Too violent ( )

A pretty good ending to the series. The last book kind of drones on a bit, but overall it works. I think the author took more liberties with this volume than the others in order to tie things up. He explains in the notes why decided to end it where he did. We are already familiar with Kublai and his time as an older man. So I tend to agree with the writer. This novel tended to have a bit more filler than the rest but was still very well written.

Some things just make me say "Wow." And this book is one of them.

I was sad realizing that I would not be reading anymore of the Genghis and his family. And then I accidentally tripped over the fact that Conn Iggulden would be writing a 5th book. Hooray!

This one centers around Kublai Khan and his rise from a young scholar to the leader of the Mongols. It's bloody long with some really bloody parts.

In the book Kublai did look so noble and heroic, almost perfect, compared to the decadent Guyuk, uncouth Mongke, and the misguided Arik-Boke that it bordered on a Hollywood script. He lacked some dimension compared to the other central protagonists like Julius, Brutus, and Genghis in Conn's other books.

But the book is not lacking drama and action. It's a grand book. ( )

A great ending to a great series on one of the great civilizations of the world. Amazing book telling of how the Mongol leadership changes hands and battled their way through enemies using strategy, speed and the almighty bow. Definitely a great series to read. Can't wait for the next Iggulden series, where will he go next? ( )

Enthralling culture/way of life - formidable nomadic war hosts so readily accepted as the nation's daily norm while also recognizing the benefit of a stationary city AND the ability of a woman to rule. Need to explore the avenues of westward expansion into the Ikhanate of Persia/Iran and eastward expansion into the Yuan Dynasty. ( )

This is part of a series (5 of 5 so far) that describes what happened to the Mongols of central Asia during and after Genghis Khan's rule. I hadn't read the previous books, and I'm sure that made a big difference in how much I enjoyed this one. However, Conn Iggulden's writing style is wonderful; he's a master storyteller. That being said, this is fiction, not history. The characters may be based upon historical figures, but their actions and personalities are, apparently, entirely the author's own. He's taken a lot of liberty with history, and if that doesn't matter to you, then you will surely enjoy the action and intrigue in this novel. I didn't like the quick changes of POV between chapters, especially, but the story was fascinating. ( )

Mongke has become Khan, son of Tolui and grandson of Genghis, and to cement his rule he creates vast khanates for his close relatives. His brother Hulegu consolidates rule in Persia but youngest brother Kublai is told to go into the east. Kublai is a scholar, not a fighter, but he is of the line of Genghis and he accepts the challenge. Harrying the great Sung empire, Kublai is close to conquest when he hears news of the death of Mongke. When his younger brother Arik-Boke declares himself Khan, Kublai is stung into action and politics to become Khan himself. this divides the Mongol nation and sets family against family.

This final book in the series focuses on Kublai Khan. In the historical notes Iggulden says that he deliberately chose to end the series with Kublai becoming Khan, rather than extend the series to cover his whole life. I think that was a really good call. Iggulden is at his best when writing action, he is less successful at dialogue and politics and this book has plenty of action. At its heart is a strong story, family discord and the movement of Mongol nation from a plains-based nomadic group to a more cultured trading nation and all of this taking place within three generations. ( )

I suspect there will be more of these coming. The author does a nice job of moving into the next set of characters in this saga. In this one, we're a couple generations away from Genghis, and as is the case with most family dynasties, this one is imploding on itself. Kublai is written as the one descendent "worthy" of the kingdom, and as a very likable and admirable character.

I will say that now that I've gone as far as I can with this series, I'm reading some other history of the time, and have to say I like that Iggulden stayed relatively close to actual history when creating these stories. Sure, he seems to have taken some liberty to develop a good story, but these are novels after all, not pure history books. He "massages" characters to make a better story, which takes away from the likely historical accuracy, but I'm OK with that.

