Colonialism was not paternalism neither was benevolent... but if ever it was a "tempered" colonialism imbued by the precept "of doing the decent thing" it probably the British "empire" was...
All empires have menacing "borders" where their influence is contested... this is one of the most fascinating reads on the subject by far... an History page turner in fact... sometimes you want to laugh at some folly... or are deeply moved by pure unselfish heroism (I know today this sounds absurd... but there was a time where THAT kind of breed existed...)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (but have in mind that the notion that are peoples and races not able to govern themselves is a fallacy... this is the sane maxim to have present...).

ADB

PS: In fact "GREAT EMPIRES" are mainly found in History Books Maps where large untamed and rebellious areas of the world are "painted" red in the case of the British Empire... (when actually the dominion was largely that of the seas and trade)... or whatever other colour in the case of the largely mythical Spanish Empire (which of course also went bankrupt)... but that is another story.

Interesting subject, interesting book. And interesting author. Peter Hopkirk has somehow got himself unofficially elected as the world's leading Great Game aficionado.

So what is the "Great Game?" The term, coined by Rudyard Kipling in his book "Kim," describes the competition between Russia and Great Britain for control of Central Asia. It was, in a way, the "Cold War" of the Nineteenth Century. My first real introduction to the Great Game was in 2005, when I traveled to Kashgar in the West of China's Xinjiang Province. I got a dorm room at the Seman Binguan. Walking outside one day around the grounds of the hotel, I came upon the old Russian Consulate, looking just about exactly the way it had over a hundred years earlier, in 1890, the date on the plaque in front. Across town, behind the Chini Bagh Hotel, I found the old British Consulate. It was kinda eerie to see these two symbols of a bygone era staring each other down as if no one had informed them that the Great Game had ended generations earlier.

Peter Hopkirk is a British journalist and author who has made a lifetime project out of studying and writing about the Great Game. During his many years as a journalist, he has gotten himself into some interesting scrapes. He was twice held incommunicado in secret police cells, and was once acosted by terrorists. Prior to his career as a journalist, he was a comrade in arms of Lance Corporal Idi Amin, later the cannibalistic dictator of Uganda.

But it is Hopkirk's life-long fascination with the Great Game that does the readers of this book the greatest service. He has lived, eaten and breathed the Great Game for many, many years. If you want to study it, start here.

After all that praise, I should tell you that this is not the easiest book to read. Not that it isn't well written. But it is so loaded full of stories about the Great Game that the overall narrative sometimes gets lost. The trees outshine the forest. That makes the grand scheme of history a little more difficult, perhaps, but in my opinion, it is a small price to pay, because you can always make up for the grand scheme of things, but the wealth of information this book contains about specific events would be hard to replace. You need this book if you want to study this great historical interlude.

I said you should start here, but maybe it would be a good idea to spend a little time with Wikipedia or something getting a feel for what the Great Game is all about, before you read this book. Then the stories will come together. I don't read very many books more than once, but I think this one may just become an exception. Five stars. And my sincere thanks to Mr. Hopkirk for the scholarship he has presented in this comprehensive work.

It is hard to find a history book that you literally can't put down once start reading. This one is by far my favorite. Absolutely fascinating. Through the stories in it the history of India and of the world politics of the period comes alive. It reads like a thriller... But in this case reality is million times more exciting than any fiction one could possibly come up with.

Peter Hopkirk is the best and most exciting writer on the "Great Game!" You cannot find any book on this, or any other subject, more exciting or interesting. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in British imperialism. I would also recommend two other books on this topic: one, a terrific book of fiction by Fraser entitled "Flashman and the Great Game", and Tournament of Shadows by Brysac. The former is great fun and a quick read, the latter is a very interesting and somewhat exciting book on the "Great Game" in Afghanistan, India, and Tibet.

I won't repeat too much of the praise already heaped upon this book, other than to say it is well deserved. Hopkirk has a very engaging writing style that makes it very difficult to put the book down.

Just a few notes:

- Hopkirk does a good job of staying on topic in a book that encompasses many regions and personalities. Often this means he has choosen to not take certain stories to their conclusion or lay all the groundwork for certain narratives. It can leave you wanting more in some cases, but the alternative would be a two thousand page book.

- A reviewer complained about the maps, but I must say I was most impressed with them. Almost every place he mentions is marked on the maps. Obviously if you want a larger context to the area you may need to visit an atlas or google maps, but after that the maps in the book follow the text quite closely.

- The book is certainly from the British perspective because at the time of writing that was where most of the source material came from and the author is British as well. That said, I don't think this was one sided as the author is clearly critical of the British motives in many circumstances and has outlined the conflicting Russian motives reasonably well.

In any case, a top notch book you won't regret reading.