EARLY BIRD BOOKS
FRESH EBOOK DEALS, DELIVERED DAILY
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT
FREE AND DISCOUNTED EBOOKS
NEW DEALS HATCH EVERY DAY
PRAISE FOR THE WRITING OF PAMELA SARGENT
“Sargent is a sensitive writer of characterization rather than cosmic gimmickry.”
—Publishers Weekly
“One of the genre’s greatest writers.”
—The Washington Post Book World
“Pamela Sargent is an explorer, an innovator. She’s always a few years ahead of the pack.”
—David Brin, award-winning author of the Uplift Saga
“Over the years, I’ve come to expect a great deal from Pamela Sargent. Her worlds are deeply and thoroughly imagined.”
—Orson Scott Card, author of Ender’s Game
“Pamela Sargent’s cool, incisive eye is as sharp at long range, visionary tales as it is when inspecting our foreground future. She’s one of our best.”
—Gregory Benford, astrophysicist and author of Foundation’s Fear
“If you have not read Pamela Sargent, then you should make it your business to do so at once. She is in many ways a pioneer, both as a novelist and as a short story writer. … She is one of the best.”
—Michael Moorcock, author of Elric of Melniboné
“[Sargent is] a consummate professional [who] exhibits an unswerving consistency of craft.”
—The Washington Post Book World
Alien Child
“An excellent piece of work—the development of the mystery … is well done. Ms. Sargent’s work … is always of interest and this book adds to her stature as a writer.”
—Andre Norton, author of the Solar Queen series
“Count on Pamela Sargent to write a science fiction novel that is both entertaining and true to human emotion. I wish I had had this book when I was a teen because all the loneliness, all the alienation, all the apartness I felt from my family would have made more sense.”
—Jane Yolen, author of The Devil’s Arithmetic and Cards of Grief
“This story of Nita, a girl growing up in an insulated environment where she gradually comes to realize that she might be the last person left on Earth, has conflict and suspense from the beginning. … Vividly depicted.”
—School Library Journal
“This finely crafted work never falters with false resolution. … An honest and compelling examination of ‘What if …?’”
—Publishers Weekly
“An engaging narrative in Sargent’s capable hands. An essence of otherworldliness is present in the gentle guardians, and since Sven and Nita are raised solely by the two aliens, there is a freshness in their perceptions of their own species. … Clearly and simply presented—thoughtful—a worthy addition to any SF collection.”
—Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
“Sargent does not lower her standards when she writes young adult fiction. Like the best of young adult writers, her artistic standards remain as high as ever, while her standards of clarity and concision actually rise. … The intelligence and resourcefulness she showed in The Shore of Women are undiminished in Alien Child.”
—Orson Scott Card, author of Ender’s Game
“Thoughtful, serious, and written without condescension, the novel contains all of the qualities we have come to expect from this author.”
—Science Fiction Chronicle
The Golden Space
“Pamela Sargent deals with big themes—genetic engineering, immortality, the ultimate fate of humanity—but she deals with them in the context of individual human lives. The Golden Space reminds me of Olaf Stapledon in the breadth of its vision, and of Kate Wilhelm in its ability to make characters, even humans in the strangest forms, seem like real people.”
—James Gunn, writer and director of the film Guardians of the Galaxy
“Clearly, The Golden Space is a major intellectual achievement of SF literature. It will not be possible for any honest story of immortality hereafter to ignore it; it is a landmark.”
—The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
“Brilliantly handled—all of us have got to hand an accolade to the author.”
—A. E. van Vogt, author of The World of Null-A
“Sargent writes well, the many ideas are fresh, and their handling is intelligent to the extreme.”
—Asimov’s Science Fiction
“What next, after universal immortality becomes a fact of life? Pamela Sargent’s brilliant book, The Golden Space, shatters the imaginative barrier that has held stories about immortality to a simplistic pasticcio of boredom, degeneration, and suicide.”
—The Seattle Times
The Mountain Cage
“[Sargent] is one of our field’s true virtuosos, and in The Mountain Cage: and Other Stories she gives us thirteen stunning performances, a valuable addition to a repertoire that I hope will keep on growing.”
