Bones of the Hills (Conqueror): Book 3 - Softcover

Iggulden, Conn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007353278 ISBN 13: 9780007353279

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limit, 2010

Synopsis

The third novel in the No. 1 bestselling Conqueror series, following the life and adventures of the mighty Genghis Khan and his descendants

Genghis Khan has fulfilled his dream of uniting the many warring tribes of his lands into one great nation. He has taken his armies against the mighty cities of their oldest enemies. Now he finds trouble rising west of the Mongolian plains. His emissaries are being mutilated or killed and his trading gestures rebuffed. He decides to divide his armies to conquer, using his sons as generals and sending them out simultaneously in many directions.

As well as discovering new territories and laying waste the cities which resist, Genghis knows that the actions of his generals will help him decide who, from his rival sons and heirs, should succeed him as khan.

About this title

Review:

One can only hope that the phenomenal success of his co-authored The Dangerous Book for Boys does not take attention away from the prodigious storytelling skills of Conn Iggulden. As Bones of the Hills forcefully reminds us, Iggulden is the real deal when it comes to historical fiction on the grandest scale. And here, all of his characteristic skills are well to the fore.

A boy was abandoned in the wilderness by his tribe -- but he did not die. As those Iggulden admirers who have read Wolf of the Plains and Lords of the Bow will know, this luckless boy has grown into one of the most feared and powerful figures in history, Genghis Khan. He has persuaded the tribes that had been tearing each other to pieces to ignore their differences and unite under his leadership to battle their oldest enemies. Under his ruthless (and ferociously inspired) leadership, a mighty nation has been forged. But this is only the beginning of his struggles: Khan sends out emissaries, but they are tortured and killed. He attempts to open trade routes; his efforts are met with violent rebuff. Soon, the Mongolian army is stretched to the furthest corners of Khan's realm, and destruction looms.

This is epic storytelling on a nigh-operatic scale. Iggulden has long been the master of the broad brush stroke and conjures up the ancient world with great panache. Of course, the success of a book such as Bones of the Hills depends on the vivid characterisation of its larger-than-life central character, and of the many novels which have attempted to capture Genghis Khan, none have mastered the task as successfully as Conn Iggulden.
--Barry Forshaw

Review:

‘Iggulden is in a class of his own when it comes to epic, historical fiction’ Daily Mirror

‘Iggulden...tells an absolutely cracking story...the pace is nail-biting and the set dressing magnificent’ The Times

‘Iggulden weaves an entertaining tale of this world of men, swords, bows and the call of war and the plains’ Daily Express

‘I felt as if a blockbuster movie was unfolding before me...read the book before Hollywood takes it over’ Daily Express

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limit
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0007353278
• ISBN 13: 9780007353279
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 528