I was completely enthralled by this book. For reasons that are clearly explained, the full story of Genghis Khan, his family and the breadth of the Mongol empire was hidden and demonized by both western and eastern cultures. The author gains access to a "secret text" which explains much more about the family of the Khan, and that combined with copious research he is able to present a fascinating alternate history. Is it more factual that what we were taught in school? Most probably. Does it ignore all of the "bad things" that the Mongols did across the world? Yes, most certainly. Is it fascinating? Well, I gave it 5 stars, so how do you think I feel?

From his birth, to his childhood, to his early life conquering his homeland and on to his ancestors conquering basically the entire world, how they did it, when they changed their tactics and why, and what this meant to the world at large, man, was this ever interesting. I'm sure I'll be recommending this book to fans of history for years to come.