Author:Frank McLynn
Genghis Khan was by far the greatest conqueror the world has ever known, whose empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to central Europe, including all of China, the Middle East and Russia. So how did an illiterate nomad rise to such colossal power, eclipsing Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon? Credited by some with paving the way for the Renaissance, condemned by others for being the most heinous murderer in history, who was Genghis Khan?
His actual name was Temujin, and the story of his success is that of the Mongol people: a loose collection of fractious tribes who tended livestock, considered bathing taboo and possessed an unparallelled genius for horseback warfare. United under Genghis, a strategist of astonishing cunning and versatility, they could dominate any sedentary society they chose.
Combining fast-paced accounts of battles with rich cultural background and the latest scholarship, Frank McLynn brings vividly to life the strange world of the Mongols, describes Temujin’s rise from boyhood outcast to become Genghis Khan, and provides the most accurate and absorbing account yet of one of the most powerful men ever to have lived.
This powerful and comprehensive study of the great Mongol takes your breath away with the sheer scale and fury of the man’s conquests and cruelties. Told with chilling relish
—— Melvyn Bragg , Observer Books of the YearA formidable study of the world’s greatest conqueror. With this compelling history of a brilliant, complex leader and ruthless master of warfare, McLynn has done his man proud
—— Justin Marozzi , Sunday TimesMcLynn has carefully synthesised the work of hundreds of scholars to create a sensitive and immensely detailed portrait of an extraordinary leader
—— The TimesA vivid, page-turning biography
—— SpectatorFuses classic biography with a colourful study of medieval Mongolian culture … recounts in detailed, elegant prose the life and legacy of one of history’s greatest monsters
—— Sunday TelegraphImmensely readable
—— Gerard DeGroot , The TimesCompendious and thoughtful … McLynn makes a case for Genghis as a brilliant political innovator … McLynn’s narrative is methodical and detailed … its arguments careful
—— Lucy Hughes-Hallett , New StatesmanA brilliantly entertaining narrative
—— David Sexton , Evening StandardEpic history on a grandiose scale and the author sets to his task with gusto … Much of McLynn’s book is rightly taken up with [Genghis Khan’s] remarkable military campaigns, notable for their sadistic cruelty
—— Mail on SundayEven someone who writes as well as McLynn could not make a mass murderer likeable, but he does make you realise just how remarkable [Genghis Khan] must have been
—— Rob Dex , Irish NewsA biography of extraordinary synthesis and historical vision
—— Literary ReviewMcLynn brings vividly to life the strange world of the Mongols, describes Temujin’s rise from boyhood outcast to become Genghis Khan, and provides one of the most accurate and absorbing account yet of one of the most powerful men ever to have lived
—— Asian Art NewspaperMcLynn has plumbed great depths to produce such a book as this… A very interesting and compelling book, that informs us (in incredible depth) as to the magnitude of pre-planned and executed wars and battles.
—— Reg Seward , NudgeIn this formidable study McLynn has done his man proud.
—— Justin Marozzi , Sunday TimesHigh Sebag-Montefiore's magisterial Somme is the fruit of eight years' labour and it shows. He draws on previously unpublished sources from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Germany to reconstruct the story of the tragic battle in almost forensic detail. So original is the material, and so inventive is Sebag-Montefiore's approach -- telling each stage of the fight from the perspective of both the combatants and their families back home -- that this well-known tale is rendered strange again.
But if Sebag-Montefiore's use of first-hand accounts is exemplary, so too is his historical judgement... Written with great style and sensitivity, superbly illustrated with many original plates and beautifully drawn maps, Sebag-Montefiore's brilliant new study will set the benchmark for a generation.
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore's heroes are the junior officers and the ordinary soldiers. Their voices emerge loud and clear in his pages.
The best historians of the war have always made good use of the words written by the participants themselves, but few have done so as effectively as here.
The author's combination of thoughtful analysis with first-hand testimony from army soldiers, cameramen and diarists lends a gritty immediacy
—— Ian Thomson , ObserverComprehensive, authoritative and meticulously researched... [Of recent publications] it is the weightiest and best written.