I listened to all of these on audiobook. As I mentioned in an earlier review, I'm really not crazy about the narrator. While he does a good job overall, he keeps changing his pronunciation of words and phrases from book to book. This could be because someone corrected him between books, or it could be that he just changes his mind on how he wants to say it. It's a bit annoying. ( )

Iggulden wraps up his Mongol Empire series with the life of Kublai. While the character and plot development isn't as gripping as with his early works in this series, it nevertheless serves as a solid conclusion to the series - yet leaves open the potential for more to come (however unlikely this may be). ( )

Unfortunately I couldn't get engaged in this book. It ended up sitting on a shelf neglected and never finished. ( )

I enjoy Iggulden's books and have enjoyed all of his Khan series, from Ghengis on to Kublai. Interesting times [not to mention, brutal] ( )

Enjoyed the book. ( )

I've finished reading this book. I feel like shouting out loud. It wasn't a bad book it just took forever to get through. I don't know why, but it may have had something to do with the frequent change of scene and character. I simply couldn't get attached to anyone until the last 5 chapters. I am glad that Iggulden decided to conclude the book where he did because I don't think that I could have taken a depressing end. Otherwise, there is the same attention to historical facts and a generous offering of action that enhanced the rest of his series. ( )

This is the second book I have received through the Early Reviewers program by Conn Iggulden. I have always been a fan of the Mongol Empire, and this was a great way to end the series. The later years of Kublai Khan are well known and would be difficult to play with. In this book Iggulden takes us through the early years of Kublai. It is a story filled with interesting historical facts that too many Westerners don't know. Other than Genghis and Kublai, most people don't know much about the Mongol Empire. Certainly Americans are not taught much about the Mongols other than that they were blood thirsty heathens. In reality, the Mongol Empire was well disciplined and highly advanced for its age. This series, and this book as the finale, go a long way in enlightening readers to an important culture.

I would recommend this series to anyone interested in learning more about the Mongol Empire. Yes, it is historical fiction and the author takes some literary license, but he clearly tells the reader where he has done it and why. I think this is important, and applaud the author for making sure he points out where he has played with historical figures and facts. It doesn't make the rest of the story unbelievable. ( )

Great series. I have read each one with pleasure, and hope that he changes his mind and continues with the story of Kublai Khan. ( )

This is the first book I've reviewed that I didn't like. I'm not saying that this was anything to do with the authors capability, I just didn't like it. I try to pick it up and start it again periodically but read a few more pages and put it down. I do appreciate the way that the book is written and the but the subject matter is such that I wasn't able to get started (after several attempts at a running start) ( )

conn iggulden doing what he does best, historical fiction. I have read all his other works and loved them all, this was no exception. I was skeptical because I felt that Ghengis was to large a character to follow but Iggulden delivered the dynamics between the brothers as the fight over the empire built by Ghengis are great. Really good book solid 4 stars ( )

Excellent book! This is the 5th and final book in the series, but I have only read the last 2. I want to read the first 3 as well! In this one we get to really meet Kublai as a character. We also get to know all of his brothers much better as well.

My knowledge of Genghis and Kublai Khan and that time frame of history has been fairly minimal, but these stories have really brought the time into focus for me. Iggulden tells an excellent tale and brings the mongol horde to life. You can tell he's done a lot of research into the time and culture. It really shines through.

I've recently been enjoying many of the historical novels that have been coming out, particularly Rome, but I have now added a new a author to my list of historical story tellers. I thought it was an excellent book and I plan to acquire the first 3 books to read as well. ( )

Disclosure: I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Some people think this may bias a reviewer so I am making sure to put this information up front. I don't think it biases my reviews, but I'll let others be the judge of that.

Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan is the fifth and final book in Conn Iggulden's Conqueror series, picking up right where Empire of Silver left off. Just two generations after Genghis united the Mongol nation under one banner and set about conquering the world, the empire he forged is already beginning to fragment. After the death of Ogedai Khan, his son Gyuk moved quickly to consolidate power under himself, but as the novel opens, it is clear that he is probably not up to the task of ruling the vast domains of the Mongol nation. In Conqueror, the Mongol nation reaches its greatest heights which paradoxically are the very things that will destroy it. In the book, the stories of four Great Khans unfold, three revealing lessons that the Mongol nation is simply unequipped to learn, and the fourth giving the reader a glimpse of the final undoing of everything that Genghis had wrought.

