Well known for his roles in musical theatre, Michael Ball has now added writing to the list of his many talents. This debut novel is a gripping read!

He takes on the pampered princess stereotype and shows her how to leave her castle tower to see a more harrowing side of life. Visit the Empire Author Review to proceed.

The Format

This is a very important book that will stimulate discussion in left academic circles and perhaps even spill over into the liberal press. It will certainly give ammunition to those who are critical of both capitalism and the traditional left. This is a major undertaking by Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt and it will serve as a good starting point for those who wish to construct an alternative.

The main argument is that capitalist production goes beyond the mere physical commodities produced in the factories. It also produces what could be described as’subjectivities’ which in turn create the culture, beliefs and values that make up modern society. The author uses the ideas of Foucault to support this argument. He argues that we have moved away from the traditional disciplined societies of the school, army and factory to a society of control where the discipline is internalized by the individuals themselves. This form of discipline is called biopower.

There is a great deal of information here that is useful for anyone who wishes to understand contemporary social life. The author takes pains to assemble the evidence from many different sources and the presentation is clear and accessible. The reader will not find the argument as complicated as it might appear at first glance.

The one drawback to this book is that large parts of it are almost unintelligible. This is partly due to the subject matter and the broad scope of the book but the authors seem to delight in using an elitist academic style that is intended only for the very few who will be able to understand it.

This book has made a very valuable contribution to the ongoing debate on imperialism. It will help to raise awareness of the continuing problems of colonialism and will provide a framework for understanding them. However, it is not intended to be a comprehensive history of the empire. It is more of a wake up call. It will hopefully lead to further studies and debate on the nature of the British empire, its legacy and the way forward.

The Content

In terms of content, this book is not what you would expect from a normal history textbook. For one thing, it doesn’t give you perfectly organized information about a single society. Instead, it takes a whole world and explains its most important accomplishments and downfalls in a very interesting way. This makes it a great read for anyone who enjoys learning about history in an entertaining way.

There are a few things that I didn’t like about this book, but overall it was a good read. The biggest problem is that it leaves out many empires, which makes it seem less comprehensive than it should be. It also has a tendency to be a little bit repetitive, with the same arguments being made over and over again. The author does a good job of showing how different empires interacted, but I felt that it could have been done with a little more depth.

The most compelling part of this book is the author’s frustration with Britain’s blithe amnesia about its imperial past. He is especially critical of the myth that the abolition of slavery in 1807 was a triumph of morality, a national sacrifice that erased the country’s slaveholding sins. He argues that this delusion has had a profound influence on modern British politics and culture, from the delusions of exceptionalism to the dominance of London’s financial sector.

Another interesting aspect of this book is the way that it examines how different empires were formed and what their effect on the world was. It also discusses the complexities of imperialism and how it was not always a positive force in human history. Unlike other books that try to paint a simplistic picture of the effects of imperialism, this one is very honest about both its positive and negative aspects. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of world empires. It is also a great book to read with friends or family who are interested in the subject.

The Author

In this brilliant, deeply informed book, Sathnam Sanghera uses the legacy of Britain’s imperial past to help explain the roots of modern British politics. He shows how the demands for ‘decolonising’ school curricula might be more effectively met by including the history of black and Asian British citizens, rather than attempting to eradicate them altogether.

Hidden Empire is the dazzling story of human ingenuity turned reckless by greed. When the Terran Hanseatic League turns a gas giant into the first man-made star, they awaken a slumbering menace and inadvertently start a war that threatens to destroy everything we hold dear.

The author, who writes for the Times and Financial Times, brings her skill as a journalist to this study of entrepreneurship in China. She takes readers into the soaring world of Tencent, the internet giant that dominates the Chinese tech scene. She delves into the key battles fought by Didi, Meituan, and Alibaba, and offers an in-depth look at critical junctures.

For the first time in English, this book explores the life of late Qing dynasty statesman and military strategist Zuo Zongtang. He embodied a new practical type of Han Chinese official, who tried to live up to Confucian norms and expectations while adapting science and technology from the West. He also reveals the racist myopia that leads present-day Britons to believe that black and brown people came to Britain uninvited, abused British hospitality, and deprived them of their culture.

This book explores the legacy of Britain’s imperial past in the context of current global events. It demonstrates how the imperial mindset remains an influential force, and how it is being exploited by reactionary forces. It argues that this mindset is fueling anti-immigration sentiment, Brexit, and support for nationalist movements around the world. It will be of interest to students of global history, imperial and Atlantic history, colonialism, and American studies. It will also be of use to those who want to understand the nature and causes of contemporary global politics. This is an important and thought-provoking book that will appeal to a wide audience.

Overall

Empire has caused a huge stir amongst those in the know. It’s a book that has polarised the left like no other. Orthodox Marxists gnash their teeth over it, while right wing conspiracy theorists around Lyndon La Rouche gleefully endorse it. It’s also a book that has been praised by those in the middle who see it as a new way to think about our current situation.

Unfortunately it also has its weaknesses. The main problem is that it is a very difficult book to read. The authors write in a very elitist academic style that makes it nearly impossible for non-academics to follow. They also seem to delight in obscurity, using Latin quotations without giving any translation or explanation. The overall effect is a book that feels like it’s being intentionally impenetrable and deliberately hard to understand.

The other problem is that the arguments made in the book often lack any empirical evidence to back them up. This is particularly true of the argument that industrial jobs are being replaced by computer based work and that we have moved towards a universal set of rights imposed/granted by Empire. The authors cite the 1991 Gulf War as an example of this but it was actually a war fought for the benefit of US capital (through oil re-building contracts, military arms sales and war profits) rather than any ‘universal’ set of human rights.

Finally it is very disappointing that the authors don’t seem to take into account any of the writings of the anarchist movement. This may be a side issue but it seems like they are dismissing the ideas of their own movement as ‘window breakers’ out to ruin their own idealism. It is a shame as it would have helped the book to be more useful for anarchists.

Michael Ball is a multi-talented performer who has a long list of musical theatre credits to his name. He has played Marius in Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd and Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera. Now he has added writing to his skillset with the release of his debut novel, The Empire. It’s a thriller that has all the ingredients of a classic murder mystery.