This is the first book on the battles in the Dardenelles that I've read. I found it to be complete and compelling. Michael Hickey covers the battles on land and at sea. He sets the stage incredibly well. He goes over the grand strategy that led to the battles and covers life in the trenches for Brits, Aussies & Kiwi's that fought the battle. In short, this is one of the best WWI books I've ever read.

I couldn't recommend it more.

Written partly in response to what the author felt were mistakes in the Alan Moorhead book (which many regarded as the definitive book on the campaign), this is in my opinion THE book on this complicated and for many Australians, still very emotive subject.
Unlike other books on the subject this book presents us with both sides of the picture and finally gives both the Turk leadership and common soldier the respect they deserve.
This is a real war book that does not flinch from telling it like it is and to me the wonder is that men could endure such horror at all.

This is a must read for anyone who is reviewing New Zealand's underated role in the Gallipoli campaign. It provides excellent background to New Zealand prior to the outbreak of WWI, the social dynamics of recruitment, the pompous attitude taken by the British towards the colonials, and the poor treatment of the troops by the senior staff officers.

Mostly however, as related through interviews, letters, diaries and photos, it is a great commentary of the campaign from the point of view of the average soldier (you could replace NZ and insert Aussie).

Finally, it was also a useful reference for my subsequent trip to the Dardanelles and Gallipoli.

A very detailed account of one of the many unanswered and unknown battles of the First World War. A good introduction and build up to a historical scene very few people in the world can locate. The Nek is also one of the prime reasons why Australia's ANZAC Day is so coveted. This book has every explanation towards every step of this frightful battle of the Gallipoli campaign of 1915. It is also a great description of trench warfare back then and how men had to endure knowing that death was certain.

After reading The Nek, I am highly grateful to be living in the generation that I am in. You get an utmost respect for Australians and a clear understanding of why they celebrate ANZAC Day. Being an American I only wish that Americans could celebrate the true meaning of Veteran's Day and other holidays where sacrifice was involved, instead of a BBQ or a day at the beach.

written without any bias. You feel like living one the hitory's bloodiest campaigns, very well narrated.

great telling of the gallipoli campaign. steel's book focuses on the british role in the sequence of battles, giving the reader much information concerning both command decisions and troop experiences (the latter via letters home and diary entries). this truly is a wonderful "war book" in that it doesn't glorify war, but at the same time gives us a warranted respect for the sufferings of the warrior.

It is easy to read. It is based on secondary sources such as Turkish official histories and staff studies. It is a useful book if you don't read Turkish.

Some of the lessons from the book are very relevant today.

- The best Turkish corps at the start of the war was the one that survived the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 (III Corps). It was the only one that mobilised during the time indicated in the mobilisation plan. It was also most efficient in action. Organisational structures matter; if you create new organisations it takes time for them to become as efficient as existing ones.

- Because of disconnections in the Turkish railway network, troops suffered high losses to DNBI deploying from Istambul to Palestine and Iraq. Deploying troops accross European railway networks to Galicia did not result in similar losses.

- The strength of the Turkish Army was in its Turkish language troops. Arabic-speaking troops recruited in Iraq, Palestine and Syria did not perform as well (the book does not explore why this was the case - though it is consistent with more recent conflicts).

What a remarkable study and research from Mr. Erickson. I gave 5 stars mainly because of the extensive research done by the author which ranks as number one on the subject. The details of every single action and battle that the Turkish Army was involved in WWI were carefully selected and tailored. Probably the most comprehensible book written on this subject except the official archives. Statistical information, references from eye withnesses, technical details of the combat units all available in this book. Do not purchase it if you are looking for a rather easy reading war memoirs. Can there be more to be said? Yes but still the book fills a gap. This is a professional work with great tactical detail. A must for every military history buff.

This is a really great book, superior in every aspect. For some unknown reasons, many people believe the WW1 is nothing but the Trench Warfare. However, there have been other battles on the Turkish Front, none of them being less impressive than the ones in Europe.
The book gives a good idea about the Turkish forces during the WW1. It has the honor of being the first serious review in English language and I hope it will stimulate further research.
I am glad I bought this book. The price appears to be high, but turns out to be reasonable in comparison to the value, as there is no way to reach this information elsewhere.
Congratulations and thanks to Mr. Erickson.

Whenever writer comments about Talaat Pasha, he calles him a "gypsy face", at the end he describes his assasination as "blowing of his head". In Moorehead's head war is not over yet, thoroughout the book he repeats ideas like "only this would hapeen then war would be a success ,etc '. He dislikes Young Turk leaders just like he has no respect for Mustapha Kemal. Although he never argues about English generals' correspondence, memoirs, etc., he argues about Kemal's accountably, and describes his comments as childish. In short, this book is not only pro-British, but the author has no respect for Turkish soldiers who died in defence of their homeland. Writer argues that, if this campaign would have been succesful then one million more soldiers would not have died - of course not including German and Turkish soldiers -, as if only British life is valuable, and there is no arguement what would have happened to Turkey if it were successful. There is no account about Turkish-British negotiations before campaign at 15th March 1915, and British intentions about a defeated Turkey and Istanbul.

The book is a well-written, historically accurate portrayal of the campaign. Unfortunately, it tends to stick to narrating the campaign instead of discussing the strategy and decisions behind the moves at Gallipoli. Despite that, the book is authoratative, and a relatively brief but good description of what happened. Somebody from Provo, Utah said that the book didn't talk about the Turks, but that isn't true. Of the many books written on the campaign, it is the one book that talks MOST of the Turks, with about every other chapter dedicated to the Turkish side of the campaign. Many other books don't write about the Turkish side at all, and much of my research about the opposing forces came from this book.

