Ivan the Terrible

I once heard somewhere that Ivan the Terrible is the "Boogeyman of Russian History" After reading this, I wholeheartedly agree. First off, the man literally was insane, and should be defined historically as a serial killer. One can say that it was a different time, or that he was an absolute monarch and therefore, the power went to his head. I disagree, Anyone who takes pleasure in the distance blood sprays when an artery is hit, is probably insane. Moreso, when the victims are clergy, or even members of your own family. One might better call this book "The Life and Crimes of Ivan the Terrible" Since that is what is about. I think anyone who enjoys Russian or medieval history will enjoy this book very much

To concur with the previous review: this is an engaging read. I enjoyed it and learned from it. A concern: There were a number of places where I knew something about Russian religious practice that the authors got wrong in their book. This is disturbing to me because my one area of expertise was inaccurately referenced. When this happens, I wonder how many areas out there that I don't know about are fouled up. A look at academic reviews assures me that they're aware of some of these, but that they're not rampant in the text. One academic review claimed that the authors took the word of chronicles and other primary sources on Ivan's life without thinking them through. This is not true throughout the text, although I wish they'd taken Kurbskii's comments with the big grain of salt they require.

Robert Payne's "Ivan The Terrible" is sensational. The book, in addition to being a great historical research project, is also a lively read. Though it nears 500 pages, this book manages to navigate Ivan the Terrible's life in detail, without continual sidetracking or nitpicking. The pace of the book moves well and is free of dead sections that seem to be aimed at specialists instead of the lay reader.The danger in writing a biography on someone like Ivan the Terrible is to psychoanalyze and read too much into the turbulent times and events. While Payne offers some explanations for the erratic and awful behavior of the Grand Prince of Muscovy, he certainly doesn't try to explain away, apologize or revise the life of Ivan.There is also a tendency in biography to get mired down in political intrigues and military minutae of the times. While there is certainly plenty of intrigue and military history, the book never wanders far from the subject matter which is Ivan, a man possessed by history, demons and angels.This book may not satisfy the specialist, who might yearn for more detail and more footnotes, but it is certainly a good, solid starting point for someone wanting to know more about Ivan the Terrible. Payne has done a great service for Russian history buffs.