From what I understand, a lot of the European version of Mongol history is wildly inaccurate. I haven't studied it in depth, but I find that plausible (even trying very hard to set aside my deep-seated Mongols! My people! bias)
Correct. Much like the European/American version of Vikings-as-ravening-berserkers, or the mental picture of Medieval peasants wallowing in their own filth. I blame the Victorians (mostly because it's fun to say).
(M is most probably descended from Mongols, as well, so I get the My people! reaction.)
In re Vikings, I remember several years ago someone teaching a college-level course in medieval Scandanavian history (yes, Vikings) found that at least one of her students had done a search and found a site by Viking recreators (not the SCA) and had used that as their primary source for a report ... it did not turn out very well, since they were not as accurate as one would wish.
Should have gone with the SCA, we regularly publish pamphlets with full documentation. One of them at least was used as someone's Ph.D. dissertation.
::Fistbump of Mongol solidarity with M::
The Kindle version of Naomi Novik's Uprooted is $2.99 today.
[link]
Purchased! Thanks for heads up.
Barbara Hambly's Darwath trilogy (ebooks) is on sale today for $3.99. Should apply to all retailers.
Tiny House "librairie" - is that a bookshop in French?
I love this - particularly because their cat looks so much like my dear, departed Tanuki.
