Review: Lords of the Bow

Deeply satisfying sequel.

For centuries, Mongol tribes had warred with one another. But now, under Genghis Khan, they have united as one nation, setting their sights on a common enemy: the great, slumbering walled empire of the Chin. Genghis will lead his warriors across the Gobi Desert and into a realm his people had never seen before—with gleaming cities, soaring walls, and canals. Laying siege to one city fortress after another, he will crush each enemy in a different way—until his army faces the ultimate test of all.In the city of Yenking —modern-day Beijing— the Chin will make their final stand, setting a trap for the Mongol raiders, confident behind their towering walls. But Genghis will strike with breathtaking audacity, never ceasing until the Emperor himself is forced to kneel.

This impressive sequel to Wolf of the Plains / Birth of an Empire starts at the point where Genghis, formerly known as Temujin of the Wolves, is finishing up his campaign to unite all the Mongol tribes.

After becoming the undisputed leader and melting all these different tribes into one nation, one army, he turns his attention to the South – to the Xi Xia Empire and next to that the great Chin Empire. We get to see the preparations, the logistics involved in moving a 100.000 person army with followers over vast distances; we are part of the trek through the Gobi desert and the arrival at a fortified mountain pass that guards the access to the wealthy empires in the south, which will be the scene of the first major battle in this book. We get to see the learning curve of the Mongols, who have to adapt their warfare methods. On the plains the Mongols never knew stone buildings, nor walled cities with defensive weapons like they encounter in the empires in the south.

Like the first book this one has a lot of bloody action and intrigue; more than the first book this one has major, large scale battles. Iggulden’s descriptions of these battles, his eye for detail and for strategy and tactics are sublime. In this book we don’t spend all the time with Genghis. We see the adventures of Genghis’ brothers Khasar and Temuge on their ‘scouting trip’ into the Xi Xia Empire. We get to know these brothers better than we did in the first book; Khasar the crude warrior, Kachiun the intelligent leader, Temuge the soft schemer. Also we are introduced to Tsubodai – a heroic youngster who will be the best known general in Mongol history; a real historical figure. All these characters feel real and have their own distinct personalities.

In this book the period is covered of the first steps into the Xi Xia Empire to the siege of Yenking (present day Bejing). We get to see not only Genghis’ victories, but also his doubts and frustrations. Lengthy sieges were not exactly to the Mongols taste but sometimes unavoidable.

Interesting detail and real historical fact is the tactic Genghis and the Mongol invented to cower the besieged city into surrender. On the first day of the siege they would put up a big white tent. This tent symbolized the possibility for the city to surrender without bloodshed. Without the besieged city’s surrender the Mongols would put up a red tent the next day – indicating that surrender was still possible but now only the women and children would survive. If necessary the next day a black tent would be raised – meaning surrender was now impossible and everybody inside the city walls would be killed. Implemented without exception this was of course a perfect way to install fear in cities that where next on the Mongol’s route.

Iggulden simply is a master storyteller. His style makes the reader feel right in the middle of the action and paints a vivid picture of the day to day life in an army on the move and also of the life and machinations in the Chin cities.

The end of the book lets us see a brooding Genghis who longs for the plains of home and who wants to see his sons grow up (although they are not equally loved by their father...) And with just a little knowledge of history we know Genghis still has to look to the West… Anyway: enough promise for the last book!

Conclusion: Lords of the Bow is a deeply satisfying sequel to Wolf of the Plains and appetizing prequel to the last book in the series: Bones of the Hills. Outstanding!

9 / 10