Bryn Hammond (1)
Autor(a) de Amgalant One: The Old Ideal
Para outros autores com o nome Bryn Hammond, ver a página de desambiguação.
Séries
Obras por Bryn Hammond
No Holds Bard: Modern LGBTQ fiction inspired by the works of William Shakespeare (2018) — Contribuidor — 4 exemplares
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Sexo
- female
- Nacionalidade
- Australia
- Local de nascimento
- Chavey Down, Berkshire, England, UK
Membros
Críticas
Author Alliance Link
Amgalant Two: Tribal Brawls is the continuation of the Amgalant series. Hammond studied medieval history and literature while in college. She describes herself as a writer-in-a-garret and someone who does not pay much attention to the practical side of life. She currently lives in Australia.
Tribal Brawls picks up where The Old Ideal leaves off. There is no need to hide the main focus of the book; it is the rise of Genghis Khan. Much has been written on the ruler of the Mongols, and much of what has been written from Roman and conquered peoples’ perspective. Some common knowledge of Genghis Khan is more myth and legend than fact. The West tends to write history from its perspective rather neutral ground. Even the history of something as recent as the American Revolutionary War is not without controversies. It is held as a nearly holy event in American history, while in Britain, it is considered a minor civil war — a minor bump in their history. Perspective determines a person’s view. .
What Hammond does differently than most, and yes, I do know her book is historical fiction and not history, is use the Mongol text The Secret History of the Mongols. This text is thought to have been a copy written in the 14th century. The original was written some time after Genghis Khan’s death. The text remained unknown in the West until the early twentieth century. It is the most detailed account of Mongol history we have. There is, no doubt, some editing of Genghis Khan’s life after his death, but it is actual Mongol history written by the Mongols.
Hammond uses The Secret History as her outline and creates and epic series on the life of Genghis Khan. This creates the background history for the novel, and with it comes hundreds of pages of story. Of course, anyone can open up Wikipedia and get the CliffsNotes version, but you would be missing a great deal. Perhaps most important in understanding another people, is understanding their culture. This is where Hammond takes Tribal Brawls above and beyond most histories and beyond any history of the Mongols I have encountered. History tends to tell the “what”. Culture tells the how and why. Here we have the politics, the rivalries, the explanations of the conquerors, the interaction of the people, the beliefs of the people, and what it meant to be a Mongol. History provides a skeleton and culture provides the muscle, organs, and skin.
Perhaps the other thing missing from the simple history most people have experienced, is Hammond’s passion for the subject. She does not write just to write, she has a calling. A quick look at her Goodreads profile or her Twitter feed will let you how just how much time she spends reading and studying the Mongol empire and the Steppes. This passions shows in her work with her attention to detail and the amount of details included in her writing.
As the story of Genghis Kahn continues in the Amgalant series the reader can expect an outstanding story that holds to history as much as possible. In the first book, I did have to take notes as I read. The culture is different, the peoples names are unfamiliar, and it does take place at a time which is unfamiliar to most. Here too careful reading is necessary and possibly a few notes to keep things straight. Again, it is not a problem with the writing, it is problem of familiarity. The writing is clear and detail orientated. As someone with a history degree I usually don’t promote historical fiction as a way to learn history. They may be an enjoyable distraction for historians, but nothing to take too seriously …much like the tagline “based on a true story.” The Amgalant series is different. There is plenty to learn from reading this series. Extremely well done.… (mais)
Amgalant Two: Tribal Brawls is the continuation of the Amgalant series. Hammond studied medieval history and literature while in college. She describes herself as a writer-in-a-garret and someone who does not pay much attention to the practical side of life. She currently lives in Australia.
Tribal Brawls picks up where The Old Ideal leaves off. There is no need to hide the main focus of the book; it is the rise of Genghis Khan. Much has been written on the ruler of the Mongols, and much of what has been written from Roman and conquered peoples’ perspective. Some common knowledge of Genghis Khan is more myth and legend than fact. The West tends to write history from its perspective rather neutral ground. Even the history of something as recent as the American Revolutionary War is not without controversies. It is held as a nearly holy event in American history, while in Britain, it is considered a minor civil war — a minor bump in their history. Perspective determines a person’s view. .
What Hammond does differently than most, and yes, I do know her book is historical fiction and not history, is use the Mongol text The Secret History of the Mongols. This text is thought to have been a copy written in the 14th century. The original was written some time after Genghis Khan’s death. The text remained unknown in the West until the early twentieth century. It is the most detailed account of Mongol history we have. There is, no doubt, some editing of Genghis Khan’s life after his death, but it is actual Mongol history written by the Mongols.
