Customer Reviews

Holy Terror

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Terry Eagleton has written an excellent, albeit dense, history of terrorism. Eagleton's argument is that terrorism is actually a modern method that has its roots in the French Revolution.

Eagleton's work is both well reasoned and researched. If you want a good, solid general survey about terrorism history, then this is the book for you.

This is very much a philosophical reflection on the idea of terror, as it is on concepts such as life, death, love, desire, good and evil. Eagleton asks us to think critically about what these words imply, instead of accepting interpretations which we may have inherited.

It is extremely theorectical, very much academic and written in a style can feel like the author is deliberately trying to exclude readers. It is full of specific literary references - most of the time it doesn't make a huge difference if you don't know the work in question,but other times it does. Eagleton slows down for nobody, nor is he one to offer explanations for certain things where they might be needed.

This book is not about international relations, foreign policy or the differences between civilizations. It is a reflection, and as such it works very well indeed. Overall a commendable piece of work.

As early as the first page of this work Eagelton shows his political colors. He accuses the Pentagon and the United States of being guilty of terror in the same way as those Islamic groups which deliberately target civilians are. This is an irresponsible and mistaken claim.
In fact Eagelton's method of mixing literary references with matter- of - fact happenings give a sense that he has no real experience , no true understanding of the subject. The gruesome cruel deliberate targeting of civilians for political purposes is not much illuminated by abstruse and complicated jargon- making.
Terror's is not holy. It is Evil.