The Secret History of the Mongols. It works well enough, being more detailed than entertaining. Yet, the story alone is entertaining, and Ong Khan and Jamuhka come off as tragic figures in a bloody game.
March 8, 2010
R.P. Lister based this book upon "The Secret History of the Mongols," a Mongol chronicle written in 1240, thirteen years after the great Khan himself gave up the ghost. All told, R.P. manages a decent job re-writing an account of the early life of Genghis Khan; he does have a certain, distinct writing style that may appeal to some readers. That being said, the one fault I did find with this book was the profusion of names the reader has to keep track of in order to remember who is who. Throughout his early life, Genghis Khan and his followers intermingled with scores of different clans; as a result, Khan had many enemies, numerous alliances, several wives, a few half-brothers, some real brothers, as well as blood-brothers. R.P., of course, does not hold back when it comes to naming all of these people. This is not really a criticism of the author's work, I'm merely stating that I had a problem with all those damnable names. On the face of it, this is one of those books where you have to continuously go back and reread pages so you can recall the 'who's', the 'what's' and the 'where's.' And it didn't help that I couldn't pronounce most of these names either. To better illustrate my meaning, I have included a few passages from the book as examples:
"In this confusion the two captive sons of Tokhto'a the Merkit, Kutu and Chila'un, escaped, and set off down the Selenga to rejoin Belgutai."
"He sent his Four Coursers, Bo'orchu, Mukhali, Borokhul and Chila'un, later called Bahadur. Meanwhile Targutai, the old Taijiut chieftain, hiding in the forest, was seized by some men of the Baarin clan, Shirgu'etu and his sons Alakh and Naya'a."
Anyway, the whole book inundates the reader with lines like the ones above. For all of that, R.P. Lister's bio on Genghis is worth reading. I would, however, advise the reader to take no long breaks whilst reading this book. If you do, you're liable to forget a lot of what you've read after a hiatus of 2 - 3 days. Hell, I did.
"In this confusion the two captive sons of Tokhto'a the Merkit, Kutu and Chila'un, escaped, and set off down the Selenga to rejoin Belgutai."
"He sent his Four Coursers, Bo'orchu, Mukhali, Borokhul and Chila'un, later called Bahadur. Meanwhile Targutai, the old Taijiut chieftain, hiding in the forest, was seized by some men of the Baarin clan, Shirgu'etu and his sons Alakh and Naya'a."
Anyway, the whole book inundates the reader with lines like the ones above. For all of that, R.P. Lister's bio on Genghis is worth reading. I would, however, advise the reader to take no long breaks whilst reading this book. If you do, you're liable to forget a lot of what you've read after a hiatus of 2 - 3 days. Hell, I did.
July 17, 2009
Reading this I'm reminded of those "human-animal hybrids" that exercise some Republican lawmakers so much - an odd mixture of biography and novel that doesn't work very well in either genre.
R.P. Lister is not a historian but a "novelist, poet, and travel writer" (per the backcover), and his purpose in writing this book is to render the primary source of this period, The Secret History of the Mongols, into an easily readable and understandable format.
As a biography, it's simply a recapitulation of the Mongol court's propaganda machine. The Secret History is considered fairly reliable as these things go but it's not going to put the Great Khan, his family and close associates in a bad light. As a novel, the effort itself is not misguided but the writing is simply subpar. For the nonhistorian who's interested, it probably is more accessible than the source, however.
To end on a postive note: I do wish that I had read this before watching the recent film Mongol (forget who directed it but he's a Russian). It would have been easier to follow if I had had some idea about the background amongst the various characters.
R.P. Lister is not a historian but a "novelist, poet, and travel writer" (per the backcover), and his purpose in writing this book is to render the primary source of this period, The Secret History of the Mongols, into an easily readable and understandable format.
As a biography, it's simply a recapitulation of the Mongol court's propaganda machine. The Secret History is considered fairly reliable as these things go but it's not going to put the Great Khan, his family and close associates in a bad light. As a novel, the effort itself is not misguided but the writing is simply subpar. For the nonhistorian who's interested, it probably is more accessible than the source, however.
To end on a postive note: I do wish that I had read this before watching the recent film Mongol (forget who directed it but he's a Russian). It would have been easier to follow if I had had some idea about the background amongst the various characters.
April 8, 2015
I was the author's intention to write a biography of Ghengis Khan's early life and rise to power that was both true to the best historical sources and readable to the general public. I cannot comment on accuracy, but Lister did a very good job of turning this into a highly readable story. I enjoyed this a lot.
While I agree all the names are sometimes confusing, it is a characteristic of a good biography of a major historical person because they are important. Between the index and the genealogy tree, it is not a handicap. If one wants to comprehend history, one cannot fly through the pages the way some teenagers read adventure fiction, unless one follows up with a later reading, or one already has a thorough grasp of the subject.
My one quibble is that a good map or two would have been a valuable addition. I don't carry a good atlas everywhere, whether paper or electronic.
While I agree all the names are sometimes confusing, it is a characteristic of a good biography of a major historical person because they are important. Between the index and the genealogy tree, it is not a handicap. If one wants to comprehend history, one cannot fly through the pages the way some teenagers read adventure fiction, unless one follows up with a later reading, or one already has a thorough grasp of the subject.
My one quibble is that a good map or two would have been a valuable addition. I don't carry a good atlas everywhere, whether paper or electronic.
August 12, 2012
It was much better than I thought it might be, a good story and well written from supposed facts compiled from dry and non-scholar-unreadable records. I bought Anne "Vampire" Rice's personal hardbound copy in Portland when Powell's Books was liquidating her personal library('s cullings).
Having said that, I totally f***ked up and did NOT buy Anne's copy of Pamela Anderson's novel "Star: A Novel" that was inscribed by Pam "Anne, you're the BEST!! XXOO -Pam ". What the hell was I thinking!?!?
Having said that, I totally f***ked up and did NOT buy Anne's copy of Pamela Anderson's novel "Star: A Novel" that was inscribed by Pam "Anne, you're the BEST!! XXOO -Pam ". What the hell was I thinking!?!?
July 31, 2010
Reads like an adventure story. Enjoyed book. Only problem was keeping up with the names of the personage....
July 18, 2012
An excellent book on the birth and early life of The Khan.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews