Bookblast Epublishing The Sabres of Paradise: Conquest and Vengeance in the Caucasus

The inspiration behind Dune.

Haven't read it yet

The book is a print-on-demand edition, the paper, ink and layout quality is inferior to regular paperbacks.

Interesting story. Entertaining writing style.

this is a colourful, well written account of russia's conquest of the caucasus in the 19th century. The book conveys a powerful image of the raw beauty of the caucasus which inspired the likes of tolstoy and pushkin. You also get an intimate portrait of the historical charcters at the heart of the events of the time including the russian royal court, the various viceroys sent by the tsar to subjugate the caucasus and most importantly the fierce and proud mountain tribes such as chechens and the avars. The central character is imam shamil, the lion of dagestan, a fierce, austere and gifted leader who seems to embody the stubborness of the tribes and the mountains they inhabit. The book is also relative to the political situation which exists in the caucasus today. Rebels in chechnya and dagestan fight for a caucasus emirate similar to the state shamil tried to setup in the 19th century.