Hammond uses The Secret History as her outline and creates and epic series on the life of Genghis Khan. This creates the background history for the novel, and with it comes hundreds of pages of story. Of course, anyone can open up Wikipedia and get the CliffsNotes version, but you would be missing a great deal. Perhaps most important in understanding another people, is understanding their culture. This is where Hammond takes Tribal Brawls above and beyond most histories and beyond any history of the Mongols I have encountered. History tends to tell the “what”. Culture tells the how and why. Here we have the politics, the rivalries, the explanations of the conquerors, the interaction of the people, the beliefs of the people, and what it meant to be a Mongol. History provides a skeleton and culture provides the muscle, organs, and skin.
Perhaps the other thing missing from the simple history most people have experienced, is Hammond’s passion for the subject. She does not write just to write, she has a calling. A quick look at her Goodreads profile or her Twitter feed will let you how just how much time she spends reading and studying the Mongol empire and the Steppes. This passions shows in her work with her attention to detail and the amount of details included in her writing.
As the story of Genghis Kahn continues in the Amgalant series the reader can expect an outstanding story that holds to history as much as possible. In the first book, I did have to take notes as I read. The culture is different, the peoples names are unfamiliar, and it does take place at a time which is unfamiliar to most. Here too careful reading is necessary and possibly a few notes to keep things straight. Again, it is not a problem with the writing, it is problem of familiarity. The writing is clear and detail orientated. As someone with a history degree I usually don’t promote historical fiction as a way to learn history. They may be an enjoyable distraction for historians, but nothing to take too seriously …much like the tagline “based on a true story.” The Amgalant series is different. There is plenty to learn from reading this series. Extremely well done.… (mais)
Sometimes reading teaches you something you didn’t know, in an easy way. And sometimes, it teaches you things that you didn’t know that you didn’t know in a way that gives you a great sense of accomplishment afterward. Bryn Hammond's "Of Battles Past" is the first book of her series about the steppe people of the 13th century. More specifically, it’s about the parents and early life of the man most of us know as Genghis Kahn. I am very grateful to have read this book for many reasons, but not least is that it taught me how profoundly ignorant I was about a person and culture who shaped the world.
Until I read this book, if you said Genghis Khan to me, I’d remember translated snippets from Chinese and European history books, and otherwise conjure up the buffoonish character in "Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure." I don’t remember learning much about any other peoples of the steppes either, despite its prominence in geography and human history. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to define what a steppe was or to recognize it as such if I were suddenly transported to one. “It’s like the Great Plains,” I’d guess if asked to describe it, “only drier, and would maybe have yaks and sheep instead of bison. And there’d be yurts instead of tipis. Or maybe it would look like what I imagine the Australian Outback looks like (if movies have taught me anything), except without the kangaroos and wallabies and ladies waltzing.”
Acknowledging my ignorance and resolving to address it, I put the book in my queue and went on to other things. It came to the top of my To-Read list just as I’d reread her very intriguing blog post on "http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/5602548-regrets-i-ve-had-a-few-the-self-critical-spirit-in-the-secret-history" referencing the centuries-old manuscript that she based her books upon. I’ve always had a fascination for how people and cultures – real and imagined – evolve in their thinking about their actions, so Hammond’s very thoughtful posting made me even more excited to begin my reading.
I was ok at first, but soon my ignorance caught up with me. “Wait, who is he? How does he relate?” I kept needing to ask. I had to run to look names up (and by run, I mean that my fingers tapped out to Wikipedia) and then try to decipher the various name-spelling variations among the sources, jumping from one article to the next on the Khans, the Steppes, the various tribes, and to various maps. Then, I’d go back and try again. I honestly don’t think it would help much for Hammond to include a clickable guide to the names since it became far easier to have it all in front of me on a different device and just glance back and forth.
Over time, things got faster. I’d studied Chinese history, so just needed some refreshing and un-biasing on that. I could mentally map the Turks and recall a bit of their history. I had to keep maps in front of me of the various Mongolian tribes, clans, and families to keep track of relationships. But then came mention of the Jurchens and curiosity sent me to look them up. Ah, the maps put them in Manchuria; that made sense. Then came the Tartars, and they’re in the news even now because of the events between Russia and Ukraine in Crimea… what’s their story, then and now? For some reason, I could only conjure up vague images of weird headgear, tartar sauce, cream of tartar, tartaric acid and beef tartar. Off I went to do background reading again.
As a rule, I avoid reading other people’s reviews before embarking on an unfamiliar work. It’s a quirk I have, like not wanting to read a book that someone else has marked up with highlights, or avoiding a museum’s description of a particular work of art before I have a chance to look at it for myself. But about one third way into "Of Battles Past", I needed the reassurance of other readers, so I did read some reviews on Goodreads. Those, along with a little more background reading and bad winter weather that forced me to stay indoors, were just what I needed. As another reviewer mentioned, there came a point when things just started clicking for me and I was able to fall into the world and stay there.
