This book was great. I’ve only started recently reading non fiction. This was fascinating. Spurred on by the Joanna Lumley show, this book expanded by mind and knowledge tremendously on the history the incredible Silk Road. Recommend.

I have had this pending for a while, I even got my hands on the first book and thought I should read it in order. Since that never happened, I finally caved and started this.
The first thing I need to point out that we are living through an unprecedented year, and everything in the broader global scenario has been turned on its head. Political relationships, socio-economic statuses have altered, and this is just a fraction of things, things I actually know about already. This makes it hard to read a book like this since it feels behind the times, although it was not written too long ago.
The author talks about the countries along the silk roads in the current era. The games that they play amongst each other, as well as internal turmoil, is elaborated upon. Even knowing how much of a role the US plays in international relations, I was a little surprised by the amount of time dedicated to it throughout the book. It is not something that can be read quickly and can introduce multiple discussion topics into any conversation.
Finally, I must say that this is an interesting book. It collects a lot of information about the world at large and puts it forward in simple terms. Anyone with minimal background information and a whole lot of interest will like it. I intend to read the first Silk Roads book sometime.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Massive let down after The Silk Roads which was a wonderful book. More like an extended essay in The New Yorker that worthy of a whole new book. Felt like a rushed cash in.

This book explores the cultural narratives of this route and the nations that have; thrived, died, and recreated themselves alongside it. As a rule, history is a story that centres on Europe and its offshoots. These books change that focus, expanding the cultural story to embrace other countries, including; Russia, China, and the Middle East. They show how these countries have always been at the centre of history and will be the centre of any, future, global order.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This review is terribly late. In my defence, I was approved for it a good while after publication date. I also own both editions of The Silk Roads and bought the audiobook too so I hope I've made it up to Professor Frankopan.

This book is really a kind of postscript to 2015's The Silk Roads and provides a snapshot of the world today both in the West and the Silk Road countries discussed in the previous book.

There are some really interesting observations here about the interconnectedness of today's world and the need to approach diplomacy and collaboration between countries differently to how they've been conducted in the past. Discussion around the slowly decaying West, benefits and disadvantages of globalisation and the variety of initiatives taking place across The Silk Road countries are also explored in this book.

The only thing that irked me slightly was how much focus there was on Donald Trump for no other reason than he's a complete pillock and having his idiocy reinforced was somewhat tiresome. It makes complete sense of course in the context of this book but from a personal standpoint I didn't enjoy these parts so much.

I liked how the book linked into the previous book and the observations were often illuminating. It's one of those books you pause frequently when reading to say 'Did you know that..." which is a testament to its appeal.

Overall, a fitting sequel to one of the best non-fiction books of the past decade and I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you haven't read The Silk Roads. I'll certainly be referring to it in my teaching.

P.s. Did you know that the quarry that provided some of the marble for the new World Trade Centre has the Bin Laden Family as its biggest shareholder?

I haven’t had the benefit of reading the author’s The Silk Roads and am not encouraged to do so from reading what is essentially an appendix / update to it. I found this hard going. It feels like he has gone through news reports from the last three years and just listed everything that’s happening. I didn’t find much in the way of analysis. In summing up, Frankopan warns western readers not to focus solely on China, Russia and Iran when looking for reasons why the world is presently a more unstable place. Instead, they should look closer to home, particularly in the US. That’s an opinion that can be read in many newspapers around the world just now.

With thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy.

I think this is one of the most important books that I have had the pleasure in reading for a long time. Very informative - a bit like reading the Economist but on a far larger scale. The book is about the latest developments in the East. I mean in the 'stans' - Pakistan, Turkistan, Turkmenistan, etc. India too and of course China. Mr Frankopan has written a fascinating narrative of what is actually happening in this part of the world. Living in the West I rarely hear what is happening on the larger scale- news tends to be about single incidents rather than overviews but reading The New Silk Roads has been eye-opening and invaluable. I don't think I could recommend this book more highly. I shall reread it immediately so as not to miss anything. I was sent this book to review.

In his previous book 'The Silk Roads' Frankopane looked at the historical importance of the links between East and West and how society developed along these trade routes. In this follow up he looks at the changes in the world order that involve the middle and far east and their relationships to the west. The so-called 'Belt and Road' that defines China's influence and domination, the way that rich Asian nations and their people are buying western culture and reaction of the west (particularly Trump) is fascinating. This is a complex and erudite book which shows history merely repeats itself.

This isn't so much a book in its own right as an updated addendum to Frankopan's The Silk Roads. Essentially a long essay or thought piece, it reviews recent developments to 2018 in the sphere of global politics and broadly argues that whereas the old Silk Road nations are moving towards collaboration and constructive partnerships, the west is fragmenting and isolating: think Brexit or Trump's America First war cries. Of course, Frankopan is more nuanced than that... Worth a read for a top-level view of what's driving the world today.