The Mongols were history's ultimate wild card coming out of seemingly nowhere to establish the largest empire in history. But within just a few generations, their empire was just a bad memory, a time of misery and suffering for their neighbors that had come and gone. And in Conqueror, by showing the Mongols at the height of their power, Iggulden illustrates why this is the case, revealing that for all their power and cruelty, the empire they established was little more than an empty shell. With nothing holding their nation together but oaths and the promise of wealth gained by conquest, the Mongols' unity was fragile at best. And lacking in any cultural gifts beyond that of the horse, the bow, and a ruthless approach to warfare, the Mongols had to borrow from those they conquered to control their empire, ceding the running of their conquests to those they had conquered. And in this regard, they are sort of like the prizefighter who has won lots of money by fighting, but then turns over the responsibility of managing that money to accountants and lawyers without any real understanding of what they are doing on his behalf. Or what he presumes is his behalf.

At the outset of the story, Gyuk, with the assistance of his mother Torogene, has planted himself at the head of the Mongol nation. But it is clear that Gyuk, trained exclusively in the direct brutality of Mongol warfare, is entirely unequipped to engage in the delicate political maneuvering required to maintain the loyalty of the various factions within the nation he aspires to lead. Gyuk does not learn the important lesson that rulers must learn: your power is not absolute unless you can command the loyalty of those who you would command, and attempting to assert your absolute authority over them against their will is hazardous. And Gyuk's reign is challenged almost immediately by the non-appearance of Batu, who simply did not appear at the ritual oath swearing, and has instead ensconced himself in the forests of Russia. It is here that the story shows both that holding an empire is much different from conquering one and the most valuable possessions that an empire has are its own constituent parts. As Gyuk leads an army to bring Batu to heel, Kublai begins almost unknowingly to sow the seeds of his own rise to power.

And the resolution of Gyuk's campaign against Batu reveals yet another weakness of the Mongol system: by creating a political structure dependent upon personal loyalty to one man, it is possible to disrupt the actions of that structure merely by removing that one man. And as a result, the entire nation grinds to a halt and goes into reverse whenever power changes hands. And after Gyuk's undistinguished turn at the helm, power transfers to Tolui's line and Mongke takes control of the nation as Great Khan. And Mongke's instinctive answer to the dissolute nature of Gyuk's reign is to try to return to the ways of their forefathers and rule from the saddle. However, unlike Gyuk, he is clever enough to realize that he cannot simply leave the administration of his domains to the Chinese servants, but he does send his brothers Hulegu and Kublai to expand the dominions of his suzerainty - giving Kublai strict instructions that he must give up his "soft" adoption of Chinese customs and prove himself to be a true Mongol Khan.

The contrast between Hugelu and Kublai makes clear exactly why the Mongol nation's influence on history is so ephemeral. Hulegu is sent west, to Persia and Arabia to seek his Khanate among the Islamic nations, while Kublai heads east, to carve out his own fiefdom from the domains of the Chinese emperor. In one case, the Mongols operate according to the "old" ways - treating their invasion much like a giant raid seeking riches and revenge. Hulegu's goal, it seems, is to try to extract as much gold from Baghdad and the surrounding cities as possible and cart it away. Nothing else about Baghdad or its people interests Hugelu - not their knowledge, their achievements, or even what they might produce in the future. He starves the city, disarms it, ransacks it, and destroys much of its populace in a wasteful orgy of slaughter. Hulegu also exposes the weakness that will doom the Mongol political system: despite the oft repeated boast that a Mongols' "word is iron", he feels no remorse over repeatedly breaking promises made to al-Mustasim. And alongside Hulegu's petty lust for gold, is his petty lust for revenge as he seeks to bring to a close the unfinished business between Genghis' family and the cult of Assassins, expending an enormous volume of manpower and effort on the vendetta, to the point where the success of his military campaign is jeopardized. The lesson Iggulden drives home with Hulegu's campaign is that despite their glorious victories, despite their ruthless conquests, the Mongols are little more than bandits who can lay siege to cities. And because of this, once their victims have weathered the storm, they will be essentially unchanged by the passing horde.

