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The Allure of Battle: A History of How Wars Have Been Won and LostHistory has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear cut that they could be considered "decisive." Marathon, Cannae, Tours, Agincourt, Austerlitz, Sedan, Stalingrad all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide turning. But were they? As Cathal J. Nolan demonstrates in this magisterial and sweeping work, victory in major wars usually has been
History has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear-cut that they could be considered "decisive." Marathon, Cannae, Tours, Agincourt, Austerlitz, Sedan, Stalingrad--all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide-turning. But were they? As Cathal J. Nolan demonstrates in this magisterial and sweeping work, victory in major wars usually has been determined in other ways. Even the most legendarily lopsided of battles did not necessarily decide their outcomes. Nolan also challenges the hoary concept of the military "genius," even of the Great Captains--from Alexander to Frederick and Napoleon--mapping instead the decent into total war. The Allure of Battle systematically recreates and analyzes the major campaigns among the Great Powers, from the Middle Ages through the 20th century, from the fall of Byzantium to the defeat of the Axis powers, tracing the illusion of "short-war thinking," the hope that victory might be swift and conflict brief. Such as almost never been the case. Even one-sided battles have mainly contributed to victory or defeat by accelerating erosion of the other side's defenses, resources, and will. Massive conflicts, the so-called "people's wars," beginning with Napoleon and continuing until the end of World War II, have been more fundamentally determined by prolonged stalemate and attrition, wars in which the determining factor was not tactical but industrial. Nolan's masterful book places battles squarely and mercilessly within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place. In the process it help corrects a distorted view of their role in war, replacing popular images of "decisive battles" with somber appreciation of the sacrifice and endurance necessary to victory. Accessible, provocative, exhaustive, and illuminating, The Allure of Battle will spark fresh debate about the history and conduct of warfare.Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 02/01/2017
ISBN: 9780195383782
Pages: 728
Weight: 2.56lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.20w x 2.00d
Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2017 pg. 58
Choice 07/01/2017
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★★★★★ 5
oh wow
Format: Kindle
I just knew there was something about Cooper! I’m wondering if he’s about to be included but damn I’m glad he’s at least not a rapist and creepy guy, he just got called on assignment and had to go! This should be interesting! She’s gonna run and then what’s his face is gonna grab her. I’m worried! Wow that was a great book and cliffhanger! Loving this!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Wow.
Format: Kindle
Okay I’m usually not one for stand-alone’s I’m an avid series reader but my goodness am I so happy I read this! This story was brilliant & so absolutely mesmerizing. I loved reading about each character and their struggles as well as what helped them to move forward. The ending definitely brought tears to my eyes so hard. I truly wasn’t expecting some of what happened in this story. There is about to be a spoiler I am going to reveal so please stop reading if you don’t want the spoiler !!!! ⚠️ ⛔️ ‼️
I loved that the author didn’t do what most authors do with irredeemable male characters. I truly was hoping that Nate Jr. would be apart of the pack after the way he treated Astrea bc he truly didn’t deserve it. Though I must say you did a wonderful job or redeeming him as a person. I cried my eyes out when he walked into the story. I was truly terrified he was going to be a bad guy to the end. However you truly did him such a justice by having him realize his faults & having him redeem himself in the most wonderful way. I’m so sad that he didn’t get to hear how much his brother loved him & forgave him before dying. But again you wrote that ending so beautifully & I just can’t express how much I loved this story & how you took a different route than most authors I have read have. You are a remarkable author Cinder Blaze & I thank you generously for creating such a masterpiece.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2025
★★★★★ 4
Omegaverse
Format: Kindle
I was pleasantly surprised by this omega verse book. This 1 definitely had a few new twists And I really enjoyed reading it. The main female character was a badass and awesome. She had 1 best friend I wish we could have seen a little bit more of their friendship in this book. Her relationship with the male characters was good not to contrived or super instantaneous. And we had some fun plot twists that I didn't expect. I wish we had more of a follow up on the situation with her family her background and her mother who was a wench. I would definitely recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Wow. Just wow. An amazing read
Format: Kindle
This book was eloquently written, or should I say the authors writing style is very eloquent? I loved the characters, and the story was quite compelling. I absolutely loved the FMC, she's a BA who doesn't take any crap & gives as good as she gets. A certain person certainly got his just desserts & then some, the earlier scenes of which were quite satisfying, had me punching the air & everything haha. All in all 20/10, great read
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Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2024
★★★★★ 3
My opinion
Format: Kindle
Let me preface this by saying I really liked the story and the characters however, this book is in desperate need of some sort of editing. It's not misspelled words or formatting, but continuous run on sentences. Redundancies within the sentences. There were a couple of paragraphs that I had to go back and reread 3 or 4 times. Overall, I'd say it was worth the read.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2025