'A fantastic work of scholarship which ought to become the standard work. Francis Pike's knowledge, erudition, eye for the telling detail and sheer breadth of scope is truly astonishing.' - Andrew Roberts, author of The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War and A History of the English-Speaking Peoples since 1900; 'A stunning piece of work' - Norman Stone, formerly Professor of Modern History at Oxford University and author of Europe Transformed, 1878-1919 and The Eastern Front, 1914-1917; 'An absolute page-turner and deeply learned. Empires at War is the best and most comprehensive account of the history of Asia since World War II that I know. Francis Pike's narrative is gripping, original and entertaining.' - Simon May, Birkbeck College, University of London; former Professor of Philosophy at Tokyo University; 'Pike rises to the challenge of readability, and without sacrificing much in the way of essential detail, covers the ground with confidence.' - John Keay, Literary Review, Feb 2010; 'A jaw-dropping feat in terms of the sheer range it covers' - China Daily

Francis Pike studied history at Cambridge and is an historian and journalist. He lived and worked for 20 years in Japan, China and India as an economic and political strategist and in this capacity he advised numbers of financial institutions as well as governments.