Storm from the East: From Genghis Khan to Khubilai Khan

£5.00

An informative, intresting and effortless read - Based on the humble beginnings of the nomads that brought the world Genghis Khan, this is a an absolute gem that tracks the fateful footsteps that literally changed the world. After reading one or two of other history texts/guides I was sceptical that this would be any different to the other stuffy takes on history. Imagine my surprise when I found this book to be easy to understand and almost light-hearted, Marshall wasn t content in dumping loads of facts onto the reader. Instead, he broke it down to give a more rounded picture of the pesonalities he was discussing, which was refreshing! Another thing that struck me was that Marshall was happy to roll around in the Mongolian traditions trying very hard to explain Genghis Khan s motivation, his true genius of building an army out of scratch.Don t be fooled though, into thinking that this book is just about Genghis Khan. It is, but it focuses just as much on the iconic man s legacy - changing the world as we knew it. He was quite literally a storm from the East terrorising the nations of the world but Genghis Khan also left heirs that provided dynasties to countries such as China and India. Admittedly, a step down from his original ambition of being the Supreme Ruler of the Universe ! A must read for history buffs.

A review by a Mongolian - At first, let me refer to the book introduction, as I am not a native English speaker and I think it does a far better job in describing the book content than me. In the middle of the thirteenth century ... there emerged from the East a vast empire that eventually spanned the breadth of Asia. ... This book dramatically describes how the Mongol Empire was forged under the banner of one of the greatest generals in history - Genghis Khan - and ruled by men who, just a generation before, had been simple nomadic tribesmen. It tells some of the greatest military conquests in history, and brings to life such characters as the great Khubilai Khan who unified China and became patron of the art before the Empire disintegrated in the fourteenth century.The scope of Mongol conquests astounds the imagination. The Mongol armies swept out of the Eastern steppes, conquering all before them: China, Persia, Russia and Eastern Europe all came under Mongol rule. Just forty years after they had crossed the River Danube, the Mongols were launching an invasion of Japan. Out of the breathtaking military success, there developed a sophisticated imperial government that brought stability to Asia, encouraged religious and racial tolerance, and fostered international trade.Storm from the East describes how, through the expansion of Empire, the East confronted the West, shattering forever the West s Eurocentric view of the world. The Mongol Empire shaped the political contours of modern Asia and, in the process, created the idea of one world for the first time in history. Illustrated throughout in colour, Storm from the East will transform our image of nomadic barbarian into one of amazement at the extraordinary achievements of the Mongol hordes.Now, my personal opinion goes here. This quite nicely written and richly illustrated with maps and colour pictures book deserves a good reader. It has fairly detailed account of history of Mongol Empire and tries to show the Mongol way of thinking, which is a big plus. I especially like it that the book tells the reader (English speakers) it was the Mongols that opened East to the West and vice versa, for the first time. It was the energy of Mongols that inspired and led to great many discoveries, including Americas.I think the writer is not so familiar with Mongol life style, because I, as a Mongolian, could point out several minor errors in the book. But these do not affect the nature of the book and I would recommend this book to everybody who has decided not to ignore the history, no matter whose.