The Blue Wolf: A Novel of Chinggis Khan
Chinggis Khan is obsessed with an ancient Mongolian legend which states that the Mongols are descendants of a mythical blue wolf. This ferocious animal could see and hear far beyond human ability, fearlessly grabbing everything around it. Through the mating of this noble beast and a delicate, slender, beautiful doe are born the Mongolian warriors destined for greatness. Such a lineage haunted Chinggis because he was unsure about his own father’s identity. Was Chinggis such a true descendant or was he the bastard child of a man who raped his mother, O’elun, while she was a captive and before she was rescued by his father, Yisugei? Chinggis vows to become the wolf and have his sons train to become wolves equal in strength and military prowess, superior leaders proud of their heritage.
Tasushi clearly charts Chinggis’s amazing evolution from a young man abandoned after his father’s death to an incredible warrior and khan of a united clan of over 200,000 soldiers. While any knowledgeable reader will not be surprised by how the great khan conquers China, Bukhara, Samarkand and the state of Khorazm in the 12th and 13th centuries, how he chooses commanders and organizes each victory is extraordinary and wise beyond anyone’s expectations. In the process, the reader is shocked, amused, bemused and finally deeply appreciative of Chinggis’s ability to understand and satisfy the few atypically strong women in his life. The great khan will struggle at his reactions to one of his sons suffering from the same doubts that plagued the khan’s youth. Chinggis Khan is an epic, yet all too human, character sure to mesmerize readers in this well-researched account of one of the greatest leaders in Asian history. The Blue Wolf is a superior work of historical fiction.