—James Morrow, author of Only Begotten Daughter
The Shore of Women
“That rare creature, a perfect book.”
—Orson Scott Card, author of Ender’s Game
“A cautionary tale, well-written, with excellent characterization, a fine love story, as well as much food for thought … An elegant science fiction novel.”
—Anne McCaffrey, author of the Pern series
—Rocky Mountain News
“How many perfect science fiction novels have I read? Not many. There are at most three or four such works in a decade. Pamela Sargent’s The Shore of Women is one of the few perfect novels of the 1980s. … Her story of a woman exiled from a safe high-tech city of women, the man ordered by the gods to kill her, and their search for a place of safety, is powerful, beautiful, and true.”
—The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
“A compelling and emotionally involving novel.”
—Publishers Weekly
“I applaud Ms. Sargent’s ambition and admire the way she has unflinchingly pursued the logic of her vision.”
—The New York Times
Ruler of the Sky
“This formidably researched and exquisitely written novel is surely destined to be known hereafter as the definitive history of the life and times and conquests of Genghis, mightiest of Khans.”
—Gary Jennings, bestselling author of Aztec
“Scholarly without ever seeming pedantic, the book is fascinating from cover to cover and does admirable justice to a man who might very well be called history’s single most important character.”
—Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, anthropologist and author of Reindeer Moon
Child of Venus
“Masterful … as in previous books, Sargent brings her world to life with sympathetic characters and crisp concise language.”
—Publishers Weekly
Ruler of the Sky
A Novel of Genghis Khan
Pamela Sargent
For Joseph Elder
List of Characters
Aguchu Bahadur, son of the Taychiut chief Targhutai Kiriltugh
A-la-chien, a Tangut follower of Temujin
Alakha, daughter of Temujin and Jeren
Altan, surviving son of Khutula Khan
Anchar, son of the Onggirat chief Dei Sechen and brother of Bortai
Arigh Boke, a son of Tolui
Arkhai, a follower of Temujin
Artai, an Onggirat girl
Bai Bukha, a son of the Naiman ruler Inancha Bilge and father of Guchlug
Bekter, older son of Yesugei and Sochigil
Belgutei, younger son of Yesugei and Sochigil
Biliktu, a young girl and slave to Hoelun
Borchu, son of the Arulat chief Nakhu Bayan; a comrade of Temujin
Boroghul, a Jurkin and the fourth adopted son of Hoelun
Bortai, a daughter of the Onggirat chief Dei Sechen
Bughu, a shaman in Yesugei's camp
Buyrugh, a son of the Naiman ruler Inancha Bilge
Chagadai, second son of Bortai
Chakha, a Tangut princess and wife of Temujin
Chakhurkhan, a follower of Temujin
Ch’ang-ch’un, a Taoist monk and sage
Charakha, a Khongkhotat follower of Yesugei and father of Munglik
Checheg, an Onggirat girl
Cheren, a Tatar chief and father of Yisui and Yisugen; also called Yeke Cheren
Ch’i-kuo, a daughter of the Kin Emperor Chang-tsung
Chilagun, a son of the Suldus chief Sorkhan-shira and brother of Khadagan
Chiledu, a Merkit warrior and first husband of Hoelun; also called Yeke Chiledu
Chilger-boko, a Merkit warrior and younger brother of Chiledu
Chimbai, a son of the Suldus chief Sorkhan-shira and brother of Khadagan
Chinkai, a follower of Temujin
Chirkoadai, a Taychiut; later named Jebe by Temujin
Chohos-chaghan, chief of the Khorolas and husband of Temulun
Daritai Odchigin, youngest brother of Yesugei and uncle of Temujin
Dei Sechen, an Onggirat chief and father of Bortai
Doghon, a Merkit woman and mother of Khojin
Doregene, chief wife of Ogedei
Gorbeljin, a Tangut queen
Guchlug, son of Bai Bukha and grandson of the Naiman ruler Inancha Bilge
Guchu, a Merkit and the first adopted son of Hoelun
