What Would You Recommend? - Jack Whyte and Conn Iggulden

This is a question I get asked all the time working in the bookstore: "What would you recommend for somebody who loved "_________"? (fill in the blank)" Usually I can come up with something, but that something can be a bit of a wild guess if it's not a book or genre I normally read. This is where you helpful people come in. If you have a suggestion, I'd love to hear it.


A while back I was reading the Conn Iggulden books about Genghis Khan. Both Wolf of the Plains and Lords of the Bow were reviewed here last year. Based on those two books I've been recommending Jack Whyte's books, both The Skystone and sequels and the Templar trilogy (which begins with Knights of the Black and White).

I have not yet read Conn Iggulden's Rome books about Julius Caesar though. Even so, I think that the two authors are a good match in terms of writing style. What I don't know however, is who else to recommend. A lot of the time people have already read both authors.

What would you recommend?

Lords of the Bow - Conn Iggulden

Lords of the Bow
Conn Iggulden
HarperCollins
Copyright: 2008
978-0007201778

The Amazon.com product description:

The gathering of the tribes of the Mongols has been a long time in coming but finally, triumphantly, Temujin of the Wolves, Genghis Khan, is given the full accolade of the overall leader and their oaths. Now he can begin to meld all the previously warring people into one army, one nation. But the task Genghis has set himself and them is formidable. He is determined to travel to the land of the long-time enemy, the Chin and attack them there. The distances and terrain-the wide deserts, the impenetrable mountains-make it a difficult venture even for the legendary Mongolian speed of movement, but the greatest problem is that of the complex fortifications, a way of fighting wars of a settled urban population which the nomadic Mongolians had never come across. Finding ways to tackle that and keeping his tribes together in a strange environment presents another new and exciting challenge for Genghis Khan.

Not only must Genghis succeed in this incredible campaign, but he must also reconcile the restless factions among his own generals, mediate between his ambitious brothers and cope with his own reactions to his growing sons. The young warrior has become a notable and victorious military commander of thousands: he must now learn to become a great leader of peoples of many different races and religions.

Lords of the Bow is a deeply satisfying novel. It is epic in scope, convincing, and fascinating in the narration of an extraordinary story. Above all Genghis Khan continues to dominate the scene as he matures from the young boy of Wolf of the Plains to the great Conqueror.

Lords of the Bow is the sequel to Wolf of the Plains, the first book in this series about Gengis Khan. I honestly have to say that it's just as good, if not a bit better. Where that first book was about his childhood and his struggles to survive with just his mother and siblings, in Lords of the Bow, we see the period when Gengis first unites the Mongolian tribes under his leadership. And then, his campaign into China - both the successes and the failures.

It's a wider cast of characters and landscapes, all well described and vivid. At the same time, there are more viewpoint characters to show it with: Opposing Generals and kings, Gengis' children and brothers, his wives and more. On the other hand, I found with the grander field, that there was more statesmanship and big things and less of Gengis' personal life, worries and thoughts than there were in the first book.

Still a great story, just a bit different, but I definitely liked it. More than once, I found myself reading as I walked from the bus stop - not a great thing to do where there are no sidewalks. But, I had to know what happened next.

There's definitely going to be at least two more books in the series: Bones of the Hills, which is already out in mass-market paperback, and one more that comes out this fall.

Wolf of the Plains - Conn Iggulden

Wolf of the Plains
Conn Iggulden
Harper
Copyright: 2007
978-0007201754

The amazon.com product description:

From the co-author of The Dangerous Book for Boys, comes the first in the widely anticipated Conqueror series featuring Genghis Khan and his descendants. A remarkable story of heroism and adventure, of a boy who had to become a man too soon, of a family and a tribe who had to learn to win to survive. A man without a tribe was at great risk, so the young boy abandoned with his siblings on the harsh Mongolian plains had to struggle to avoid death. He survived both starvation and hostile attacks by learning remarkable leadership skills and gathering a group of outsiders like himself. Hunted and alone, he dreamed of uniting the tribes into one house, one nation. He became a great warrior. He would become father to his people. He would be Genghis Khan.

This is the first book in a very popular series. Every time a new book comes out, I see so many people coming into the store in search of it. So, I thought I'd see what it was about. Needless to say, I ended up buying all three of the books now out.

Wolf of the Plains covers Genghis Khan's childhood on the plains of Mongolia: his life among the tribes and then the years he spent with just his mother and siblings, doing what it took to keep them alive and fed. It makes for a vivid and exciting read to say the least. Given the characters and cultures, it's not overly surprising that the book gets a bit brutal in places, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a very good read.

I've noted this about other historical novels in past reviews, and it's something I like. Conn Iggulden has noted the main sources he used in the creation of this novel (and sequels), as well as some of the changes he chose to make. I find knowing about the sources gives me a better appreciation for a good, well written story.

For all that Wolf of the Plains is the first book in a series, it stands on its own very well, although I'm sure that once you've read it, you will want to go on to the next book and the ones following that.