A devoted and brilliant achievement. One of the rare books in which the power of art recreates the historical truth

Exciting and harrowing... An amazing achievement

I cannot think of another book that so compellingly demonstrates the gradual deterioration of human values in the name of lofty goals. Minutely observed and eloquently rendered

Rivetingly well told...It will still speak to anyone who cares for the romance and tragedy of a lost hero.

Elegantly affecting memoir

He gives you an angle on the war - the pilot's view, before it hardened into mythology, something you won't get anywhere else.

Immerse yourself in this extraordinary account of Richard Hillary's experiences... A lost hero whose story has inspired many

In bringing his notebooks to a wider audience, and in reminding us about this brilliant witness, Beevor and Vinogradova have done their readers - and Grossman's memory - a great service

Keegan tells the story of war between the industrial North and the agricultural South, and that's very good. But what I loved most, and what Keegan is always superb at, is analysis

You would be hard pressed to find a better written one-volume history of this epic struggle

Illuminating

A captivating narrative, huge in scope

Carter deftly interpolates history with psychobiography to provide a damning indictment of monarchy in all its forms

A depiction of bloated power and outsize personalities in which Carter picks apart the strutting absurdity of the last emperors on the eve of catastrophe

Takes what should have been a daunting subject and through sheer wit and narrative élan turns it into engaging drama. Carter has a notable gift for characterisation

Facts and figures say a great deal, but the most compelling accounts come from those who featured in the battle. Like any good author, Holland allows the participants to tell the story in their own words