—— Simon Humphrey , Mail on SundayVuong’s words writhe and spin – his use of English is astonishing. He’s a smelter at his poetry, making words transform into something other than letters and meaning…. His gay love poems are stark, beautiful and utterly unnerving in their uncompromising adoration… A magical journey into Vuong’s imagination and talents and an astonishing debut collection.
—— GsceneNight Sky With Exit Wounds…contains poems of finely pitched, operatic feeling that unpick the violence and fragility of masculinity with wisdom and humour.
—— Jeremy Noel-Tod , Sunday TimesFew poets in recent years have made such an immediate impact as Vuong.
—— Tristram Fane Saunders , Daily TelegraphBy turns moving, charming and harrowing… An extraordinary, muscular first collection.
—— Neil D.A Stewart , Civilian[Night Sky with Exit Wounds] is delicate, intimate and political.
—— Deborah LevySometimes, I think of it as a song cycle; sometimes, a book of poems; sometimes, an epic. Vuong puts himself at the centre of this collection in an astonishing way, even as he is also entirely willing to set himself aside.
—— Alexander Chee , FriezeOcean Vuong’s Night Sky With Exit Wounds... is beguiling and sublime.
—— Diana Evans , GuardianVuong's voice is unique and inspires empathy.
—— Eva Waite-Taylor , IndependentBeautiful... [Night Sky With Exit Wounds] is pretty special.
—— Francesca Hayward , ObserverI loved Dadland for its tenderness, humour and candour. It has begun to open the door for me to what may well lie ahead in my life, in so many of our lives, in terms of ageing parents. And it has also taught me something deeply moving about tolerance, and about love
—— Robert MacfarlaneA wonderful, haunting and beautifully written memoir... I found myself laughing out loud at times and, at others, unable to hold back the tears... An absolutely stunning book
—— James HollandDadland has the weight of family love but fizzes along in accessible and dynamic prose, highly recommended
—— Andrew McMillanA mesmerising performance by a natural storyteller gifted with the most seductive material possible, in the wild and wonderful life of her exasperating Irish father. Pain and annoyance is transmuted into pure narrative gold, as Keggie Carew interrogates the legend of this wartime adventurer and the bitter comedy of his domestic relationships and his late decline. A brave, risk-taking tale that alarms, delights and moves. As soon as you come to the end, you want to start again, to see if those things really happened
—— Iain SinclairYou love these people from the first page ... As Tom's life falls apart memory by memory, Keggie is picking it up again and her storytelling is spell-binding. Effortlessly readable, this is a delight combining laughter - and tears, yes, quite a few of those.
—— ConnexionCompelling
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily ExpressA moving memoir-cum-biography.
—— Molly McCloskey , Irish TimesBy some margin my Book of the Month... A detective story, a family history, a thrilling tale of derring-do, and the most distinctive and affecting memoir I’ve read since H is for Hawk.
—— BooksellerUtterly remarkable, and beautifully evoked… Dadland is a completely riveting, deeply poignant “manhunt” for which I predict great things.
—— BooksellerDadland, by Keggie Carew, is being tipped for award-winning breakout success in the vein of H is for Hawk
—— Jon Coates , Sunday ExpressIt’s an exorcism, ghost-hunt and swim through the archipelago of her father’s shattered self… The author’s descriptions have an easy lyricism.
—— Ed Cripps , Times Literary SupplementThe old question 'what did you do in the war, Dad?' has never had a more surprising or moving answer.
—— David HepworthWarm and funny, sometimes regretful and sad, but overall a read like a rollercoaster. Wonderful.
—— Western Morning NewsYou know the saying that everyone has a book in them? Well, unless your book is as good as this, I'd give up right now
—— Daily Mail , Markus BerkmannYou know the saying that everyone has a book in them? Well, unless your book is as good as this, I’d give up right now… This gripping book, written with real verve and a narrative expertise that wouldn’t shame a veteran.
—— Sally Morris , Daily MailA brilliant, bittersweet biography.
—— Cornelia Parker , ObserverKeggie’s writing is immersive… She writes with a warmth and generosity about her father, a man who was a genuine character and hero.
—— Paul Cheney , NudgeDadland is deeply personal. But it is also the story of our generations: people touched by war and by Alzheimer’s
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily Express