The Cauldron

‘A stirringly painful, true account’ Daily Mail 'A cruel and sizzling war novel’ The Sun 'A book by a hero about heroes. It conveys the smell of battle, the pain of the doomed men as few other books ever have done’ News of the World ___________ WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY AL MURRAY 'This is a novel, although the battle and many of the incidents described in the book are true.' ZENO Unless you have experienced war, it is impossible to imagine its grim reality. But The Cauldron does just that - unsparingly, painfully, brilliantly - because it is written by someone who was there. This is the story of a platoon of British paratroopers dropped sixty miles behind German lines into the bloody maelstrom that Arnhem became in September 1944. With the end of the war nigh, the Allies make one bold bet to end it before Christmas. But it is a bet doomed to failure… Like never before, this is what it must have been like for the men parachuted into the cauldron. It has the smell, the taste, the fear of war – the terrifying sense of kill or be killed, and the horror of watching your friends die in front of you...

‘A stirringly painful, true account’ Daily Mail 'A cruel and sizzling war novel’ The Sun 'A book by a hero about heroes. It conveys the smell of battle, the pain of the doomed men as few other books ever have done’ News of the World ___________ WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY AL MURRAY 'This is a novel, although the battle and many of the incidents described in the book are true.' ZENO Unless you have experienced war, it is impossible to imagine its grim reality. But The Cauldron does just that - unsparingly, painfully, brilliantly - because it is written by someone who was there. This is the story of a platoon of British paratroopers dropped sixty miles behind German lines into the bloody maelstrom that Arnhem became in September 1944. With the end of the war nigh, the Allies make one bold bet to end it before Christmas. But it is a bet doomed to failure… Like never before, this is what it must have been like for the men parachuted into the cauldron. It has the smell, the taste, the fear of war – the terrifying sense of kill or be killed, and the horror of watching your friends die in front of you...

How did one extraordinary prince create Saudi Arabia? Why were a million Armenians killed during WWI? How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah and become ruler of Iran? Why did the Arab Spring fail? Could Trump's peace deal lead to a new Middle East? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING HISTORY FROM THE BESTSELLING, PRIZEWINNING HISTORIAN AND MASTER STORYTELLER, SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE The Middle East has forever been the source of religions, prize of empires, spark-wheel of conflicts, well of radicalism and epicentre of our tumultuous world. No other region has such a hold on our imagination nor such a propensity to unleash mayhem. Yet few know its real history; fewer still understand its variety and cosmopolitanism, its complexity and interconnectedness. In The Cauldron, Simon Sebag Montefiore delivers a fresh and unique history of the entire region in all its diversity, from 1900 up to the present day. Taking the reader on a spectacular journey from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency, from Morocco to Iran, this is a dazzling panorama of faith and fanaticism, creativity and tolerance, dictatorship and democracy brought to life by an extraordinary cast of kings, warriors, poets, terrorists and peacemakers. This is the essential story of how the Middle East of 1900 became the Middle East of today - and tomorrow. Who was the last great Ottoman sultan? Why did Faisal become king of both Syria and Iraq? How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East? Why did the Kurds never get a state? How did Ataturk create Turkey? Was Nasser the greatest Arab hero? Why was Algeria's war of independence so violent? Who killed Sadat and Rabin? Could a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine ever work? How did Hezbollah dominate Lebanon? Is UAE the most successful Arab state? Why did Bin Laden attack the USA; why did the USA destroy Saddam? Who created a caliphate in the twenty-first century? What happened to the Christians of Iraq? Will Israeli democracy survive? Why is the Sudanese civil war so brutal? Is Erdogan keen to recreate an Ottoman empire?

