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The Great Game
The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia | Peter Hopkirk
3 posts | 6 read | 1 reading | 8 to read
For nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth - Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia - fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it 'The Great Game', a phrase immortalized in Kipling's Kim. When play first began the two rival empires lay nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles of India. This book tells the story of the Great Game through the exploits of theyoung officers, both British and Russian, who risked their lives playing it. Disguised as holy men or native horsetraders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence, and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned.
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writerlibrarian
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Non-fiction #adventrecommends. Hopkirk writes in a way that these British and Russian spies, adventurers, explorers read like fictional heroes playing a huge, masterly game of chess in one of the most mysterious, dangerous and incredible place in the world.

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Eyejaybee
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Mehso-so

A fascinating subject, but somehow the ‘Boy‘s Own‘ prose detracted from what would otherwise have been a comprehensive and compelling account. See my Goodreads review at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/903335.The_Great_Game. #peterhopkirk #thegreatgame #history #india #militaryhistory #espionage #adventure #18thcentury #19thcentury #book #books #bookstagram

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Alisnazzy
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#fictionnonfiction pairings. These two tomes deal with the struggle over the central Asian steppe region. These are both on my TBR, but once I finish my current library loans, the Great Game is being read. I know next to nothing about this part of history, but it seems fascinating.

RealLifeReading Those look really interesting! Love coming across books I've not heard of before 8y
LeahBergen These sound good! 8y
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RanaElizabeth You should check out Colin Thubron, he's a travel writer whose work covers a lot of this area. 8y
Alisnazzy @RanaElizabeth thanks! Added them to my TBR 😄 8y
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