The British Empire was the largest of its type in history, but, as this work reminds us, other countries had their empires, also. This includes France, Spain, Portugal and Holland, and, like Britain, these countries fought colonial wars. They were often vicious, cruel and bloody, fought against local forces by better-trained and armed armies. This work reminds us of these wars, which are overshadowed by the larger wars fought in the timespan covered. The author covers a lot of ground and time and includes philosophers such as Voltaire, whose opinions on wars are still valid in cases today. Here, the reader will find the familiar and not so familiar, as the author examines wars, armies with regular soldiers and also mercenaries. Reading this book will change minds about many conflicts and how empires worked and were created. His conclusions about conflict in the 21st century are thought-provoking.

GunMart, November 2016 - reviewed by John Norris

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VaeVictis, September 2016

A superb book that would appeal to a wide audience indeed.

Destructive Music

AT first sight, this book describes how, between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries, innovations in firearms led to improvements in fortifications and to the professionalisation of armies. It is written in a jocular fashion that makes it easy to read and, whilst there are few references in the text, the copious bibliography is a testament to the depth of learning that has gone into its making. Urban also adopts a different approach to the so-called military revolution, looking at the impact of military innovations on peripheral groups and societies, whether Kalmyk herders on the Russian steppes, Native Americans along the Appalachian frontier, or the pauperised population of pre-revolutionary France.

Australian Naval Institute - John Johnston