Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Empires of the Steppes:
It wasn’t just Genghis.
Quick synopsis:
A look at the leaders of the Eurasian steppes.
Fact for Non-History People:
Attila the Hun died during a celebration of his wedding from probably a burst blood vessel.
Fact for History Nerds:
The man who coined the term “Silk Road” was Ferdinand von Richtofen, who also happened to the the uncle of “The Red Baron” Manfred von Richtofen.
My Take on Empires of the Steppes:
Kenneth Harl’s Empires of the Steppes is an excellent book with one huge caveat. It is a dense study of the people of the Eurasian steppes from their beginnings to more well-known people like Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan.
The caveat is that this is not light reading for someone who wants a deep narrative discussion of one leader or significant hand holding on various aspects of the nomadic life. For me, I don’t have enough background in this time and place in history to be able to glean major insight from Harl’s story. This is in no way an indictment of Harl and the book. It is very well written, and it is abundantly clear that Harl knows what he is talking about.
For someone who has some background, this book is probably a must read and may lead many people to want to dig further into many of the characters Harl touches upon. I liked reading it, but I also know there is so much more to learn about this time period. It is a great book for certain audiences, and it deserves five stars on scholarship alone.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.)
Verdict:
An excellent book if you are the target audience. Buy it here!
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