"Tell them that I am Genghis and I will ride."
Ah, yes. The sound of hooves thundering along a dusty plateau. The scene from Mulan when the snowy ridge is crossed by thousands of horsemen to sweep down on Shang and his little cohort. There are so many more evocative images brought about by Conn Iggulden's Conqueror series that it's impossible to list them all. The story of Genghis and the birth of a nation out of what looked like nothing but sheep herders and shaggy ponies is the story of how one man dared to rise against the world - and the only thing that kept the world standing was his untimely death.
Otherwise, if the Mongols had continued their eternal ride, who knows? It might have been a completely different place ...
Side note: only the first three books tell the story of Genghis - the next two focus on his sons and grandsons, and what became of his empire after his death, but Iggulden's story telling remains masterful throughout!
Hunted and alone, the young boy abandoned with his siblings on the harsh Mongolian plains 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.
(from book jacket)
xx
*image not mine
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