But Ratchnevsky is the top of the line reference to Temujin and his amzing life. He weighs the evidence and directs the reader to the lesser known aspects of Temujin's life.

Nowhere else will you find mentioned that Temujin probably had disappeared for ten years to China before his comeback in the late 1190ies.

Few point out that Temujin was not the most daring of men, more of a planner than a fighter and not above saving himself first.

Rachnevskies book paints a less glorious, but much more realistic and human picture of the man who changed the world forever. Temujin's actions have been accounted for in many sources, but few allow us to understand his motives.

Instead of inventing awe inspiring moments, as Lamb does, and putting words into the mouth of the man, Rachnevsky presents the different sources and versions diligently; and strangely, this allows a better understanding who this great Mongol was than all the literary fancy of Lamb or the sycophantic impropabilities of Malik Juvayni.

Lamb and Malik Juvayni have their own merits, and are a must have for all who want to explore this amazing part of history, but without Rachnevskies scholarly integrity, true understanding would elude most.

Not for the casual reader, but Temujin deserves on less than full attention.


Very informative but not an easy read.   April 20, 1999
 22 out of 24 found this review helpful

The book is well written and informative but I found it diffucult to read. I don't think it was written for the layman. Too much technical jargon. I wanted to know more about how the mongols actually lived and fought. Where did they get their weapons, how did they survive the cold winters and what made them so tough. Still looking for this type of book on Genghis Khan and the mongols.


The Best of my Mongols books, thus far.   September 22, 1998
 17 out of 20 found this review helpful

I have several books on the Mongols and this one has been, by far, the more informative of the bunch. When telling stories or writing about the Mongols, I rely much more heavily on this study, using it as the standard for texts covering the same or similar incidents in my other Mongol books.


Disappointing...........   May 29, 2001
 16 out of 19 found this review helpful

There isn't a plethora of books devoted to Genghis Khan out there and this may stem from a lack of historical information. No doubt, a large part of accepted knowledge is lore or estimation. Having an avid interest in asian history as a whole, I eagerly started this book. I was soon keenly looking forward to the kernels of interesting narrative that dot the book throughout. However, the uninspiring space between those kernels is daunting and requires determination. It may also require a tally board as one attempts to keep up with the family, allies, liaisons, enemies, followers, and friends of this Mongol warlord. Read it for the knowledge gained, but don't waste a rainy day, La-Z-Boy, fireside opportunity on the effort.


Fine biography   January 6, 2004
 10 out of 13 found this review helpful

Westerners are often shocked to hear that in Mongolia today, Genghis is revered as a national hero and the father of the country. Indeed, even in China - a victim of the Mongols - Genghis is regarded as a great man. Not China's great man, of course, but a great man nevertheless. I know, speaking as an ethnic Chinese myself. By contrast, Europeans know Genghis as something like a cross between a medieval Hitler and Anti-Christ.

This book is indeed a little confusing, given all those proper names. Despite its conciseness, it is not written for the casual reader. I confess I have trouble understanding it. I advise those of us who are not experts in Asian history to read the relevant chapters in Frederick Mote's "Imperial China," which I think is very instructive on the Mongol period, and has a good deal to say about Timujin (Genghis) himself, from his ancestry and birth on.