Highly informative and hugely entertaining…a reminder that dictators have long been, and continue to be, a threat to democracy.

Forbes

The power of this needle-sharp book lies in the acuity of its observations and in its ability to zoom out and see modern politicians in broader context, bringing something both fresh and timeless to an otherwise well-worn subject.

The Guardian

Wry, informative but deadly – a great book.

Will Hutton

Mount's prose is enjoyable and some of the vignettes are a delight. [The Caesars] make for compelling reading.

The Sunday Times

Mount's prose is vivid, erudite and highly opinionated… [he] dissects all these villains in entertaining style… his range of historical reference points is impressive.

Irish Independent

Pass deep historical knowledge through the silkiest of minds and deliver the product onto the page with the most fluent of pens, and you find the combination of gifts which make Ferdie Mount pre-eminent among the political commentariat of our day. He has created a book that will endure in 50 years' time when students of British Politics will still struggle to understand how the supposedly most mature political system in the world could have placed Boris Johnson in Downing Street for three years. This is the volume they will have to read first.

Peter Hennessy