The Gory Story of Genghis Khan | Nayanika Mahtani | Book Review

SUBJECT: 3.5/5
RESEARCH: 3.5/5
ILLUSTRATIONS: 4.5/5
HISTORICAL RELEVANCE: 4/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4.5/5

It is no secret that I am a history buff. Give me any number of history books and I will devour every single one of them. So when The Gory Story of Genghis Khan was sent to me by the author, Nayanika Mahtani, I was ecstatic because I was not much aware of the history of Mongols and this looked like a pretty decent way to learn about Mongolian history.

The Gory Story of Genghis Khan is a children’s book for 9 years and above. It is beautifully illustrated with black and white sketches of Genghis Khan and his subjects’ life under his rule. The book is quite funny and entertaining and it does not feel like a history book at all. The story of Genghis is told by a comical Yak called Yakkety Yak along with a news reporter (yes! a journalist) Yuherdit Hearfurst and a seer Ireed Thesigns. All three of them are hilarious and they make the story even more interesting.

A lot of information is given in the form of conversations between Genghis Khan and his soldiers. These conversations too, are amusing and make learning fun. Towards the end of the book is an interesting section titled Handy Guide for Time Travellers. This section provides loads of information in a condensed form with the help of maps, charts and illustrations. A short chapter called Global News Desk chronologically compares the happenings in the Mongolian territory with the events occurring in the rest of the contemporary world.

The Gory Story of Genghis Khan proved to be a delightful read and I loved reading every bit of it. If all of history could be made this entertaining, I will be the happiest soul on this planet. A mentionable thing about this book is that it does not focus only on history. It also talks about the prevailing culture, the traditions, the value system, and lives of daily people.

There are many people who know only the dark side of Genghis Khan (I count myself in), but this book also tells us a lot more about him. He has many other notable things to his credit too. For example, Genghis Khan founded the world’s first postal service. He is also to be credited for the Mongolian script. He was a follower of the Tengerian religion and worshipped the spirits of nature. As per the customs of his belief, he practised secularism. Similarly, there are a lot more things which can be learned about him from this book.

Overall, the book is an exceptional read and I am pretty hopeful that this is only a first in a series of such history books for children. I recommend it to all children aged 9 years and above.

Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of The Gory Story of Genghis Khan at the link below: