Ruler Of The Sky, A Novel Of Genghis Khan

by Pamela Sargent

Overview

"This formidably researched and exquisitely written novel is surely destined to be known hereafter as the definitive history of the life and times and conquests of Genghis, mightiest of Khans."
-Gary Jennings, author of Aztec

"I love it...Scholarly without ever seeming pedantic, the book is fascinating from cover to cover and does admirable justice to a man who might very well be called history's single most important and compelling character."
-Elizabeth Marshall Thomas,
author of Reindeer Moon

"Sargent...has produced a neatly crafted work that manages to provide a panoramic view of the charismatic leader Genghis Khan while at the same time presenting the background mosaic of warring Mongol tribes in enough detail to keep the reader from getting hopelessly confused. A nice touch is Sargent's telling the conqueror's story from the viewpoints of the women in his life-mothers, wives, and daughters...an appealing novel to fans of historical fiction."
-Library Journal

". . .Genghis Khan lives again in this expansive saga, as perceived through the eyes of the women who loved him. 'Behind every great man...' they say; and befitting a king who in one lifetime accomplished what ten average kings might, there is more than one great woman here. Ruler of the Sky chronicles the birth, coming-of-age, reign, and death of this vastly complex warrior-king from an intimate perspective. In an age in which women were subjected to barbarous conventional practices, the courage, wisdom, tenacity, and ingenuity of these particular women are remarkable. An impressive novel from a veteran writer."
-The ALA Booklist

". . . a successful attempt to flesh out a mythic figure...Genghis Khan seen through the eyes of significant women. Ruler of the Sky will be a pleasant surprise for readers."
-Chicago Tribune

In 1167, in the harsh homeland of Mongol tribes, a child was born who was to change the course of human history. His father named him Temujin, but the world knows him as Genghis Khan. Set amid the barbaric splendor of the Mongol hordes, Ruler of the Sky tells the tale of the warrior who forged one of the greatest and most terrifying armies the world had ever seen, and conquered the world from Peking to Persia. Not only is this the story of Genghis Khan, it is also the story of those who were closest to him, especially the women who played such an important role in his life. From the windswept plains of Mongolia to the opulence of the Chinese court, Ruler of the Sky is unforgettable.

Pamela Sargent is the author of the futuristic novel The Shore of Women and the alternative history Climb the Wind: A Novel of Another America. Her other novels include Watchstar, Venus of Dreams, The Golden Space, The Alien Upstairs, and Earthseed, recently optioned by Paramount Pictures. She lives in upstate New York.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596873742
Publisher:	ibooks, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/28/2011
Pages:	696
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.53(d)

Editorial Reviews

The ruthless 13th-century warrior Genghis Khan, who built a vast empire in his drive for world conquest, is the subject of this workmanlike historical novel, a panorama of warfare, intrigue, sex and betrayal. In Sargent's ( The Shore of Women ) somewhat romanticized portrayal, the Mongol ruler is a schizoid figure capable of both monstrous savagery and saintly humility and forgiveness. We see Genghis Khan through the eyes of women who loved and manipulated him. His doting mother, Honelun, stirs his lust for vengeance by telling tall tales of his father's poisoning. His chief wife, Bortai, is bitter over his neglect of her. Another wife, Ibakha, rashly attempts to convert the ruler from worship of the sky-god Tengri to Christianity. Still another spouse, Ch'i-kyuo, a ladylike Chinese princess, has lesbian trysts with a Han concubine. Genghis Khan himself enjoys simultaneously bedding two additional wives, Tatar sisters Yisui and Yisugen, and we also read of his homosexual relationship with a friend whom he later orders to be hung. Sargent's flat prose is plodding and ridden with cliches, but it helps anchor the exotic excesses of the violent world she describes. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Sargent, the author of numerous sf novels, has produced a neatly crafted work that manages to provide a panoramic view of the charismatic leader Genghis Khan while at the same time presenting the background mosaic of warring Mongol tribes in enough detail to keep the reader from getting hopelessly confused. A nice touch is Sargent's telling the conqueror's story from the viewpoint of the women in his life--mother, wives, and daughters. This technique makes it possible to introduce considerable domestic detail and prevents the novel from becoming a mind-numbing catalog of battles. Even so, the last 200 pages are so mired in accounts of conquests that they drag a bit, and the multitudinous characters--only a few developed in any depth--blur together. Still, the exotic setting and inherent drama of Genghis Khan's life make this an appealing novel to fans of historical fiction.-- Beth Ann Mills, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.

Library Journal