The Mongoliad: Collector's Edition [includes the SideQuest Sinner] (The Mongoliad Cycle)

I'm a huge Neal Stephenson fan and put off starting this series for some time (years) because I knew it would be different. Not different in the way that all Stephenson works are a bit different, I worried it would differ enough from his other works that I just wouldn't like it. Once I let go and embraced this as a not-quite-Stephenson piece of historical fiction, I was pulled into the story. The battle scenes are long and technical, not my forte but the descriptions are such that I can actually envision the action. My interest is more the characters and the historical context. I love that we have viewpoints within the Mongol camp and female characters that are more than victims/cheerleaders/sperm receptacles. The reach of this empire, touched on but mostly glossed over in my Western history classes, is vast and I'm taking time as I read to research the areas and time covered in the book. I know what we're heading toward and look forward to learning how these characters get there. I will read at least the next two volumes in this series, I'm not sure if I will make it through all nine.