Ten regions, each one with a chapter, and how it's geography has affected it's history, politics, and development. This is an easy read, made better by the author's sense of humor. I have to admit that I learned quite a bit. Although it's the first of his books that I have read, I will be reading more of him in the future.

Tim Marshall presents ten scenarios ranging from countries to even space. He gives a brief background overview, present state and what the geographical stand point could entail in the future. Amazing and informative work. His approach is eloquent and easy to follow. I highly recommend it.

Tim Marshall covers 10 geographies in 10 chapters.

It's a good overview. I focused on his chapters about Africa since that's what I know most about and I wanted to see if I could learn something new.

He's a bit of a doom-and-gloomer.

The 10th chapter is about space.

He even discusses Proxima Centauri, which is 4.25 light years, or 40 trillion kilometers, away.

I recommend the book to anyone who wants to learn more about the geographical hotspots and their associated challenges.

I don't normally read non-fiction but I'd had the first volume of this series - 'Prisoners of Geography' - recommended to me very highly so I decided to see if it lived up to the hype. The book focusses on ten countries/regions and explains how geography has shaped their history, politics and current affairs. It covers a range of areas - Australia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UK, Spain, Turkey, Greece, the Sahel, Ethiopia and Space. Each chapter covers the history of how the region/country was shaped by its geography, and how that has brought them to the current state of affairs (current as at about 2023).

Marshall has a really easy to read style, surprisingly humorous given the serious subject matter.. The chosen countries/regions are all ones that feature often in the news and it was really interesting and helpful to understand the context and history of the issues we hear about day to day. Even the UK chapter contained information I hadn't appreciated before, despite having lived in the UK for my whole life and been educated there. It was very relevant to gain understanding of the situations in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, which are often in the news, and in regions like the Sahel which might be less often named but is relevant to the refugee crisis in Europe.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in current affairs who would like to understand better the history leading up to these events, presented in a way that is never dull and that - at least to my perception - seems factual and objective.

I happened upon Tim Marshall's Prisoners of Geography while browsing in a bookstore and was hooked with the premise and the first few pages of the first chapter. After adding that book to my "to-read" list, I had the opportunity to read The Power of Geography, which happens to be part of the author's Politics of Place series.

This book focuses on several countries/regions that are geopolitical hot spots (in the present day and in the future) with a nod to how their geography impacts their significance. While each chapter about the country/region starts with a map and a geographic description, the chapter almost entirely is a condensed history of the area and its current political climate. It's a good overview of each place highlighting reasons why things are so complex and fraught. But I was expecting (and hoping for) more about the role of geography in why/how these countries and regions are current day places to watch and most of the chapter was a retelling of key historical events. I definitely learned a lot and have a better understanding of why I should pay closer attention to the current events in these regions, but portions of each chapter did feel a bit tedious and drawn out. I do think the underlying theme is interesting and worth exploring further so I might still try to get a copy of The Prisoners of Geography since that book might provide more of the content that I hoped I'd find in The Power of Geography.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Elliot & Thompson for the ebook!

What a great read - intelligent, easy to follow and full of humour. Tim Marshall's 10 chapters - from Australia to space - were really interesting and engaging. I have particularly liked the one on the UK - post-Brexit, with Scotland looking to break free; and what that would mean from a military perspective (which I had never considered, a lot of the commentary usually focuses solely on the economy); the Sahel - which helped me understand events about French military interventions in Mali that feature regularly in the news but for which I lacked any context - and the one on Saudi Arabia, an absolutely extraordinary tale. The last one on space was my least favourite, not because it doesn't raise any question but because a lot felt quite speculative.
The tone was really engaging though, and Marshall has a real talent for breaking down complex information and making it accessible.

This was my first time reading Tim Marshall - I was intrigued by the concept and did find that much of the book did meet my expectations based on the premise. As a fan of history, I enjoyed that in each chapter Marshall introduced the way the geography of the many states have impacted their history and formation. Some chapters were better than others - Australia, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia in particular were my favorites.
I am likely to look to read more books by Marshall and others in this genre.