How did one extraordinary prince create Saudi Arabia? Why were a million Armenians killed during WWI? How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah and become ruler of Iran? Why did the Arab Spring fail? Could Trump's peace deal lead to a new Middle East? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING HISTORY FROM THE BESTSELLING, PRIZEWINNING HISTORIAN AND MASTER STORYTELLER, SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE The Middle East has forever been the source of religions, prize of empires, spark-wheel of conflicts, well of radicalism and epicentre of our tumultuous world. No other region has such a hold on our imagination nor such a propensity to unleash mayhem. Yet few know its real history; fewer still understand its variety and cosmopolitanism, its complexity and interconnectedness. In The Cauldron, Simon Sebag Montefiore delivers a fresh and unique history of the entire region in all its diversity, from 1900 up to the present day. Taking the reader on a spectacular journey from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency, from Morocco to Iran, this is a dazzling panorama of faith and fanaticism, creativity and tolerance, dictatorship and democracy brought to life by an extraordinary cast of kings, warriors, poets, terrorists and peacemakers. This is the essential story of how the Middle East of 1900 became the Middle East of today - and tomorrow. Who was the last great Ottoman sultan? Why did Faisal become king of both Syria and Iraq? How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East? Why did the Kurds never get a state? How did Ataturk create Turkey? Was Nasser the greatest Arab hero? Why was Algeria's war of independence so violent? Who killed Sadat and Rabin? Could a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine ever work? How did Hezbollah dominate Lebanon? Is UAE the most successful Arab state? Why did Bin Laden attack the USA; why did the USA destroy Saddam? Who created a caliphate in the twenty-first century? What happened to the Christians of Iraq? Will Israeli democracy survive? Why is the Sudanese civil war so brutal? Is Erdogan keen to recreate an Ottoman empire?

'An essential read' HUSSEIN AGHA, Palestinian negotiator with Israel over half a century 'A must-have guide' EUGENE ROGAN, author of The Arabs 'Captivating and monumental' EHUD OLMERT, former Prime Minister of Israel 'Masterful . . . history at its best' GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, former Director of the CIA THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING HISTORY FROM THE BESTSELLING, PRIZEWINNING HISTORIAN AND MASTER STORYTELLER How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world? Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam? How did one extraordinary prince create Saudi Arabia? How did an Ottoman general create Türkiye? How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? Can there ever be peace between Israel and Palestine? The Middle East has forever been the source of religions, prize of empires, spark-wheel of conflicts, well of radicalism and epicentre of our tumultuous world. No other region has such a hold on our imagination nor such a propensity to unleash mayhem. Yet few know its real history; fewer still understand its variety and cosmopolitanism, its complexity and interconnectedness. In The Cauldron , Simon Sebag Montefiore delivers a fresh and unique history of the entire region in all its diversity, from 1900 up to the present day. Taking the reader on a spectacular journey from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency, from Morocco to Iran, this is a dazzling panorama of faith and fanaticism, creativity and tolerance, dictatorship and democracy brought to life by an extraordinary cast of kings, warriors, poets, terrorists and peacemakers. This is the essential story of how the Middle East of 1900 became the Middle East of today - and tomorrow.

'An essential read' HUSSEIN AGHA, Palestinian negotiator with Israel over half a century 'A must-have guide' EUGENE ROGAN, author of The Arabs 'Captivating and monumental' EHUD OLMERT, former Prime Minister of Israel 'Masterful . . . history at its best' GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, former Director of the CIA THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING HISTORY FROM THE BESTSELLING, PRIZEWINNING HISTORIAN AND MASTER STORYTELLER How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world? Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam? How did one extraordinary prince create Saudi Arabia? How did an Ottoman general create Türkiye? How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? Can there ever be peace between Israel and Palestine? The Middle East has forever been the source of religions, prize of empires, spark-wheel of conflicts, well of radicalism and epicentre of our tumultuous world. No other region has such a hold on our imagination nor such a propensity to unleash mayhem. Yet few know its real history; fewer still understand its variety and cosmopolitanism, its complexity and interconnectedness. In The Cauldron , Simon Sebag Montefiore delivers a fresh and unique history of the entire region in all its diversity, from 1900 up to the present day. Taking the reader on a spectacular journey from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency, from Morocco to Iran, this is a dazzling panorama of faith and fanaticism, creativity and tolerance, dictatorship and democracy brought to life by an extraordinary cast of kings, warriors, poets, terrorists and peacemakers. This is the essential story of how the Middle East of 1900 became the Middle East of today - and tomorrow.