In The Empire of Genghis Khan: An Amazing Odyssey Through the Lands of the Most Feared Conquerors in History
- Book Review,
by Stanley Stewart
From Publishers Weekly
Stewart, a British journalist and travel writer (Old Serpent Nile), takes a 1,000-mile horseback journey across Mongolia, the homeland of Genghis Khan. The author has a gift for merging history and anecdote and succeeds in engaging the reader throughout this informed narrative. Although their culture is dying out, nomadic Mongolians still live in gers (wood-framed felt tents) that can be quickly dismantled and transported across the Asian steppes as they travel continuously on horseback in search of pasture for their sheep, goats and yaks. Stewart vividly describes the days he spent on horseback with his guides, riding through desolate but breathtaking scenery. During his trip, he enjoyed remarkable hospitality from the nomads, who gave him a place to sleep and fed him mutton and airag (fermented mare's milk). His unusual adventures include a wedding, an encounter with a shaman and a visit to a clan meeting. Stewart blames the brutal introduction of communism into the country for Mongolia's troubles and, unfortunately, demonstrates his contempt for Russia by caricaturing many of the Russians he encountered. But this is the only discordant note in an otherwise excellent travelogue, which received the U.K.'s 2001 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. Photos.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Stewart finally fulfilled a childhood desire to experience nomadic Mongol life when he set out on a 1000-mile trek on horseback across Outer Mongolia. Enlisting the services of a sturdy steed and, at separate stages, two guide-translators, he traversed the Gobi desert to Quaraqorum, the ancient capital, and pressed on to Dadal, the birthplace of Genghis Khan. Relishing Mongol customs and culture, he slept in round-tented gurs, drank airag (fermented mare's milk), devoured mutton with his various hosts, and, among other empathetic gestures, partook in a shaman's divinatory ceremony. His observations of social and spiritual detail are supplemented with relevant historical background, and his more memorable encounters are often imbued with affable-if not self-deprecating-humor. Stewart, the only author to have twice received the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award (for both this title and his earlier Frontiers of Heaven), offers an engaging travel memoir. Recommended for most public and academic libraries.Lonnie Weatherby, McGill Univ. Lib., Montreal Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A lyrical journey to a place where, it is probably safe to say, few Westerners have ventured. Stewart writes of his experiences with compassion and great charm. (The book) is also full of humor."
"His observations of social and spiritual detail are supplemented with relevant historical background, and his more memorable encounters are often imbued with affable¿if not self-deprecating¿humor. An engaging travel memoir. Recommended for most public and academic libraries." --The Library Journal
"The phone was ringing, deadlines were coming and going, but none of it mattered. I was lost in a book, this book, definitely the funniest travel book I¿ve read in years. What¿s ¿ attractive is its light heart, its easygoing attitude. You¿ll find yourself impressed, moved without being able to tell how he got you to that point. And while he makes fun of the Mongolians, it¿s a friendly kind of fun; he also likes and respects them. The English loved it. You¿re going to love it, too. That¿s a guarantee."--National Geographic Adventure
" A Stanley Stewart travel story about a walk to the nearest corner would be a page-turner. And that is because, unlike too many other travel writers, he takes his readers on the most important trip of all: the journey of a good sentence."--The Washington Post (Book World)
"author Stewart writes of his experiences with compassion and great charm. It is full of humor." --the Washington Post
"A highly enjoyable travelogue."
"This is a modern picaresque, told with affection and verve. Never condescending or ethnocentric, Stewart''s tale is vivid, evocative and compelling."-- Saudi Armaco World
Review
"A lyrical journey to a place where, it is probably safe to say, few Westerners have ventured. Stewart writes of his experiences with compassion and great charm. (The book) is also full of humor."
"His observations of social and spiritual detail are supplemented with relevant historical background, and his more memorable encounters are often imbued with affable—if not self-deprecating—humor. An engaging travel memoir. Recommended for most public and academic libraries." --The Library Journal
"The phone was ringing, deadlines were coming and going, but none of it mattered. I was lost in a book, this book, definitely the funniest travel book I’ve read in years. What’s ... attractive is its light heart, its easygoing attitude. You’ll find yourself impressed, moved without being able to tell how he got you to that point. And while he makes fun of the Mongolians, it’s a friendly kind of fun; he also likes and respects them. The English loved it. You’re going to love it, too. That’s a guarantee."--National Geographic Adventure
" A Stanley Stewart travel story about a walk to the nearest corner would be a page-turner. And that is because, unlike too many other travel writers, he takes his readers on the most important trip of all: the journey of a good sentence."--The Washington Post (Book World)
"author Stewart writes of his experiences with compassion and great charm. It is full of humor." --the Washington Post
"A highly enjoyable travelogue."
"This is a modern picaresque, told with affection and verve. Never condescending or ethnocentric, Stewart's tale is vivid, evocative and compelling."-- Saudi Armaco World
Book Description
Vivid, hilarious, and compelling, this eagerly awaited book takes its place among the travel classics. It is a thrilling tale of adventure, a comic masterpiece, and an evocative portrait of a medieval land marooned in the modern world. Eight and a half centuries ago, under Genghis Khan, the Mongols burst forth from Central Asia in a series of spectacular conquests that took them from the Danube to the Yellow Sea. Their empire was seen as the final triumph of the nomadic "barbarians."In this remarkable book Stanley Stewart sets off on a pilgrimage across the old empire, from Istanbul to the distant homeland of the Mongol hordes. The heart of his odyssey is a thousand-mile ride, traveling by horse, through trackless land. On a journey full of bizarre characters and unexpected encounters, he crosses the desert and mountains of Central Asia to arrive at the windswept grasslands of the steppes, the birthplace of Genghis Khan. (6 x 9, 288 pages)
From the Back Cover
Vivid, hilarious, and compelling, this eagerly awaited book takes its place among the travel classics. It is a thrilling tale of adventure, a comic masterpiece, and an evocative portrait of a medieval land marooned in the modern world. Eight and a half centuries ago, under Genghis Khan, the Mongols burst forth from Central Asia in a series of spectacular conquests that took them from the Danube to the Yellow Sea. Their empire was seen as the final triumph of the nomadic "barbarians." In this remarkable book, Stanley Stewart sets off on a pilgrimage across the old empire, from Istanbul to the distant homeland of the Mongol Hordes. The heart of his odyssey is a thousand-mile ride, traveling by horse, through trackless land. On a journey full of bizarre characters and unexpected encounters, he crosses the desert and mountains of Central Asia to arrive at the windswept grasslands of the steppes, the birthplace of Genghis Khan. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 288 pages, b&w photos) Stanley Stewart is a regular contributor to the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph. His work has taken him to more than fifty countries, and has won him numerous prestigious awards-including Travel Writer of the Year. He is the author of Old Serpent Nile, an account of his journey to the source of the river; and Frontiers of Heaven, the story of his journey across China, for which he won his first Thomas Cook/Daily Telegraph Travel Book Award.
About the Author
STANLEY STEWART is a regular contributor to the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph. His work has taken him to more than fifty countries, and has won him numerous prestigious awards--including Travel Writer of the Year. He is the author of Old Serpent Nile, an account of his journey to the source of the river; and Frontiers of Heaven, the story of his journey across China, for which he won his first Thomas Cook/Daily Telegraph Travel Book Award.
Buy from Amazon
Compare Prices
|
|
Home
