Book Review: Dreadnought

I've recently completed Robert K. Massie's Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War (1991).

This was a truly exceptional book covering the interesting naval buildup between Britain and Germany before World War 1. Massie covers the period with a series of character studies looking at key players in Britain and Germany. The result is a series of mini-biographies that reveal the interesting interplay of the various characters and provide a truly compelling story. The reader sees the events through the eyes of the various players and has a good sense of their motivation and intentions. This is one of the best books I've read and I'm looking forward to Castles of Steel (his follow-up book).