In this vivid reinterpretation of the Russian Empire's World War I, Joshua Sanborn provocatively and effectively reframes it as a war of decolonization and state collapse. Written in crisp and entertaining prose, this thought-provoking book is the most interesting and readable book published on Russia's World War I in recent times. * Eric Lohr, American University, Washington * This magnificent book is full of insights, with a robust challenge to received wisdom. Sanborn's talent as a writer makes the catastrophic story of imperial state failure a joy to read. * Alan Kramer, Trinity College Dublin * If the Eastern Front remains the "forgotten front", readers will have only themselves to blame, as Joshua Sanborn gives us a fresh, insightful look at the East in these crucial years. * Michael S. Neiberg, author of Dance of the Furies: Europe and the Outbreak of War in 1914 * An outstanding contribution to the spate of books marking the centenary of the Great War. * P.E. Heineman, CHOICE * Sanborn's book is thus at once an everyday life history of the Russian Front, a gripping narrative of the key battles in which the Russian Empire participated, and a sophisticated conceptual argument about the stages of decolonization during the First World War. * The Russian Review * a wonderful book. It takes the reader to the heart of the experience of Russian participants in the Great War in an original and unprecedented way ... In terms of depth of description, sensitivity to the subject matter, elegance of expression, and originality of approach, Joshua A. Sanborn has few rivals. His breadth of vision not only encompasses crucial but often overlooked episodes ... he also shows their importance to the story. * Christopher Read, American Historical Review * The book was intended for multiple audiences, and it deserves to be read widely and with interest. * Evan Mawdsley, War in History Book * Sanborn's book serves as an admirable blend of the military, social and political history of the demise of the tsarist state. It offers much to chew on for specialists in the Russian field. * J. A. Grant, Slavonic and East European Review * Sanborn's command of his vast primary source base lends his narrative authority, his prose is unfailingly engaging, and his insights numerous. The many personal stories he tells of humble citizens caught up in this imperial "apocalypse" provide moving illustrations of the broad processes he charts. Above all, no previous treatment of Russia's Great War and revolution makes so palpable the scale of chaos and misery endured by the population as war-induced violence
spun out of anyone's control. * Journal of Modern History *