Customer Reviews

Great Game

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Peter Hopkirk's book `The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia' is a great historical account and a very enjoyable book to read. It is very rare nowadays to find a book that holds your attention throughout, without finding one boring section, this is one of those books. In over 560 pages (paperback edition) Peter Hopkirk tells the amazing stories of a number of early British and Russian officers and men involved in the great imperial struggle for supremacy in Central Asia.

I found myself reading late into the morning, at times I couldn't put the book down. Most of the time I had heard of the places and people involved but a lot of this story was new to me. The narrative read like a novel, gripping but informative, never boring and full of information, breathing life into history in a way that is hard to find now-a-days.

This is a great book and I fully agree with the quote on the front cover of the book by Jan Morris "Peter Hopkirk is truly the laureate of the Great Game." If you ever wanted to learn something about this large and remote area then this is the book to start with. If you enjoy military history then this book has it, if you enjoy historical accounts of exploration then this book has it, if you just enjoy good history then this book has it all.

The story of Britain and Russia carving out their Empires in India, Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is truly fascinating and I was amazed at the brave and resourceful men who carved their name in history during this period. Most people have heard of the Khyber Pass and places like Chitral however I had never heard of the Pamirs and Karakorams mountain ranges or of the Kerman and Helmund deserts nor of some of the fierce and warlike tribes that lived in these areas.

After reading this book I yearn for more information about this region and I intend to buy the rest of Peter Hopkirk's books. I would rate this book one of the better ones I have read this year and to finish my review I would like to quote Byron Farwell from his review in `The New York Times':

"Those who enjoy vividly told tales of derring-do and seek a clear understanding of the history of the emerging central Asian countries will find this a glorious book."

The Great Game, by Peter Hopkirk, is an amazing history of British and Russian imperialism clashing in the Middle East and Asia. Encompassing the time period from the late eighteenth century to the very beginning of the twentieth, the Great Game was much like an enormous game of chess, with Russia seeking to expand its borders and Britain to safeguard its interests in India. Hopkirk reveals both the national policy thoughts of the two nations and the daring moves of each's officers and agents in the regions in question, which include most of Central Asia, Afghanistan, India and the Caucasus. In many cases, the men Hopkirk describes were the first Westerners to set foot in such regions (for example, Bokhara, Khotan and Khokand).

Hopkirk has done incredible research: his bibliography is an impressive 15 pages. And even though he has a wealth of material to cover, he makes sure that the whole presentation is interesting to the reader. He tells a complete story, but expands on issues and events that are both important and interesting. As a result, the exploits of men like Conolly, Stoddart and Burnes come into clear focus against a backdrop of intrigue and, often, duplicitous ness, across a little over 500 pages.

Not unexpectedly, Hopkirk's account tends to be favor the British point of view slightly. Even so, he's quick to point out mistakes and torpedo unjustified accusations on both sides.

I found this book an easy and quick read, completing it in across about four days. While it progresses in roughly chronological sequence, it could easily be read piecemeal if the reader desired. The book kept my interest well, and didn't ever seem to wander aimlessly. I must believe that this is the authoritative account of the subject, and I can recommend it unconditionally, whether this is a subject area of interest for you, or you just want an interesting book to occupy your time.

Interestingly, the end of the Soviet Union has refocused the spotlight on many regions discussed in this book. If you find that you remain interested in the topic after reading it, I recommend following up with Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy MacLean or Journey to Khiva by Phillip Glazebrook.

I came across the term Great Game first while reading Byron Farwell's "Armies of the Raj," and then later in Kipling's "Kim." It was in the appendix of Kim that I first read about Peter Hopkirk's "The Great Game." Hopkirk's account - though biased towards the British point of view - details the events in the Great Game with a flair and style that makes it extremely interesting to read. The voyages of the soldiers and civilians involved in the Great Game, the numerous instances of treachery and cruelty which were a norm with the rulers of the Central Asian khanates of the time, the two wars in Afghanistan that were catastrophic to the British, the two failed expeditions to Khiva that did tremendous damage to the prestige of the Russians, etc., are all described with meticulous details in this wonderful book of almost 550 pages.

The term Great Game was first coined by Arthur Conolly, a captain in the British army, and is used to describe the epic standoff between Russia and Britain for the control of India and Central Asia in the nineteenth century. There were many players in this Great Game from both the sides - brave men who thought nothing of venturing into hostile territories hitherto unknown to westerners to gather valuable political and military information for their countries. Many - including Conolly - perished playing this dangerous game of intrigue and espionage. The British, wary of any move on part of the Russians that would bring them closer to India, did everything in their power to extend their influence over the Central Asian khanates of Khiva, Bokhara, Samarkand, Kashgar, and especially Afghanistan. The Russians, on their part, after suffering some initial setbacks, ended up conquering most of the Central Asian countries around them (these countries were to remain a part of the Soviet Union till its collapse in 1991).