Gurbesu, a Naiman queen and wife of Inancha Bilge
Gurin Bahadur, a Kereit general
Hoelun, an Olkhunugud and mother of Temujin
Hulegu, a son of Tolui
Ibakha Beki, a daughter of Jakha Gambu and niece of Toghril Khan
Inancha Bilge, Tayang of the Naimans
Jakha Gambu, a brother of Toghril Khan; father of Ibakha and Sorkhatani
Jamukha, a Jajirat
Jebe: see Chirkoadai
Jelme, an Uriangkhai and comrade of Temujin; older brother of Subotai
Jeren, a Taychiut girl and mother of Alakha
Jochi, first son of Bortai
Jurchedei, chief of the Urugud clan
Kerulu, a servant in Bortai's camp
Keuken Ghoa, a wife of Jakha Gambu and mother of Sorkhatani and Ibakha Khachigun, a brother of Temujin
Khadagan, daughter of the Suldus chief Sorkhan-shira
Khagatai Darmala, a Merkit chief
Khasar, a brother of Temujin
Khojin, daughter of Temujin and Doghon
Khokakhchin, a servant of Hoelun
Khorchi, a Bagarin chief and shaman
Khori Subechi, a Naiman general
Khubilai, a son of Tolui
Khuchar, son of Nekun-taisi and first cousin of Temujin
Khudu, son of the Merkit chief Toghtoga Beki
Khudukha Beki, an Oirat chief and shaman
Khulan, daughter of the Merkit chief Dayir Usun
Khuyhildar, chief of the Manggud clan
Kokochu, a shaman and son of Munglik; also known as Teb-Tenggeri
Koksegu Sabrak, a Naiman general
Kukuchu, a Taychiut and second adopted son of Hoelun
Kulgan, son of Khulan
Lien, a Han concubine
Liu Wen, a Khitan follower of Temujin
Mahmoud Yalavach, a Khwarezmian follower of Temujin
Mongke, a son of Tolui
Mukhali, a Jurkin and comrade of Temujin
Munglik, a Khongkhotat and son of Charakha
Mu-tan, a slave of Ch'i-kuo
Nayaga, a Bagarin warrior and follower of Temujin
Nekun-taisi, older brother of Yesugei and father of Khuchar
Nilkha, son of Toghril Khan; also known as the Senggum
Nomalan, chief wife of Jamukha
Ogedei, third son of Bortai
Ogin, a follower of Jamukha
Orbey, a Taychiut Khatun and widow of Ambaghai Khan; grandmother of Targhutai and Todogen
Samukha, a follower of Temujin
Secbe Beki, a Jurkin chief and kinsman of Temujin
Shigi Khutukhu, a Tatar and third adopted son of Hoelun
Shotan, wife of Dei Sechen and mother of Bortai
Sochigil, a wife of Yesugei; mother of Bekter and Belgutei
Sokhatai, a Taychiut Khatun and widow of Ambaghai Khan
Sorkhan-shira, a Suldus chief and follower of Targhutai; father of Chimbai,
Chilagun, and Khadagan
Sorkhatani Beki, a daughter of Jakha Gambu and niece of Toghril Khan
Subotai, younger brother of Jelme; a follower of Temujin
Sukegei, a follower of Temujin
Tabudai, a Tatar warrior and husband of Yisui
Taichu, a Jurkin chief and kinsman of Temujin
Targhutai Kiriltugh, a Taychiut chief and brother of Todogen
Ta-ta-tonga, a Uighur scribe and adviser to Inancha Bilge
Taychar, a cousin of Jamukha
Teb-Tenggeri: see Kokochu
Temuge Odchigin, a brother of Temujin
Temujin, son and heir of Yesugei; later, Genghis Khan
Temulun, sister of Temujin
Todogen Girte, a Taychiut chief and brother of Targhutai
Toghan, a Taychiut warrior and husband of Khadagan
Toghril, Khan of the Kereits; later known by the title Ong-Khan
Toghtoga Beki, a Merkit chief
Tolui, fourth son of Bortai
Tolun Cherbi, a follower of Temujin
Tugai, a Merkit woman and a wife of Temujin
Yeke Cheren: see Cheren
Yeke Chiledu: see Chiledu
Ye-lu Ch’u-ts'ai, a Khitan nobleman and scholar
Yesugei Bahadur, a Borjigin chief and head of the Kiyat subclan
Yisugen, a daughter of the Tatar chief Yeke Cheren
Yisui, a daughter of the Tatar chief Yeke Cheren
Zulaika, a young girl of Bukhara
Mongolia at the Time of Genghis Khan
Asia During the Early 13th century
Table of Important Mongol Clans
Yesugei and Family
Genghis Khan and His Heirs
Part One
Hoelun said, “He rides into the wind, fleeing for his life. I call out his name, but he cannot hear me.”
1
On the northern bank of the Onon River, a grove of willows and birches rippled in the heat. Hoelun gripped the reins of the horse that pulled her covered cart. The gently rolling green land, bright with wild flowers, would soon grow parched and brown. Spring and early summer were no more than a brief respite between the icy winds of winter and the scorching midsummer heat.
Hoelun's robe and leather trousers lay next to her, under the square, feathered birch head-dress she had worn at her wedding. A short woollen shift covered her; she had shed her other garments earlier that morning. Her home was under the curved covering of her two-wheeled wooden cart—the frame and felt panels of the yurt she would erect in her husband's camp, the trunks that held her pots, clothes, hearth, jewellery, and rugs, the bed where they would lie.
Yeke Chiledu rode at her side, his back straight under his quiver of arrows. His bow was inside the lacquered case hanging from his belt; his short, trousered legs hugged the flanks of his chestnut horse.
At fourteen, Hoelun had known that she would be married before long, yet her wedding had been upon her as swiftly as a summer storm. A month ago, Chiledu had come among the Olkhunugu
ds to find a wife, and had seen Hoelun outside her mother's yurt. By that evening, he was speaking to her father of the gifts he would offer for her; before the moon had grown full once more, she was Chiledu's bride.
Chiledu turned his head, and the faint lines around his small black eyes deepened as he smiled. His teeth were white against his brown skin; his face was broad, his cheekbones flat. He was eighteen, his moustache only a light sprinkling of hairs above his mouth; two coiled black braids hung down from under the wide brim of his hat.
“You should cover yourself,” he said, accenting his words as his Merkit people did.
“It's too warm.”
Chiledu scowled. She would put on her clothes if he ordered it. The young man suddenly laughed. “You are beautiful, Hoelun.”
She flushed, wishing he would say more, remembering all the words he had used to praise her golden-brown eyes, her small flat nose, her thick, braided hair and pale brown skin. She had closed her eyes during their first night together, unable to stop thinking about her father's mares and the way his stallion mounted them. Chiledu's quick thrusting inside her had brought her pain; he had moaned, shuddered, and withdrawn, to fall asleep at her side a few moments later. The next night had been much the same; she had hoped for more.
Chiledu turned and scanned the horizon. On open land, any danger could be seen from afar, but here, with patches of wooded land by the river, they would have to be more cautious.
They rode slowly towards the Onon's narrow stream. The river was shallow here, barely more than a small creek; they would be able to cross it easily. A small flock of ducks were feeding upriver. Chiledu trotted towards them. Further up the bank, he dismounted, took out his bow, and crept towards the distant flock.
Hoelun pulled at her reins; the cart rolled to a halt. She untied the spare horse from the back of the cart and led the animal to the water. Long fingers of willows and birch trees came nearly to the edge of the opposite bank; in the distance, a massif abruptly jutted from the land. Tengri, Heaven, was a vast yurt under which parts of Etugen, the Earth, thrust upwards, reaching towards its roof. The mountains, with pines and larches that hummed and sighed whenever the wind stirred them, were places of spirits, of voices that might whisper to shamans, of ghosts that might enter the bodies of animals to protect a man or lead him to his death. The slender stream of the Onon trickled as it flowed over the rocks; running water also harboured spirits.