I sincerely regret some of my background reading; history doesn't come with spoiler alerts and learning about some of the events in advance took away some of the impact of the narrative I would have gotten had I not learned them from outside reading. As a literary form, Hammond's book is equally lyrical and powerful, and still manages to convey a certain realism in casual dialog among people who didn't view themselves as historical figures. I had to remind myself that the book was based on actual historical events and was not a fictional work where key dramatic points are unknown until they happen. But appreciating those key points, despite the knowledge of them, was made easier by again rereading Hammond’s blog posting on the apparent sense of regret and self-critique in the actual manuscript that her series is based upon.
By the time I’d finished the book, I had a sense of loss at leaving a place and time. I thought about its themes of honor, resentment, revenge, regret, remorse, reconciliation, identity with place and peoples, family ties, and the necessary making or breaking of alliances. I thought about the similarities of themes with other books that I’d been reading, along with contrasts in how each handled those themes. They are themes that come up again and again in human interactions, and it made me marvel at how the Mongols, a nomadic rural people, managed to build and maintain an empire for such a long time. Then I added Hammond’s next book in the series to my reading queue, bookmarked my maps, and listened to the news.… (mais)
Until I read this book, if you said Genghis Khan to me, I’d remember translated snippets from Chinese and European history books, and otherwise conjure up the buffoonish character in "Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure." I don’t remember learning much about any other peoples of the steppes either, despite its prominence in geography and human history. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to define what a steppe was or to recognize it as such if I were suddenly transported to one. “It’s like the Great Plains,” I’d guess if asked to describe it, “only drier, and would maybe have yaks and sheep instead of bison. And there’d be yurts instead of tipis. Or maybe it would look like what I imagine the Australian Outback looks like (if movies have taught me anything), except without the kangaroos and wallabies and ladies waltzing.”
Acknowledging my ignorance and resolving to address it, I put the book in my queue and went on to other things. It came to the top of my To-Read list just as I’d reread her very intriguing blog post on "http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/5602548-regrets-i-ve-had-a-few-the-self-critical-spirit-in-the-secret-history" referencing the centuries-old manuscript that she based her books upon. I’ve always had a fascination for how people and cultures – real and imagined – evolve in their thinking about their actions, so Hammond’s very thoughtful posting made me even more excited to begin my reading.
I was ok at first, but soon my ignorance caught up with me. “Wait, who is he? How does he relate?” I kept needing to ask. I had to run to look names up (and by run, I mean that my fingers tapped out to Wikipedia) and then try to decipher the various name-spelling variations among the sources, jumping from one article to the next on the Khans, the Steppes, the various tribes, and to various maps. Then, I’d go back and try again. I honestly don’t think it would help much for Hammond to include a clickable guide to the names since it became far easier to have it all in front of me on a different device and just glance back and forth.
Over time, things got faster. I’d studied Chinese history, so just needed some refreshing and un-biasing on that. I could mentally map the Turks and recall a bit of their history. I had to keep maps in front of me of the various Mongolian tribes, clans, and families to keep track of relationships. But then came mention of the Jurchens and curiosity sent me to look them up. Ah, the maps put them in Manchuria; that made sense. Then came the Tartars, and they’re in the news even now because of the events between Russia and Ukraine in Crimea… what’s their story, then and now? For some reason, I could only conjure up vague images of weird headgear, tartar sauce, cream of tartar, tartaric acid and beef tartar. Off I went to do background reading again.
As a rule, I avoid reading other people’s reviews before embarking on an unfamiliar work. It’s a quirk I have, like not wanting to read a book that someone else has marked up with highlights, or avoiding a museum’s description of a particular work of art before I have a chance to look at it for myself. But about one third way into "Of Battles Past", I needed the reassurance of other readers, so I did read some reviews on Goodreads. Those, along with a little more background reading and bad winter weather that forced me to stay indoors, were just what I needed. As another reviewer mentioned, there came a point when things just started clicking for me and I was able to fall into the world and stay there.
I sincerely regret some of my background reading; history doesn't come with spoiler alerts and learning about some of the events in advance took away some of the impact of the narrative I would have gotten had I not learned them from outside reading. As a literary form, Hammond's book is equally lyrical and powerful, and still manages to convey a certain realism in casual dialog among people who didn't view themselves as historical figures. I had to remind myself that the book was based on actual historical events and was not a fictional work where key dramatic points are unknown until they happen. But appreciating those key points, despite the knowledge of them, was made easier by again rereading Hammond’s blog posting on the apparent sense of regret and self-critique in the actual manuscript that her series is based upon.
