Review: Barbarians at the Wall: The First Nomadic Empire and the Making of China

Barbarians at the Wall: The First Nomadic Empire and the Making of China by John Man
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Xiongnu, based on an almost unpronounceable name to most English speakers, sound very obscure. In fact, these were giants of ancient China. They held the Qin and Han Dynasties to ransom for centuries. They were mighty, they conquered vast swathes of kingdoms around China and even into China itself. The Han dynasty would score victories but never were able to crush them entirely. This book goes through the long history of the Xiongnu and the potential links to the Huns of Attila. John Man is a good author, with a tendency to repeat half of his material in the form of a new release with a slightly different focus than his last book meaning that he only has to write 50% of a book. This time it is almost entirely different material to some of his books I've felt have repeated the same photos and paragraphs half a dozen times. This one deserves a read and a 5*.

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Review: Buddhism in China: A Historical Survey

Buddhism in China: A Historical Survey by Kenneth K.S. Ch'en
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is an incredible source of information that you won't find anywhere else. I highly recommend to anyone interested in Chinese history. This explains many facets of Buddhism and society in China that make it very useful. Warning, it uses the old system and not pinyin - but if you are familiar with it you will be OK.

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Review: The Lost Kings: Lancaster, York and Tudor

The Lost Kings: Lancaster, York and Tudor by Amy Licence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amy Licence goes over the various different potential Kings of England during the period of the Wars of the Roses who were either killed or died in some way. This is actually quite a good book. It goes over lesser Plantagenets and doesn't feel like just another book which has been redone 1000 times (the wives of Henry VIII for example). It feels fresh and it helps that Licence has a very authoritative way of writing.

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Review: The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam

The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam by Jerry Brotton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reading this book was fascinating. There is always a new and allegedly fresh perspective of something during the Tudor period and this feels very much that. I found this book full of information that was new to me. It was also quite accurate and well referenced. I think overall it doesn't overpromise but you get exactly what is offered to you.

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Review: Sui-Tang China and Its Turko-Mongol Neighbors: Culture, Power, and Connections, 580-800

Sui-Tang China and Its Turko-Mongol Neighbors: Culture, Power, and Connections, 580-800 by Jonathan Karam Skaff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. The topic is one which really fascinates me. There is a lot of information in here regarding the relationships between the Tang dynasty (who themselves are partially Xianbei) and how the politics works in the various border areas. The information here is really something that is hard to come across. It is a good book to start bridging your knowledge to the next step up. I have a greater understanding of the border society and deep cultural differences amongst the various groups as well as the complexity of the entire geographical and political situation

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