Book Review 1

Book read: Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden


18. What would the main character be likely to do if he/she visited your classroom?

Well, that would depend whether we are Arabian, Mongolian or Chinese. If we were Arabian, the main character would most likely order his men to execute us. He may also storm into the classroom shouting like a madman and kill us all. He would show no mercy to anybody.

However, if we were Chinese already loyal to him, he would most probably try to recruit us into his army. This is because his army was lacking in soldiers and he would want to train young Chinese in Mongolian ways.

If we were Mongolian, he would come in to observe us study. Alternatively, he may ask us questions and praise the children. Yes, he would be like a father to us. He would probably tell us a story of his exploits.


26. If the story happened in a foreign land, compare that land to Singapore.

The story is situated in ancient Afghanistan/Arabia. The land there is vast and wide, with widely varying terrain. In some places, the land is extremely fertile and rich. All sorts of crops and fruits grew there, and the city near it was made rich and luxurious. However, in others, the land is dry and barren like a desert, with almost no life at all. Battles were fought on huge mountains and narrow valleys barely wide enough to fit a man. The destruction that the Mongolians left in their wake made the entire land stink of rotting flesh and burnt cities. Most of Arabia was left in ruins.
The characters venture even to Russia, where the snow is thick enough to bury a person riding on a horse.
The people of Arabia lived in fear of a Mongol attack. No town was safe. The Mongols raided every town and city in the country and millions of people were killed. There was no sense of security, even in the midst of the strongest army in the world.

In Singapore, the terrain is relatively flat and small. It is a metropolitan city with land that is not too fertile but still good. Much of the land in southern Singapore is man-made, unlike the land in the story which is all natural. Singapore is not too dry, with a lot of rainfall. In fact, thunderstorms occur on almost 200 days a year. There are no high mountains, or for that matter, no mountains at all, in Singapore. Unlike the land in the story, Singapore’s air is really fresh (no corpses). There is no snow, or the 4 seasons.

The people of Singapore have a sense of security and are quite safe.( In fact, too much sense of security) The crime rate is low and there is no war currently.


37. Using information from the book about one of the main characters, rewrite the ending of the book.

Ending: “It is done,” Ogedai said. ”My father has gone and I will now accept the oaths of my people.”

My Ending: “My father is dead, and his death is already avenged. His spirit is even now protecting our gers. His legacy shall be sung for generations to come, never forgotten. Long live the Khan!”


55. Which character in the book would you choose as a friend? Why?

I would choose Tsubodai as my friend. He is a extremely intelligent general. He is able to analyze every situation and come up with dozens of solutions. Moreover, he is loyal to the finish and never betrays his friends. He is also king and caring, unlike other generals who are cold-hearted and cruel (only towards their enemies). He is sensitive to other’s feelings and does not like to kill as much as Genghis or Jochi.