Fortunately, Britain and Russia did not get into a direct confrontation during this whole episode, and the Great Game finally ended after about a century with the Anglo-Russian convention of 1907. There were times, however, when war appeared to be imminent between the two superpowers of the time. Once, even Napoleon Bonaparte had planned to attack India with Russia's help. Things, however, soon went sour between him and Tsar Alexander I, and he ended up invading Russia - a costly mistake which resulted in a humiliating defeat for his army. Apart from the Central Asian countries, many other countries like Turkey, Persia, and China also got sucked into this game because of their proximity to both India and Russia.

These days, when Central Asia is in the limelight again because of recent developments in the world, this book was especially helpful to me in understanding the geography, politics, and culture of that region (before reading this book, I was not even aware of the names of many Central Asian countries). Now I am planning to read the rest of Peter Hopkirk's books to get an even better understanding of that part of the world.

This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. It takes the reader from 1814-1914 and walks through the conflict that embroiled central Asia for a century. It looks at how the British tried to defend their empire (notably India) by using proxies in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If you are wondering how the divisions are set up in the Middle East and central Asia today they are born during the Great Game. The book reads like a spy novel and is so well written you will not even notice you are reading history. The story takes you in and you wonder why there has not been a movie yet. It is amazing to see what these people went through and the things that were done in the line of duty for empire on both sides. Highly recommend and note that this is really part one of three of an official trilogy so make sure you see the other great books on the Great Game

This is Peter Hopkirk's classic account of the nineteenth century cold war struggle between the British Empire and Imperial Russia. Hopkirk is a devil with the pen and knows how to spin a great story. The end result is a gripping tale, the kind of wild adventure story my grandfather used to tell me when I was a child. Five stars simply isn't enough. This is terrific stuff.

For those who don't know, this is the story of how Central Asia became part of the Russian, and then Soviet Empire. Russian expansion to the southeast caused consternation in British India where military planners became convinced the Russians were out to invade the `Jewel of the Crown'. There followed a century's worth of cold war espionage between the empires that involved all maner of characters and military encounters.

There are invasions and wars in Afghanistan, where the Brits were turfed out twice, Russian conquests of the Emirates of Khiva & Bokhara and legions of adventurers heading off into the wild blue yonder on missions to map the region and foil the enemy. All their stories are here. You'll have to pinch yourself to believe some of them. What an adventure story this is.

Five Stars.

It being far easier to find fault than to praise and yours sincerely born lazy, I will tell you all that is wrong with this book. (many others before me have told you all that is right with it, i will skip that part entirely)

Agreed, the subject matter sometimes is dull and needs a dash of drama to make it come to life. In that, PH (author) sometimes shows himself a better historian than novelist. There are many places in which after describing what is a climactic incident, in the last sentence of the paragraph, he will give away what is to happen in the coming chapters. its like a friend telling you the ending of a christie novel - where's the fun in reading it after that?

the book screams for more maps - small half page affairs inserted in the right places so that the reader knows what part of the world he/she is in - i am from india, a place not far removed from the scenes that this "game" unfolds in, and i often found myself lost geographically. to another person for whom this is just another remote corner of the world, it can be oh so confusing. and the one small map at the front does little to make up for this gaping omission.

ph tells his story from a decidely british perspective. the british are always brave, commendable and if ever proven wrong, only so because of the deceit of the untrustworthy russians or the double crossing tribals. british mistakes are either overlooked entirely or condoned without question. if you are not from britian (or america for that matter), the holier than thou attitude of the british can be poignantly ubiquitous in the book. of course, i don't know if this is justified criticism of the narrative for that is probably very close to the truth of those days.

read the book, yes - but only for want of something better and more balanced in perspective and outlook.

"The Great Game" is a well-written and gripping account of the British and Russian machinations in central Asia during the 19th century that reads more like a novel than a dry history book. What's even better is that the story is quite relevant to the geopolitical realities of our century.

Although a few forays are taken into Turkey, the Caucasus and the Far East, most the action takes place in central Asia (including the Pamirs and western China), and much of that was in the buffer region that is now Afghanistan. After having spent centuries subjugated by Mongol invaders, an expansionist imperial Russia began trying to secure its borders by extending its sphere of influence into central Asia. Meanwhile the British had colonized India and were concerned about protecting her northern borders. `The Great Game' was an expression coined by an early participant and later immortalized by Rudyard Kipling to describe the often-shadowy means these two great powers used to pursue these goals.

