" Rather slow to start, this turns out to be a good read that must get accepted as fiction. Iggulden differs sharply with Jack Weatherford on a number of key details in his interpretation of The Secret History of the Mongols. The biggest difference lies in the presentation of Temujin's father who had a far more humble status than Iggulden presents. I would think that could have lent far more drama to the early chapters of the novel. The real conflict between Temujin and Bekter/Begter makes more sense as Weatherford presents it and I can't understand why Iggulden chose to make them full brothers rather than the half brothers they actually were. The relationship between Temujin and Jamuka is important to the development of the growing Genghis and I can't see why it got left out. I suppose Temujin's period of captivity/slavery is reasonably abbreviated from the actual. "
— Ted, 2/11/2014