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Conflicts that Changed the World
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
512 pages, Hardcover
First published May 24, 2000
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67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 30, 2017
‘Conflicts that Changed the World’ by Rodney Castleden
Rodney Castleden’s book ‘Conflicts that Changed the World’ is a pleasant book to read. It was recently given to me as a gift because of my interest in international conflicts and consequently I was very thrilled to read it. The periods that the book covered started as early as the ‘Ancient civilisation (1285 BC) up to the present day in the Middle east that are described as Post-Cold War Conflicts. Naturally, Post-Cold War events were more than the significant quarrels of the Middle east but it appears those events in Bosnia, Chechenia, African conflicts and many more seem to have passed Castleden by.
Castleden’s work is by all accounts an interesting analogue of events. However, I must admit that once I got into the book I was more displeased than charmed, it was a little like the starter was great but by the time I reached the desert I was underwhelmed by the sheer brevity of the storyline. It was as though I had been cheated into paying for the restaurant bill before I had consumed my final course. Probably not the best analogy of how I felt but quite honestly it was hard to describe my experience in any other way. After reading several of the historical events I was disheartened to find that I could actually find more detail from Wikipedia than Rodney’s historical catalogue.
The book contains 512 pages of which 511 pages represented historical facts and with barely an introduction or conclusion to mention. The history of conflicts covers nine distinct periods each conflict covering on average 10 pages. Some as few as only 5 pages. Not much meat on the bones but certainly a lot of gravy to keep you searching.
This book was designed more for the beach goer in Tunisia and certainly not for the serious ‘gumshoe’ investigating historical facts. Now that I have shared my relative insight on the work of Rodney Castleden, I will add that it is not a badly written piece of work, it is easy to read, it offers a flavour, albeit a brief series of events that took place across time. A good conversation maker but probably not an enough to get you on university challenge.
Not a recommended read
Rodney Castleden’s book ‘Conflicts that Changed the World’ is a pleasant book to read. It was recently given to me as a gift because of my interest in international conflicts and consequently I was very thrilled to read it. The periods that the book covered started as early as the ‘Ancient civilisation (1285 BC) up to the present day in the Middle east that are described as Post-Cold War Conflicts. Naturally, Post-Cold War events were more than the significant quarrels of the Middle east but it appears those events in Bosnia, Chechenia, African conflicts and many more seem to have passed Castleden by.
Castleden’s work is by all accounts an interesting analogue of events. However, I must admit that once I got into the book I was more displeased than charmed, it was a little like the starter was great but by the time I reached the desert I was underwhelmed by the sheer brevity of the storyline. It was as though I had been cheated into paying for the restaurant bill before I had consumed my final course. Probably not the best analogy of how I felt but quite honestly it was hard to describe my experience in any other way. After reading several of the historical events I was disheartened to find that I could actually find more detail from Wikipedia than Rodney’s historical catalogue.
The book contains 512 pages of which 511 pages represented historical facts and with barely an introduction or conclusion to mention. The history of conflicts covers nine distinct periods each conflict covering on average 10 pages. Some as few as only 5 pages. Not much meat on the bones but certainly a lot of gravy to keep you searching.
This book was designed more for the beach goer in Tunisia and certainly not for the serious ‘gumshoe’ investigating historical facts. Now that I have shared my relative insight on the work of Rodney Castleden, I will add that it is not a badly written piece of work, it is easy to read, it offers a flavour, albeit a brief series of events that took place across time. A good conversation maker but probably not an enough to get you on university challenge.
Not a recommended read
June 29, 2014
Easy to read but offers no new insights
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews