"Until the Sun Falls" by Cecelia Holland is a great pleasure to read. She has brought the Mongol's of the Golden Horde to life like no one else to my knowledge.
___All of her characters leap off the pages. They touch readers as sure as the gusts of wind on wintry faces. I'm especially impressed with the rich-sensual detail that brings her narrative to life.
___Readers will experience firsthand the superior Mongol battle tactics. Their use of colored banners, colored lanterns and colored rockets that coordinated thousands of horsemen across sprawling battlefields. Indeed, Napoleon, Robert E. Lee, or Frederick the Great would envy these superior adaptations of battle tactics. This and the famous Mongol compound bow ensured victory over all enemies.
___But Ms. Holland doesn't stop at depicting raids and warfare. She describes the wives and slaves of the military commanders. She depicts life in the yurts, the rivalries between fathers and sons. She brings to life the nomadic society without apologies or endearments.
___Readers unfamiliar with the Mongol ethos should understand that Mongol's have never told their own story. Most of their history comes from their victims who've painted the Mongols as vicious murderers. Accounts of the sacked cities have been greatly exaggerated. No conqueror would kill off an entire urban population when they'd gain more by taking the vanquished as slaves.
___Humans have lived for more than 100,000 years as fractious nomadic tribesmen. Our historical era is but a small fraction of humanity's sojourn on earth. In many ways, this tale brings us back to our primal roots. Warts and all.
___All of her characters leap off the pages. They touch readers as sure as the gusts of wind on wintry faces. I'm especially impressed with the rich-sensual detail that brings her narrative to life.
___Readers will experience firsthand the superior Mongol battle tactics. Their use of colored banners, colored lanterns and colored rockets that coordinated thousands of horsemen across sprawling battlefields. Indeed, Napoleon, Robert E. Lee, or Frederick the Great would envy these superior adaptations of battle tactics. This and the famous Mongol compound bow ensured victory over all enemies.
___But Ms. Holland doesn't stop at depicting raids and warfare. She describes the wives and slaves of the military commanders. She depicts life in the yurts, the rivalries between fathers and sons. She brings to life the nomadic society without apologies or endearments.
___Readers unfamiliar with the Mongol ethos should understand that Mongol's have never told their own story. Most of their history comes from their victims who've painted the Mongols as vicious murderers. Accounts of the sacked cities have been greatly exaggerated. No conqueror would kill off an entire urban population when they'd gain more by taking the vanquished as slaves.
___Humans have lived for more than 100,000 years as fractious nomadic tribesmen. Our historical era is but a small fraction of humanity's sojourn on earth. In many ways, this tale brings us back to our primal roots. Warts and all.
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