'One could not wish for a better storyteller or analyst than John Man... His Attila is superb, as compellingly readable as it is impressive in its scholarship: with his light touch, the Huns and their king live as never before... There is something fascinating and new on every page'

'Man does for the reader that most difficult of tasks: he conjures up an ancient people in an alien landscape in such a way as to make them live . . . a gripping present day quest'

'Attila is known as a savage but there was much more to this great warrior. Man takes his readers on a thrilling ride alongside the man who marauded across Europe, striking terror into the hearts of entire nations'

'Racy and imaginative...sympathetically and readably puts flesh and bones on one of history's most turbulent characters'

'Man's excellent writing breathes new life into a character whose spirit lives on in China and Mongolia today'

'Man is an excellent guide...well-versed in Mongolian, he has travelled extensively in the country while researching the more mysterious elements Genghis' life, and this experience shines through the book...he writes knowledgeably'

A top biography...This is great, grisly stuff and an education for anyone

... This bright, engaging and breezy book ... suits the tenor of our times.

Elegant prose ... a stylish and engaing account of some of the world's most mysterious, unknowable spots and, like the best travel writing, is infused with the writer's reflections on growing up, life and death

A funny, entertaining and humane piece of writing

Sara Wheeler is the literary maestro of the earth's frozen regions... The prose is startling and sharp-edged as the icy landscapes themselves

Irresistibly attractive ... coddling hoosh of personal travelogue, historical anecdotage and speculative thinking

[Has] a meditative, often melancholy, quality that tells us a lot about what it's like to simply be in the Arctic...the author deftly weaves in some nicely crafted vignettes that illuminate various aspects of the Arctic experience

It is the warmth and the honesty of the portraits that is Wheeler's forte

Wheeler is excellent company for the journey, with her observations on the consequences of our actions always well balanced and open-minded

Is an entertaining mix of popular science, history and reportage, wrapped up in some seriously fine writing

Wonderful account of her journeys through the region

One of the greatest travel books of our times - poignant, funny, a delight to read

Her writing, while brilliantly evocative, is never overblown... If you are lucky you might get to travel in the Arctic yourself; if you don't, this book is the next best thing

A chilling and fascinating work

Quite wonderful

Carries lightly a depth of research that gives alarming edge to Wheeler's engrossing

It is a testament to the author's ability that the text never lurches into despondency- above all, this is a book that celebrates the inspiring endurance and colourful past of those who populate the area

In its many-layered discoveries, the book is truly magnetic