I found this informative, concise and engaging. I appreciated how Marshall presented complex concepts in a crisp and focussed way, and I learned a lot about how historical geopolitics continues to influence politics presently.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Sometimes, major news stories occur, and most people don’t know the long history behind them. Why are some countries allies, and why are some countries long enemies… Neither happens overnight. This book is perfect for quick but information-filled histories of some of the most prominent players on the world stage.

Thank you, NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson, for this advanced copy!

The Power of Geography held the premise of an interesting book, especially for a geographer. Unfortunately, it was let down by its narrative and direction. If this book was supposed to be about maps and how they influence world then I think this book would have been aided by a more thorough introduction of two fundamental truths about the study of modern geography: location and place.

Location is the dot on the map. It matters insofar as only how distant that point is to other points of interest. Place is something else entirely-it is the composition and interpretation of the laws that identify a location as distinct from other regions. While this book was called the "Power of Geography" too much attention was paid to place and not enough to location.

Instead of writing and capturing the power of Geography the author captured effectively neither an examination of law, order and power nor location and geographies in flux and as a result this book fell flat.

I just reviewed The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall. #ThePowerofGeography #NetGalley

This book covers the history and outlook for 10 countries/geographies/contours (since it includes the Sahel & Space) - Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Greece, Turkey, the Sahel, Ethiopia, Spain and Space. I found the descriptions crisps covering only those aspects a reader would be interested in.

The coverage for each country/geography includes the historical context; current situation, challenges, rivalries and a sketchy future outlook. For instance, Australia, started off as a place where England moved prisoners. This naturally led to the original inhabitants being sidelined. A considerable portion of the country is the outback, which is unliveable. The current tensions with China which started during the pandemic. The other countries’ descriptions follow a similar pattern – Iran, rivalries with Saudi Arabia and hostility to Israel & the US. Saudi Arabia, the history of the Saud family, and the current effort to diversify the economy.


While I found all of it to be interesting, there is not much you would not already know if you have been following current affairs and know a bit of the history of the region. Yes, most of us would not go out and look for information about a set of countries, and having it in this readable format is a plus.

My rating: 3.75 / 5.

I think the first one was better. It wasn't bad but I think it missed quite a few of the elements that made Prisoners really good.

I was intrigued by former Sky journalist, Tim Marshall, would have to say on this topic and choice of countries and regions. This certainly an interesting read, his focus includes the UK, Iran, Australia, Sahel, Greece, Ethiopia, and the Middle East, although perhaps the most surprising choice may be viewed as space. However, I would add some caveats when it comes to reading this, it does not have the rigour which you might possibly expect from more academic studies, you should consider the perspectives and the biases that might have driven Marshall's particular choices, and the world has moved on since he first wrote this. I would recommend reading this, especially readers who are interested in geography, volatility, politics, power, and more, but advise approaching it with some thought and critical thinking. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This was an enjoyable and informative read for me, though I think my biggest gripe is that it lacked a strong central thesis. Marshall presents a series of chapters which, although interesting in and of themselves, don't really connect together. Each is a standalone without a clear sense of why these nations or geographical regions have been chosen out of the many candidates, other than that they are places where interesting things could happen in the coming years. The link to geography itself is loose, with only occasional references.

In each chapter, the history of an area is deftly laid out, before moving onto current events and future possibilities. Some areas of the world are underrepresented. South America doesn't feature, potentially because it doesn't have any kind of up-and-coming status in the author's view. The final chapter is more innovative and unexpected as it turns our gaze towards space.

The level of analysis is helpful at points, but frustratingly shallow at others. For myself, I particularly noticed this when my home nation of the UK (Scotland specifically) came under the lens. There were quite a few minor inaccuracies, plus discussion of what Scottish independence might mean for the nation didn't get any further than the fairly obvious, where the writer wasn't leaning into misleading assumptions. I'm concerned about what this means for the rest of the book and his discussion of places for which I don't have the same familiarity. What errors and presumption lie there?

Marshall's journalistic background clearly shines through in his approach to his topics, these concerns notwithstanding. It's definitely worth the read and, I would imagine, serves as a helpful starting point to exploring the identity and potential of each place.

Based on the title, I expected this book to be about how geography shapes history. Instead, it’s a geopolitical history, emphasis on political. Maybe if I hadn’t been expecting something else, I would have enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, the text didn’t engage my interest.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.