He was born Temujin, the son of a khan, raised in a clan of hunters migrating across the rugged steppe. Temujin’s young life was shaped by a series of brutal acts: the betrayal of his father by a neighboring tribe and the abandonment of his entire family, cruelly left to die on the harsh plain. But Temujin endured—and from that moment on, he was driven by a singular fury: to survive in the face of death, to kill before being killed, and to conquer enemies who could come without warning from beyond the horizon.

Through a series of courageous raids against the Tartars, Temujin’s legend grew. And so did the challenges he faced—from the machinations of a Chinese ambassador to the brutal abduction of his young wife, Borte. Blessed with ferocious courage, it was the young warrior’s ability to learn, to imagine, and to judge the hearts of others that propelled him to greater and greater power. Until Temujin was chasing a vision: to unite many tribes into one, to make the earth tremble under the hoofbeats of a thousand warhorses, to subject unknown nations and even empires to his will.

"Author of the bestselling Emperor series on the life of Julius Caesar, Iggulden turns to another of history's great conquerors, Genghis Khan, for a new series of brilliantly imagined and addictive historical fiction. Future conqueror Temujin — 'a man of iron' — is born to the khan (ruler) of a fierce Mongol tribe that roams central Asia's steppes in the 12th century. When his father is killed by Tartar raiders before Temujin reaches manhood, a rival claims the tribe and banishes Temujin's family. Left behind without resources when the tribe migrates, the family struggles to survive the harsh environment, and Temujin dreams of gathering similar outcasts — wanderers and herdsmen — into a new tribe. After assembling a core of these 'men scorned by all the others,' Temujin begins raiding Tartar camps. As his fame spreads, Temujin launches an ambitious campaign to unite the Mongol tribes 'after a thousand years of warfare' into a single people, defeat the Tartars and invade China. Building on the fragments of Genghis's life, Iggulden weaves a spellbinding story of an exotic and 'unforgiving land' and the enigmatic young man — charismatic, a brilliant tactician and capable 'of utter ruthlessness' — who sets out to tame it. This is historical fiction of the first order." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

“Zesty historical fiction, the kind with plenty of unbridled combat, accurate research, rampaging hordes and believable characters from very different cultures whose motivation rings true across the centuries.... Invigorating.”Deirdre Donahue, USA Today

"Iggulden writes with sweep and immediacy...the novel races along as swiftly and inexorably as its main character."—Christian Science Monitor

“Compelling.... this is historical fiction writ large.”Military.com

Iggulden, the acclaimed author of the Emperor novels, which chronicle the life of Julius Caesar, now offers an account of the life of Genghis Khan.

Conn Iggulden is the acclaimed author of the Emperor novels, which chronicle the life of Julius Caesar: Emperor: The Gates of Rome, Emperor: The Death of Kings, Emperor: The Field of Swords, and Emperor: The Gods of War, all of which are available in paperback from Dell. He is also the author of the bestselling nonfiction work The Dangerous Book for Boys. He lives with his wife and two children in Hertfordshire, England.