But on the other side of the continent, Kublai reveals the other side of the coin: the "new" ways adopted from the Chinese via his mentor Yao Shu. Perhaps because he faced an enemy that outnumbered him so immensely, perhaps because he absorbed the "soft" lessons of civilization from Yao Shu, or perhaps because he figured out that a populace hard at work is more profitable than a populace decimated and terrorized, Kublai adopted a policy of not turning his men loose upon conquered cities to loot, rape, and pillage. And this leads Kublai to have to pay his men, which means he has to find a source of bullion, which constrains his actions. By seizing towns rather than destroying them, by making the populace his subjects rather than his victims, and by trying to rule a functioning economy rather than acting as a parasite, Kublai transforms the Mongols he leads into something more, but he also makes himself vulnerable in the same ways that the Mongols themselves exploited when conquering their enemies. In effect, to have any chance at conquering China, Kublai has to become Chinese, and therein lies the seeds of the Mongols' destruction. Because they have no cultural achievements of their own, they have to borrow them from those they conquer, and in doing so cede their own nature, trading their identity for that of their subjects. In a way, Kublai is as trapped by his Mongol heritage as Hugelu, and his actions are just as futile. The only change that the Chinese will feel is the identity of the men giving the orders, but their way of life will go on unchanged.

Finally, when Mongke dies unexpectedly, it precipitates the final lessons as to why the Mongol empire faded so quickly. First, the Mongols' have to learn the lesson that all empires eventually learn: before too long, the most valuable prize to be had is the empire itself. And when both Arik-Boke and Kublai claim the position of Great Khan, the Mongols face their most dangerous foe when they turn against one another. Paradoxically, though the novel is named Conqueror, presumably in honor of the final victor in this conflict, the only land that he conquers in this volume is the Mongol nation itself. But this internal conflict reveals the inherent weakness of the Mongols - when Kublai must secure the loyalty of Alghu, the Mongol ruler of Samarkand who had already given his oath to Arik-Boke he says that as the true Great Khan he can relieve Alghu of his oath to the false one. And to save himself, Alghu assents to this and changes his loyalty from one brother to the other. But this reveals that the Mongol oaths are meaningless except when backed by force, and if someone else shows up with more force, then those oaths can be cast aside. And by highlighting this, Iggulden is exposing the Achilles heel of the Mongol political system, because it relies upon the strength of personal oaths, and once it is revealed that those oaths can be cast aside, the nation is on the path to disintegration.

In Conqueror, Iggulden shows the Mongol empire at the height of its power and influence. But he also skillfully shows the reader that the nomadic tribesmen that leapt to world dominance from the cold steppes of Mongolia were uniquely suited to conquer the world, but remarkably ill-equipped to actually rule what they had gained. By the time the events in this novel had rolled around, the rapid ascent to power had sown the seeds of the empire's own destruction. By showing us the Mongols as they were and showing them on their own terms, Iggulden shows us why they were a force that stood over all of Asia, but also shows us why they swept over the world and left a legacy that is remarkable only for its paucity. Conqueror, with a cast of interesting and well-drawn characters, contains a strong story set in one of the most turbulent periods in history and brings to a close the fascinating journey Iggulden crafted that took the reader on a guided tour of the rise of the largest empire in history.

