Lords of the Bow (Conqueror 2) [Paperback]

This is Conn Iggulden's best book to date. Wolf of the Plains was a magnificent book which can now be seen in context as a very good prologue to this remarkable next chapter in the Genghis Khan story.

With military detail, political intrigue, cultural richness and thrills and spills aplenty you cannot help but read this book in double quick time. The descriptions of battle (particularly breaking through the Great Wall for the first time and the battle at Badgers Mouth) are stunning and utterly compelling. But the story lines of the politics, diplomacy and "human interest" are no less readable in their way. There is so much for everyone in this book.

The sense of scale is awesomely expressed and again, like Wolf of the Plains, you can almost feel the weather and experience the vibrancy of the Monghol horde. There is brutality in the book, but it is integral and important to the realism of the story and the times; not gratuitous.

With rich story lines for the rulers, generals, spies, foot soldiers and assasins throughout this book you build a rich kaleidoscope of image and emotions. You also cannot help but learn historic fact. Granted this is a fictional book, but the technologies, techniques, weaponry, politics and many of the characters were real.

I loved this book and it was a shame to finish it. A year to wait for the next one? I really hope not.

When I read Lord of the Bow, during my holiday, I knew that I should take a rest from reading, put the book down and go out site-seeing, but unfortunately, the mistake of taking this book with me has already been committed! I was unable to put it down. I find it very difficult to find writers who can put melees without sounding like they are doctoring the whole situation so that somehow they come out smart strategists in the end. Conn is a very talented strategist and can put details in a way that makes you not want miss a line because you know it all counts when you get to the numerous great fights. This is a really good book and nothing less of the many other books Conn had authored about war. It also gives us men a very good insight into the politics of man and the effects of power on us.
I just hope that 1, Conn would not be as explicit with sexual encounters and 2, that he would write the next book asap!

The second book in the Conqueror series is an outstanding contribution to the historical fiction genre. Following on from Wolf of the Plains, Lords of the Bow begins with the Mongol nation having been united under the rule of Temujin, the Genghis Khan. Fighting and conquering rival nomadic factions, the tribes are drawn together under the leadership of one man for the first time. This momentous turning point in history is given a superb treatment from Iggulden. Temujin's character, his flaws and his abilities follow on without halt from book 1 and the character development of those around him is of the very highest order.

In particular, it is the relationships that form and ebb throughout the book that knit the whole together. The narrative of battle, conquering, and violence is well known history but Iggulden's characters are believable. Iggulden understands that being ruthless was a fundamental part of the success of Genghis. He is tested as are his brothers by those who have seen their own authority diminished by the rise of Temujin. The differences between the characters are intriguingly drawn for the modern audience - Temuge for instance is derided consistently for his lack of abilities but he is the one who most closely represents the modern day aesthetic and he who is relied on to take care of the pragmatic busines of running a nation.

Temujin's other brothers Khasar and Kachuin form differing characters - Khasar the traditional barbarian, perhaps the model to which we still view the Mongol hordes as a savage and unstoppable brute. Kachuin though is the more subtle picture, his worldview coloured by the events of book 1 and the bond established during that time with Temujin.

It is the relationship with women though that is the most impressive. Not pandering to our current world views, the Mongols are unapologetic for the role of women in their society. Temujin's wife Borte is loyal and strong but Temujin is the great conqueror and in reality there are countless millions who claim descent from Genghis Khan. The second wife Chakahai is unlike Borte - she is feminine, submissive, and beautiful. The role of women in our own society is yet to resolve itself between these two positions.

Iggulden's story also develops the politics of tribal affairs. The shaman Kokchu is the explicit recognition of this. His tale is of power lust, something most probably underplayed elsewhere amongst the characters. He is undoubtedly a villain but the way he treats his own female slave is just a step on the continuum of behaviour away from the main heroic characters. Kokchu questions the reader - where does the line of acceptable and unacceptable fall and what can realistically be done to impose that distinction?

The bulk of Lords of the Bow details the campaign against the Chinese Xi Xia kingdom. Genghis learns to adapt his warriors fighting style to meet opponents hiding behind city walls. The battles are not those of the Steppe, they are sieges and as such have to be conducted very differently. They are also epic in scope, not the personalised fights of Wolf of the Plains. Here nameless hundreds die. This is war. It is painful at times but the underlying morality is that of all existance - the only way to stop violence is to be strong enough to fight it.

Not all of the book is perfect though. I had serious quibbles with the descriptions of the Uighurs. The concept of nationhood is built on ethnicity and I think this an anachronistic interpretation. Uighurs are not Mongols, they are more closely related to the Tartars the Mongols claim to hate. This is glossed over presumably for the sake of the readership as our nations were typically forged through an ethnic national identity.

The side adventure into China featuring Khasar, Temuge, and Ho-Sa did not make a great deal of sense but was good fun. Equally the introduction of Tsubodai as a grinning optimist wasn't quite the set up for one of the greatest generals of all time to have his tale start considering how skillfully drawn out most of the other characters are.

Overall, this difficult second book in a trilogy is outstanding. The narrative is fast paced, thoughtful, and fascinating. The first real conquests of the settled world bring Genghis into international recognition, and the story that started out in Wolf of the Plains as a struggling outcast is carried on here as the young leader finds his way in warfare, in the challenges of leadership, and most of all in the national identity and culture he forges. This is excellent historical fiction.