Alan Moorehead's Gallipoli was the book that lead to the famous Australian movie. The book deals really well with all aspects of the campaign, from the British/ANZAC/French point of view to the Turkish/German viewpoint. It is an entertaining read and despite this really brings home some of the unique horror and heroism of this battle both on the peninsula and at sea. There were some omissions but that is not surprising considering the scope of the book. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in not only the battle but in the Great War as well.

Alec Marquand never speaks. He never willingly communicates with another person. He is very old now, close to the end of his life, and incarcerated in a mental hospital. But it wasn't always like this. Once he was a young man, an archaeologist fresh out of college mapping the Stone Age in Scotland, and there, on the remote and much feared Island of Silence, he discovered a secret destined to haunt him the rest of his life -- a beautiful girl. Given time, their strange and fleeting relationship might have blossomed into something more, who knows? He never got to find out. WWI took him away, spit him out on a totally different sort of island under a rain of bullets, and baptized him in a carnage too horrible to remember. He has not spoken since, but he has never forgotten the girl.

Written from Alec's point of view in chapters alternating between his adventures as a young man and his life now as an old one, ISLANDS OF SILENCE is a strangely haunting novel. Although I found it slow going and in places was bored to the point of skipping whole paragraphs that seemingly had little to do with the plot, the prose was poetic, the details singularly perfect, and I worked my way through to the last page and was rewarded by an end satisfyingly appropriate for a story as mystical and sad as this one. Martin Booth has created here a horrific portrait of war, painting the devastation in chapters I will not soon forget. It would be hard to call ISLANDS OF SILENCE a love story; equally difficult to consider it a coming-of-age novel. Rather, it is a beautifully if sluggishly written account of one man's attempts to come to grips with a world that has hurt him too much.

Readers who enjoy complex, mystical tales of love and loss will most likely find ISLANDS OF SILENCE a brilliant addition to their collection.

Martin Booth's "Islands of Silence" is a very good read and an interesting love story. This novel tells the story of Alec Marquard, an aged, self-imposed mute and veteran of WWI who's winding down his days in a mental institution. It's told in first person narrative (with Alec as narrator) with chapters alternating between the present and past. Booth's writing is vivid and his pace perfect for the story as Alec's condition and the mystery of what caused it are patiently revealed through Alec's memories and thoughts.

The story begins in a mental ward where Alec has been a patient for a very long time. He's in possession of his faculties, but has eschewed speech for many years and as the story progresses the reader begins to understand Alec's motivation for this silence. We're given glimpses of his childhood and the memory-portion of the story really takes off when Alec puts his archaelogical degree to work investigating brochs off the Scottish coast. When researching ruins on an island off the coast, he sees a beautiful and mysterious young woman (note: I would not characterize her as otherworldly, she is very much human flesh) who is incapable of speech--although she is able to make sounds. Alec is mesmerized and eventually is able to meet and spend some time with her in an almost intimate setting. She allows him to make sketchings of her and there's even some minor physical contact. In spite of her inability to speak any language, she and Alec communicate during their brief time together and Alec either falls in love with her or becomes infatuated (the reader can be the judge). I found this part of the novel a bit of a stretch, but Alec is young at the time and the woman is very beautiful, so who knows? It is about this time that WWI is starting to heat up and pacifist Alec is incarcerated for his refusal to serve in the military (his military step-father is behind the charges) and taken from the coast and his incipient romance.

After multiple beatings and several months in prison, Alec is offered a release if he's willing to serve in the miltary with the medical corps. This section of the book is particularly riveting and revealing. Booth's depiction of the March 1915 naval assault on Dardennelles, Gallipoli is so well-rendered that the reader is almost transported to the beach (much like the opening scene on Normandy in the film 'Saving Private Ryan') and the horrible scenes and thoughts that follow. Alec shares his thoughts prior, during, and immediately after the assault and Booth provides the reader little chance to catch his or her breath. It's gripping stuff and brings the book much closer to its conclusion.

All in all, the writing is wonderully vivid and the alternating past/present chapters works very well in the context of the novel. I found the love story to be central to the story, but also a little difficult to buy into. I particularly enjoyed the war writing and the present day musings of Alec and how the author tied everything together. Part mystery, part war-novel, and major part love story, this is a very good read and one that's recommended.

I am a little biased as I served with the Author before he was " Dr. Tyquin " in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps. I found this a great read and one that any Medic would enjoy and reflect that not a lot has changed in attitude since 1915. Mike has taken a very different approach to the reason we blew our venture into the Dardanelles. I feel he has very soundly researched this work and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book, particularly as standard text to all Military Medical personnel, or interested parties. You won't be disappointed.

This book was not excellent, as it is very short and only features some of his diary entries and more pictures of Anthony Kiedis than Hillel. Though there were some good pictures of Hillel. Hillel was a great man and this book has wonderful imput from Anthony and Flea as well as Hillel's family members. Not great, but if you are a huge Hillel fan, then buy it now.

good, not the best it could have been, but i must say it was a very good attempt, but nothing could ever come close to conveying what a great man he was. if you had never heard of him or heard his music before reading this, it would give you a pretty good idea, but not anything like if you had known of him before, good book though! immensly enjoyed!