Very much a military history, Leckie reports on the wars from the colonial conflicts through the Gulf War. He brings a crisp style and tight reporting to a massive sweep of history. He tells how the wars were fought, but without details as to why or dwelling on outcomes. Even so, the massive scope makes the book run over 1,200 pages.
This is history for the person who is not an historian, it is very readable, but be prepared to read it in several pieces. ( )