By the time I’d finished the book, I had a sense of loss at leaving a place and time. I thought about its themes of honor, resentment, revenge, regret, remorse, reconciliation, identity with place and peoples, family ties, and the necessary making or breaking of alliances. I thought about the similarities of themes with other books that I’d been reading, along with contrasts in how each handled those themes. They are themes that come up again and again in human interactions, and it made me marvel at how the Mongols, a nomadic rural people, managed to build and maintain an empire for such a long time. Then I added Hammond’s next book in the series to my reading queue, bookmarked my maps, and listened to the news.… (mais)
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
I found this book somewhat difficult to get through. In itself the story was great and it was very interesting to read about the Mongol culture, but because I knew very little on the subject, I had some trouble getting into the story. A lot of cultural aspects are entangled in the story, and without any prior knowledge it is a bit overwhelming in the beginning. At first the unfamiliar names and customs sometimes confused me, and I really needed to look up the Mongol names and terms used to keep track of the story.
Later on I did get drawn in more, and did enjoy the story. It is very interesting to read and I think it gives a good view of how people lived and their customs and ideas. Apart from giving a nice insight into Mongol culture, the characters in the novel are also very real and worked out very nicely, we really get to know the main characters.
I would very much like to read more about the Mongols and Temujin (Tchinggis Khan), I find the culture and history very interesting, and since I knew very little of it I would like to read more.
All in all, a nice book with a good story and a wealth of information, but not a light read in my opinion.… (mais)
Later on I did get drawn in more, and did enjoy the story. It is very interesting to read and I think it gives a good view of how people lived and their customs and ideas. Apart from giving a nice insight into Mongol culture, the characters in the novel are also very real and worked out very nicely, we really get to know the main characters.
I would very much like to read more about the Mongols and Temujin (Tchinggis Khan), I find the culture and history very interesting, and since I knew very little of it I would like to read more.
All in all, a nice book with a good story and a wealth of information, but not a light read in my opinion.… (mais)
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Estatísticas
- Obras
- 10
- Membros
- 61
- Popularidade
- #274,234
- Avaliação
- 4.7
- Críticas
- 5
- ISBN
- 21
- Marcado como favorito
- 1
What is a Mongol?…
As free as the geese in the air as in unison…
…The flights of the geese promise us we don’t give up independence to unite.
Amgalant One: The Old Ideal by Bryn Hammond is part one of a trilogy of Mongol history. Hammond does not give much of a biography except to say she lives a dull life to concentrate on her fiction. She lives in Australia this is the first of her two published books in the trilogy.
This is not a book to take lightly or to expect a quick weekend read from it. Don’t let the size of the book scare you off either. Years ago I was handed a copy of Gary Jennings’ Aztec to read by another Marine. My first thought was “You have to be kidding, this book is huge.” I was told I would like it. It wasn’t a fast read, but it definitely held my interest and there was definitely a learning curve with the book. I went on to read all of Jenning’s books at the time. In fact most of the cultural details I know of the Mongols came from Jennings’ Marco Polo novel The Journeyer. Amgalant will take your full attention. The character names are unfamiliar as is the setting. It will put most readers in a place they rarely can go. For me it was like reading a history crossed with the Rig-Veda-Sanhita. It is almost magical.
Hammond bases her work of the the relatively short Secret History of the Mongols. The Secret History>becomes the outline for the Amgalant series books. It is a history filled with embellishments and considered for the most part to be folklore, but it is the best record of the Mongols we have. It was written within a generation of Genghis Khan’s death. Usually histories written that close to the events are usually more more accurate than the histories of the oral tradition. There are exceptions though, the Kim dynasty of North Korea comes to mind. But, overall, it is great source material. The mix of fact and myth from the Secret History provides an excellent platform for Hammond to launch into an epic trilogy of a man with almost universal name recognition.
Although nearly everyone know the name Genghis Khan, few can give many details about the man or his people. Hammond goes into detail about the Mongols and their neighbors. Although a work of fiction, many details, the setting, and events are all historical. Early on the reader will get introduced to the ways of the mongols. A society where stealing a horse was more serious of a crime than murder. They are a people with a strict set of rules for themselves. They face the Turks, Chinese, Tartars, barbarians, and internal conflict. Nothing will be easy.
The reading also is not easy. It takes some time and effort on the readers part because t he story is complex and the writing is detailed. It is intended to capture the author’s passion for her subject. Hammond has plenty of passion and it shows in her work. Amgalant was difficult to start, but the payoff for sticking with it is immense. Amgalant far exceeds any of the historical fiction I have read in detail and effort. his is a book that is meant to be read slowly and carefully so the the reader can absorb the wealth of information contained in the pages. Amgalant belongs on the shelf with the best of the epic historical fictions.
Book Review by Joseph Spuckler… (mais)