New York : Vintage Books, 2017.
xix, 647 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : colored illustrations ; 24 cm.
This is a well-written enjoyable read that sets out to re-establish the historical roots of civilization further east than is common in the "western" canon. Instead of placing the thread of history as Greece, Rome, Europe, and US-Europe, Frankopan adjusts the narrative to give prominence that part of the world between the eastern Mediterranean and China/India.
In telling the story he conveys how much vibrant politics, culture and trade was occurring in Central Asia both before Greece and Rome came on the scene and during the so called "Dark Ages" too. There were some interesting parts of the history that I was not familiar with, especially the in roads into Central Asia made by the Vikings as they brought both pillage and trade down the Volga and trafficked heavily in slaves.
The narrative comes fully into the present with the vital role in recent politics that countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India have played and continue to play and the powerful role that the Silk Roads area has played in the era of oil and gas beginning just before WWII and continuing to this day.
The book is a bit of a doorstop for high school readers, but I would recommend it to students needing source material for reports and to any avid history buffs.
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