The Great Game - Peter Hopkirk

For those of you are interested in history or Asia, this book is a must-read! Covering the great 'Political Game' played between Great Britain and Russia on the huge chessboard of Asia, this is a book that tells you all about it, from beginning to the end after the Russo-Japanese war.

Peter Hopkirk certainly has an amazing gift for relating history and making it come alive in your hands. It is not a Christian book, but he does relate the story of several missionaries who took place in the Great Game.

The book covers all of the time between the beginning of the game, with the annexation and exploration of the Central Asian Khanates, going to Russia's tailspin at the end after the Russo-Japanese. In the first part of the book Hopkirk relates only the exploration that took place. The Great Game had not actually begun at that point, but players from both sides were exploring the area.

In the next two parts of the book, the story steps up and the two powers begin annexing different parts of asia. Britain's disatrous moves in the First and Second Afghan wars, and Russia's attacks on Khiva, Bokhara and Kokhand, the Central Asian khanates.

The book does not leave out the gruesome parts, however...it tells quite neutrally the execution of players from both sides by the hands of the Central Asians, who really just wanted to be left in peace.

At the very end of the book, Hopkirk shares the movement of the gameboard from Central Asia to Tibet, the Forbidden Country. He only tells about this briefly, so for more information read "Trespassers on the Roof of the World" also by him. That is also a very good book, and I'll review it soon.

Problems People Might Have With "The Great Game":
- Very violent in some places, however they are historical happenings.
- Several wars are described, parts where explorers are walking on the skeletons of past explorers.
- Some lieing and deceiving between Russian and British agents.