Description
Book SynopsisA child is born in an ancient distant land, celebrated by the shamen Ozbeg who senses the spirit of greatness inside him. This boy, Temudjin, must be guided to listen to the voices of nature around him, for one day, he will lead the Mongol clans to glory as the great Genghis Khan.
A lush, lyrical, almost operatic fable speculating on the youth of the first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Filled with mysticism and surreal visions, this grand epic takes on a fantasy quality lightly infused with just enough nuggets of history to set in time. Torn between a destiny he is told to have and a life he would otherwise chose for himself, the mind of a legendary warlord is laid bare to readers in a cinematic and poetic narrative breathtakingly illustrated by Antoine Carrion.
Trade ReviewPUBLISHERS WEEKLY -- Ozanam (Klaw) fuses biography and fantasy in this ethereal graphic novel imagining Genghis Khan’s reborn spirit, Temudjin. Born to a human and a wolf spirit in a remote Mongolian village centuries after Khan’s death, Temudjin is prophesied by the shaman Ozbeg to unite clans and overthrow tyrants. Ozbeg raises Temudjin, teaching him to tap into the spirit realm, and Temudjin marries the spirit Ayami. As he grows up, Temudjin uses the realm to escape life’s torments, defeat enemies, and win over clan leaders. But while he grapples with the brutality of Khan’s legacy, he still follows his path: quarreling with his closest allies, mirroring Khan’s rifts with trusted generals; betraying Ayami by marrying a human woman, paralleling Khan’s adultery; and employing his same ruthless war tactics. Carrion’s artwork juxtaposes sprawling landscapes with intimate close-ups, atmospheric darkness with bright colors, and rigid panel structures with dreamlike interludes. Temudjin ultimately unites Mongolia, exemplifying the best of Khan’s leadership, but then follows the darker side of his inherited power to expand his dynasty into China because “his destiny summons him there. And he must see it to the very end.” Fans of Luen Yang’s Boxers & Saints will relish this quasi-historical quest. (Nov.)