At the beginning of the 19th century few westerners had gone into central Asia and almost none had seen the great cities of the area. Into this void came a series of British and Russian adventurers seeking information about the terrain, population, and cities, and who in many cases sought to create alliances with the local rulers that could be used to further Britain's and Russia's imperial ambitions and cement their desired security zones.

The book is written around the stories of these adventurers, many of whom, but by no means all, were soldiers. The early explorers had the advantage of entering a region where no westerners had been before and could often pass themselves off as Indian traders. Eventually they were able to penetrate far enough into central Asia to meet local rulers who were so isolated that they understood `Britain' and `Russia' to be simply powerful tribes in their general vicinity. The British and Russian envoys would try to outdo each other in attempting to indicate the sizes of their respective countries (which, in the case of the UK, would include its vast colonial holdings for maximum impact).

Much of the book is devoted to the first and second Afghan wars in which the British tried to install their monarch of choice and were eventually routed as a result of both their incompetence and the fierce Afghan fighters. Some of the accounts of Afghanistan today could almost have been taken directly from `The Great Game'. Life for many in the region appears to have changed very little in the intervening years.

Hopkirk has written this book from an unabashedly pro-western and pro-British perspective, but it is a fascinating story and one that still has great pertinence to world affairs today. I can highly recommend it to anybody who would like a better understanding of both the history and current reality of central Asia.

Yes, I've been reduced to clichés by Peter Hopkirk's tales of derring-do in the treacherous mountains of Central Asia. The Great Game recounts the 19th and early 20th century exploits of intrepid British and Russian explorers and spies jockeying for influence and information in dangerous tribal lands. The goal: finding ways to defend (the British) or penetrate (the Russians) the overland pathways to British India -- and all the riches therein. The stories here would make a great movie - and no doubt some already have. I found particularly thrilling Hopkirk's recreation of the British assault on the Afghan fortress at Ghazni, the race to relieve a besieged British garrison at Chitral and the campaign against Hunza. Although Hopkirk clearly relishes telling tales of individual adventurers like Francis Younghusband, Henry Pottinger and Nikolai Muraviev, he never loses sight of the big picture: the rivalry between imperial Britain and imperial Russia. I never before realized the scope of Russia's 19th century territorial conquests in Central Asia or the ruthless, indeed shameless, way the czarist governments conducted diplomacy. Even so, Hopkirk is willing to give the Russians their due for bravery, audacity and occasional chivalry. Hopkirk also is very good at something that eludes many authors: describing geography clearly, so the reader can understand where things are happening and why they are happening there. In short: This is fascinating history that unfolds like a novel.

As in "Like Hidden Fire" (reviewed in Middle East Quarterly, March 1995), his exemplary account of German and Ottoman cooperation against the British Empire during World War I, Hopkirk here tells the tale of the nineteenth-century Russian-British face-off in Asia. Again, wherever possible, Hopkirk tells his story "through the individuals, on either side, who took part in the great imperial struggle, rather than through historical forces or geopolitics." This approach has the advantage of bringing to light many remarkable individuals obscured by the passage of years; it also has the disadvantage of leaving the reader somewhat uncomprehending about the deeper causes or consequences of the action-packed pages he's read.

"The Great Game" rightly conjures up romantic visions of valor and deceit, for this century-long contest did inspire more than its share of remarkable deeds; at the same time, of course, it was a bloody, unforgiving confrontation with its quota of victims and even of massacres (most notably, the British at Afghan hands in 1842). Perhaps most memorable about the Game is its unending oddities and unexpected twists. For example, Lt. Richmond Shakespear in 1840 convinced the khan of Khiva to release the many Russian slaves toiling away in Khiva, not out of compassion for the captured Russians but to prevent Moscow from finding a pretext to invade Khiva. The tsar had to pretend delight with this operation; in private, however, he was furious at the gambit. "The Great Game" really does live up to its reputation.

Middle East Quarterly, June 1995

Must read for anyone interested in Central Asia or the general theme of British and Russian imperial ambitions. Despite the 500+ page count, Hopkirk's history of Russian and British intrigues in Central Asia from the late 1700s until WWI is a real page-turner. There are boatloads of real-life adventure stories: man against the elements, agents racing against time, bloodthirsty tribes, devious schemers, valiant young officers, continual teetering on the brink of war, etc... Hopkirk does an excellent job explaining how events and people all interrelate, and to what effect. This is history at its best.