i can easily count the number of modern authors i like reading and would actually sit and read more than one of their books, on about three fingers. conn iggulden would be one of those three and this week i sat down and powered through his third book in the conqueror series, bones of the hills. the final installment tells of the mongols’ battle with the arab nations which ultimately led to genghis khan’s demise.
i think the thing i like most about, not just this book, but the series in general, is the way it combines two of my favourite pieces of work: homer’s, the odyssey and the romance of the three kingdoms, attributed to luo guanzhong. the emotional connection felt for the characters (homer) mixed and balanced almost perfectly with the action and strategies (luo). the fact the iggulden also tries to be as historically accurate as possible is also good. i might even have a crack at some of iggulden’s earlier works on julius caesar.
