The original Great Game (1800-1917), the clandestine struggle between Russia and Britain for mastery of Central Asia, has long been regarded as one of the greatest geopolitical conflicts in history. The prize, control of the vast Eurasian heartland, was believed by some to be the key to world domination. Teeming with improbable drama and exaggerated tensions, the conflict featured soldiers, mystics and spies, among them some of history's most colourful and romantic characters. While the original Great Game ended with the Russian Revolution, the geopolitical wrangles for territory and power have continued into the late twentieth century - culminating in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Karl Meyer and Shareen Brysac's magisterial one-volume survey chronicles nearly two centuries of conflict in vivid and compelling fashion.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'Monumental . . . A remarkable achievement' Jan Morris, OBSERVER 'Scrupulously balanced and extremely readable . . . It is overview with nobs on' Geoffrey Moorhouse, GUARDIAN 'Terrific . . . Although this book is a big one, its pages race away' Nigel Jones, SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Entertaining, fluent and absorbing' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'In their well-written and fair-minded book, Meyer and Brysac let their characters tell the story of the Game, leaving readers with a powerful sense of what it was like to be a participant. The sheer sweep of the contest, its imperial scale and its exhileration are admirably conveyed.' David Gilmour 'In TOURNAMENT OF SHADOWS not only so the literary and historical styles come into an excellent novelistic concert but the events themselves are borne back to us from the past and into the light of our common and contemporary day. Chechnya, Daghestan, Serbia, Palestine, Cyprus, Tibet, Afghanistan, Kashmir: I felt I had a better grasp of them all when I finished reading this enthralling book.' Christopher Hitchens 'The Meyers have written a stimulating book that captures the excitement of the efforts to understand and gain mastery over Central Asia.' LITERARY REVIEW 'Their enthusiasm for the characters and the subject shines through.' SUNDAY TIMES 'Readable and entertaining.' THE SPECTATOR 'Engrossing.' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY
About the Author
Karl E. Meyer is a former London bureau chief for the WASHINGTON POST. His wife, Shareen Blair Brysac, is a prize-winning documentary-maker for CBS News.
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