Genghis Khan

Emperor of All Men

By: Harold Lamb

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

In the early 13th century, a simple nomad chieftain managed to cobble together a powerful kingdom in the highlands of northern Asia, which was subsequently to challenge the greatest powers of the day. He was triumphant in all directions. This leader was Timujin, whose name meant "Iron Man". He became Genghis Khan, "Universal Ruler", the greatest conqueror ever known - a warrior feared from the British Isles to the tip of the Korean peninsula.

Known by many names, including "The Scourge of God", Genghis Khan sent his Mongol armies ranging over most of the Eurasian land mass. He first sent his hordes of cavalry crashing into China, then turned on the ancient Persian Shah before smashing the Muslim Caliphate. He left smoldering ruins and depopulated nations in his tracks. Instead of measuring his progress in miles, we measure it today by degrees of latitude and longitude.

The tough, barbaric Mongolians were welded into the finest, most highly disciplined force of mobile fighting men assembled up to that period. Mongol leadership, unlike those of other armies, was based strictly on merit. Incompetence was not tolerated among the Khan's generals. The lightning quick movements and encircling tactics of Mongol horsemen baffled their opponents time after time. In fact, under Genghis Khan, they were never defeated. At the Great Khan's death in 1227, there were hardly any worthy opponents left to fight anywhere in the world.

©2007 Audio Connoisseur (P)2007 Audio Connoisseur

Audio cuts out for 5-10 seconds sometimes

Audio cuts out for 5-10 seconds sometimes. Pretty annoying oversight. Overall an easy, somewhat informative listen.

This is the best Khan book

This is definitely the best book on Genghis Khan even though it is old, it is not outdated and it gives you a complete historical picture of the time. The language is beautiful and the reader's voice reflects the spirit of the book. I am ordering another audio book of Lamb and I want to make sure it is also read by Griffin.

Interesting...and dull

I have to admit that while I knew very little about Genghis Kahn and was interested in the topic, that the overall tone of the book made me want to set it aside more than once. It was interesting and held my attention at times...at other times dull, monotonous, and droning, with too much detail in minutiae.

If you're looking for something spell binding and riveting...this isn't it.

Great Book

This is a part of history that I know nothing about. The book is well written and makes the "Mongol Horde" human. I'm currently reading Manchester's book about Douglas MacArthur, American Caesar. MacArthur was a fan of Genghis Khan and his tactics. This book has given a good foundation for understanding MacArthur's admiration. I loved reading about Genghis Kahn stopping in the Delhi area because of the heat and humidity. That man was no fool.

Genghis Kahn

I am more than a bit unqualified to critique this book. Curiosity rather than any scholarly background was the reason for my choice. But, I liked it. The Mongolian words sounded like linguistic acrobatics, but specific name associations were not necessary for me to be absorbed in this narrative of an amazing people.