The Napoleonic Wars (2): The Empires Fight Back 1808-1812

This book picks up where The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise of the Emperor 1805-1807 leaves off. As Napoleon defeats Austria with his customary ease he learns of betrayal by Russia. The single biggest mistake Napoleon ever made was his decision to invade Russia and march all the way to Moscow with an army that wasn't up to the Grand Armee of old. Even as Napoleon's army recorded success after success against the armies of Russia, Napoleon was stretching himself too thin and would eventually be brought low by disease and the elements. Most of this book is taken up by the advance on Moscow, where brilliantly fought battles had the Russians back on their heels all the way past their capitol. Battle descriptions and artwork depicting the events of the time are excellent, similar to most others in the Essential Histories collection. The book also contains very interesting and concise descriptions of the political thinking of the time and of the cultural changes taking place. Overall, a great description of the start of Napoleon's fall. I look forward to continuing the Napoleonic Wars set from Essential Histories.

This book is another masterful piece of writing continuing the story of the Napoleonic era from 1808-1812. In less than 90 pages, it captures the political thought and military preparedness of each country. It explains why countries went to war. And it explains the campaigns, why they occurred, and summaries the battles in exciting, easy to read prose. It is an exceptionally well written summary of the political and military events of the period. If you want a good overview of the period, this is an excellent choice.