Russia's war

'A world-class scholar at the height of his powers . . . everything is deftly handled - from the German-Soviet pact to the Yalta Conference, from Babi-Yar to the Katyn massacre - without holding up the sweeping narrative'ORLANDO FIGES, THE TIMESIn the course of human history there has probably been no more terrible place than Eastern Europe in 1941-5. Estimates of total Soviet military and civilian deaths in the period now stand at more than 25 million. In Russia's War, Richard Overy re-creates the Soviet Union's apocalyptic struggle against Germany from the point of view both of the troops and of the ordinary civilians.'A dramatic and exciting tale . . . His set-piece descriptions of such visions of Hell as Stalingrad, the 900-day siege of Leningrad and the crucial battle of Kursk are as fascinating as they are horrifying'ALAN JUDD,SUNDAY TIMES'Masterly . . . a vivid account'ROBERT SERVICE, INDEPENDENT'Overy is a first-class military historian . . . He writes concisely and says what he means to say . . . Now, we have an authoritative British account that understands both sides, without illusions'NORMAN STONE, SPECTATOR'Excellent . . . Overy tackles this huge, complex and multifaceted story with the vital gifts of clarity and brevity'ANTONY BEEVOR,LITERARY REVIEW