This review has also been posted to my blog Dreaming About Other Worlds. ( )

You can almost smell the sweat and feel the heat of battle while you read Conn Iggulden's novel of Kublai Khan. I found the book facinating enough that while I read it, I would dream about it at night. I plan on getting all his novels and rationing them so I always have one waiting to be savored. This book brings the 13th century alive for the reader. The attitudes of the the individuals, the way classes and ethnic cultures differ with in those countries seemed realistic and well thought out. The main characters had the harsh and often cruel outlook of the time they lived in. I grow to understand and respect them despite the horrors they were capable of. This is a great book, if only history were taught like this in school. ( )

Conn Iggulden brings to life the bygone landscapes and culture that gave rise to Kublai Khan and his conquests. The dialogue between his characters is relevant and engaging, allowing the reader to forget the centuries that separate us from Khan and his contemporaries. This accessibility makes the novel read easily and in an entertaining manner, while preserving the integrity of the factual history of this period. While Chinese history has not been a particular point of interest for me in the past, Iggulden's book portrays a fascinatingly rich and complex culture steeped in adventure, deceit, tradition, and conquest. For those new to the story of Kublai Khan and the Yuan Dynasty, this novel will pique an interest in this fascinating corner of history. ( )

So you’ve reached the fifth and final book in Conn Iggulden’s Mongol series. One hopes you liked them to have come so far. You know well that these books are flawed, as are almost all books. The writing, though serviceable, shocks you with its arbitrary clichés. The loser in an upcoming confrontation is foreshadowed without suspense; one need merely look for the leader who has been unkind to his subordinates, offends his peers with his boorishness, or fails to exercise control over his appetites.

But you are able to overlook these matters, because Iggulden tells a good story. He has a feel for pacing, allowing suspense to emerge over time. Though he writes multiple POV tales, he stays with his storylines long enough that they are not unduly choppy and disconcerting to the defenseless reader. His subject matter necessarily emerges on a grand scale, and you are caught up in its breadth, scope and sheer audacity.

Has he written the definitive historical novels about the Mongols? Possibly not, but having come so far with pleasure, there is nothing in the final volume to disturb you, the reader who has ridden such a distance with these mounted warriors.

Atmospheric, bloody, suspenseful. Conqueror wasn't a perfect novel but it was one that kept and held my interest.

Firstly, let me say that I hadn't read any of the previous books of the series, which was at first a serious distraction for me. It took me some time to adjust to Iggulden's writing style, and more importantly to a world I know little about. But as the story progressed both problems dissolved and I was successfully immersed into the world of the Mongols.

Kublai was, from the first, obviously out-of-step with his contemporaries and even more so with the legend of Genghis that all the characters struggled to live up to. That he would eventually become Khan seemed impossible as the story began. A younger son, granted of a noble family, granted grandson of Genghis, but still, he was a thinker, a scholar and no where near bloody-minded enough to beat his wild people into a nation.

But as the story unfolded, and as he was forced to become everything he'd tried to avoid (a conqueror), his strengths - analytic, widely read, historian, deep thinker who learned from his mistakes - all came to the fore and made him so much more than any of his contemporaries.

I loved how he ended the book and applaud him for that.

Conqueror is a terrific read. ( )

Conn Iggulden's final entry in the Khan series ends on a strong note. Conqueror tells the story of Kublai, grandson to Genghis, and the twists, turns and machinations that lead to his becoming Khan. The storytelling is vivid and Iggulden really brings the rawness and violence of this epoch to life. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it for fans of Iggulden's other books as well as those who enjoy Bernard Cornwell and David Gemmell. ( )

Conn delights once again. He manages to take an era and a area that I'm not even all that fond of, historically speaking, and makes it interesting and entertaining. the only real criticism is hardly fitting since it's a lot of what makes his books enjoyable. Conn doesn't really give the sense that you are reading about people of their time. It always feels like you are reading modern person, set back in history, rather than a product of the era. With that in mind, I'd really like to see him move into slightly more modern and western realms. Start stacking up against Cornwell, Lambdin and Shaara. ( )