I have never been as hooked on a history book as I was on this one. Extremely readable, to the point of being gripping. In a sense, it's depressing knowing that I will never be able to write a history this good, but on the other hand, Evans' writing encourages me to keep writing and improving my own work.

As for the contents of the book, it is notable that National Socialism does not appear until page 161, roughly 1/3 of the way through the piece. The section covering Feb-July 1933 is horrifying- the Nazis moved with extreme speed and extreme brutality to violently remove all open opposition to their rule in Germany. Before understanding the sheer level of the violence committed, I wondered how the Communists and SPD crumbled so easily, but now I find it fascinating that they survived in any form at all.

A must read work for understanding either German history or a revolutionary seizure of power.