The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia

A wonderful, fascinating, educational, thrilling boys own adventure......all the better because it's factual.

This grips from page one and never lets go, it bears reading and re-reading and just gets better every time.

Hopkirks writing is great and he is obviously both passionate and knowledgable about his subject.

But the best thing about this book was the fact that it contained so much information that I didnt know (and I'm a big reader of history books), there's a new, little known, gem of information on almost every page.

I cant recommend this book highly enough.

Interesting and Entertaining (0/0 people found this helpful)

A very informative book about the Great Game, the 19th century version of the cold war between Imperial Russia and the British Empire, as both powers tried to dominate over Asia. The author, Peter Hopkirk, tells how Britain, the dominant power in South Asia at the time, saw ominously how Russia, as it took over Central Asia, became closer and closer to its Indian dominions. Hopkirk tries to tell the story as neutrally as he can, and the material covered is so interesting that each of its 30 plus chapters could, if expanded, be a book of its own. The book covers a whole century, from the early, failed attempts of Russia to occupy the then unknown emirates of Central Asia (where many of its subjects were enslaved) to Francis Younghusband's invasion of Tibet, and takes place as well in places as different as the Caucasus, Persia, Afghanistan, Xinjiang and the High Pamirs. By the end of the 19th century, direct war between the two powers seemed inevitable, but almost miraculously this was avoided. As Britain and Russia became allies during two world wars during the 20th century (and the Soviet Union seem to hold a firm grip over Central Asia) this story was sort of forgotten, but with the independence of the Stans, and the present troubles in the Middle East, the book seems surprisingly urgent. Highly recommended.

A fascinating read... truth is stranger than fiction... (0/0 people found this helpful)

Colonialism was not paternalism neither was benevolent... but if ever it was a "tempered" colonialism imbued by the precept "of doing the decent thing" it probably the British "empire" was...
All empires have menacing "borders" where their influence is contested... this is one of the most fascinating reads on the subject by far... an History page turner in fact... sometimes you want to laugh at some folly... or are deeply moved by pure unselfish heroism (I know today this sounds absurd... but there was a time where THAT kind of breed existed...)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (but have in mind that the notion that are peoples and races not able to govern themselves is a fallacy... this is the sane maxim to have present...).

ADB

PS: In fact "GREAT EMPIRES" are mainly found in History Books Maps where large untamed and rebellious areas of the world are "painted" red in the case of the British Empire... (when actually the dominion was largely that of the seas and trade)... or whatever other colour in the case of the largely mythical Spanish Empire (which of course also went bankrupt)... but that is another story.

Good- if a bit biased review (2/5 people found this helpful)

This is a good synopsys of the subject BUT if you happen to not be a white european youre ignored completely! Considering most of the local population is NOT white European this comes across as a boys own story in somebody-elses land- and im sure there there were consequences to their actions- i just hope they werent too severe! Surely an Indian response to this is deserved!

Insight into the background of current hotspots. (0/0 people found this helpful)

Although it starts a bit too theatrically it soons settles down into a classic study of a period of history that is for the most part just becoming fashionable.
A very impressive work which is on parr with Bernard Lewis' masterpiece - The Assassins - a radical sect in Islam.

The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia

Peter Hopkirk

Reader Reviews:

my favourite history book (0/0 people found this helpful)

Interesting and Entertaining (0/0 people found this helpful)

A fascinating read... truth is stranger than fiction... (0/0 people found this helpful)

Good- if a bit biased review (2/5 people found this helpful)

Insight into the background of current hotspots. (0/0 people found this helpful)

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