The Mongol Empire by John Man

7.5 out of 10

As an unassuming nomadic youngster, Genghis' ability to escape death from nature and his rivals convinced him of his Manifest destiny.  He became the Khan of Khans.  A few decades later, his grandson, Kublai, expanded the empire to its greatest size. After defeating the Jin, the Song, and others, Kublai established the Yuan dynasty which unified China into its current geographical shape (minus Mongolia).   The thirteenth-century Mongolian war machine conquered 1/6th of the world's landmass.  Cultural practices, ideology, and material substances are lacking when it comes to the Mongol legacy.  But, the vast disruption of peoples very likely triggered the events that set humanity on a global collision course with itself.