The great grasslands of Mongolia, 1170s AD--The oracle bones foretell a dark future for Borte, an only daughter who is betrothed to ambitious, unreliable Temujin. Twice he leaves her in the care of his trusted blood brother Jamuka. But Jamuka's lust for Borte leads him to betray his friend, and sets off a bitter, long-lasting rivalry between the two men. Meanwhile, Borte and Temujin come to a reconciliation and enjoy happy years together. She gives birth to many children, including a fierce girl named Alaqai, who learns to ride and shoot an arrow as well as any man. A final confrontation in the blood feud between Jamuka and Temujin ends in Jamuka's violent death and Temujin declaring himself the Great, or Genghis, Khan. Thus ends a period of relative peace for the People of the Felt Walls as Genghis Khan sets out to expand his conquests through marriage and coercion. Young widows Toregene and Sorkhokhtani wed two of Genghis Khan's inept sons and become sisters of Alaqai's heart, offering what support they can when she is married off to a distant prince whose family disdains her. When Khan invades Persia, Toregene takes as a slave an educated young Persian woman named Fatima, not realizing that her skill with poisons and desire for revenge for her family's murders will initially set them against each other. Eventually, however, Fatima becomes a trusted ally and scribe of the Khan's great accomplishments. But it is Sorkhokhtani, who has long bided her time, who plays a crucial role in keeping the empire intact as Genghis Khan's time on earth comes to an end. And it is the women--Borte, Alaqai, Fatima, and herself--that Sorkhokhtani honors for having fought and loved, plotted and sacrificed, all for the good of their family and the greatness of the People of the Felt Walls.
In the late twelfth century, across the sweeping Mongolian grasslands, brilliant, charismatic Temujin ascends to power, declaring himself the Great, or Genghis, Khan. But it is the women who stand beside him who ensure his triumph....
After her mother foretells an ominous future for her, gifted Borte becomes an outsider within her clan. When she seeks comfort in the arms of aristocratic traveler Jamuka, she discovers he is the blood brother of Temujin, the man who agreed to marry her and then abandoned her long before they could wed.
Temujin will return and make Borte his queen, yet it will take many women to safeguard his fragile new kingdom. Their daughter, the fierce Alaqai, will ride and shoot an arrow as well as any man. Fatima, an elegant Persian captive, will transform her desire for revenge into an unbreakable loyalty. And Sorkhokhtani, a demure widow, will position her sons to inherit the empire when it begins to fracture from within.
In a world lit by fire and ruled by the sword, the tiger queens of Genghis Khan come to depend on one another as they fight and love, scheme and sacrifice, all for the good of their family...and the greatness of the People of the Felt Walls.
The great grasslands of Mongolia, 1170s AD--The oracle bones foretell a dark future for Borte, an only daughter who is betrothed to ambitious, unreliable Temujin. Twice he leaves her in the care of his trusted blood brother Jamuka. But Jamuka's lust for Borte leads him to betray his friend, and sets off a bitter, long-lasting rivalry between the two men. Meanwhile, Borte and Temujin come to a reconciliation and enjoy happy years together. She gives birth to many children, including a fierce girl named Alaqai, who learns to ride and shoot an arrow as well as any man. A final confrontation in the blood feud between Jamuka and Temujin ends in Jamuka's violent death and Temujin declaring himself the Great, or Genghis, Khan. Thus ends a period of relative peace for the People of the Felt Walls as Genghis Khan sets out to expand his conquests through marriage and coercion. Young widows Toregene and Sorkhokhtani wed two of Genghis Khan's inept sons and become sisters of Alaqai's heart, offering what support they can when she is married off to a distant prince whose family disdains her. When Khan invades Persia, Toregene takes as a slave an educated young Persian woman named Fatima, not realizing that her skill with poisons and desire for revenge for her family's murders will initially set them against each other. Eventually, however, Fatima becomes a trusted ally and scribe of the Khan's great accomplishments. But it is Sorkhokhtani, who has long bided her time, who plays a crucial role in keeping the empire intact as Genghis Khan's time on earth comes to an end. And it is the women--Borte, Alaqai, Fatima, and herself--that Sorkhokhtani honors for having fought and loved, plotted and sacrificed, all for the good of their family and the greatness of the People of the Felt Walls.
In the late twelfth century, across the sweeping Mongolian grasslands, brilliant, charismatic Temujin ascends to power, declaring himself the Great, or Genghis, Khan. But it is the women who stand beside him who ensure his triumph....
After her mother foretells an ominous future for her, gifted Borte becomes an outsider within her clan. When she seeks comfort in the arms of aristocratic traveler Jamuka, she discovers he is the blood brother of Temujin, the man who agreed to marry her and then abandoned her long before they could wed.
Temujin will return and make Borte his queen, yet it will take many women to safeguard his fragile new kingdom. Their daughter, the fierce Alaqai, will ride and shoot an arrow as well as any man. Fatima, an elegant Persian captive, will transform her desire for revenge into an unbreakable loyalty. And Sorkhokhtani, a demure widow, will position her sons to inherit the empire when it begins to fracture from within.
In a world lit by fire and ruled by the sword, the tiger queens of Genghis Khan come to depend on one another as they fight and love, scheme and sacrifice, all for the good of their family...and the greatness of the People of the Felt Walls.
Stephanie Thornton is the author of The Secret History andDaughter of the Gods. Sheis also a history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter inAlaska, where she is at work on her next novel.
Praise for The Tiger Queens
“A gripping epic…Kept me riveted from beginning to end!”—Michelle
Moran, bestselling author of The Second Empress
“It is a testament to Thornton’s writing prowess that she can so
intricately whittle heroines that are both compassionate and
ruthless…a stunning achievement!”—Barbara Wood, New York Times
bestselling author of The Serpent and the Staff and Rainbows on the
Moon
“Be prepared to be swept away by Thornton’s richly drawn epic of an
empire.”—Renée Rosen, author of Dollface and What the Lady
Wants
“Historical fiction at its best.”—Gary Corby, author of The
Marathon Conspiracy
“A vivid depiction of warrior women…Gripping stuff!”—Alex
Rutherford, author of the Empire of the Moghul series
Praise for the novels of Stephanie Thornton
“Thornton’s heroines...make me want to stand up and cheer!”—Kate
Quinn, author of Lady of the Eternal City
"This is the kind of book that grabs you by the throat and doesn't
let go. A remarkable story, remarkably told." —Kate Furnivall,
author of Shadows on the Nile and The Russian Concubine
“Well-conceived and engrossing...exalts a historical figure of
‘true grit.’”—Library Journal
“Exquisitely crafted....I couldn’t put it down.”—San Francisco Book
Review
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