More than just an account of noteworthy medieval sieges, this book provides a potted history of the intricate politics surrounding the English kings of the middle ages. Warner is a well-informed, succint and often witty writer who makes this potentially unweildy subject thoroughly accessible. ( )

I wanted to find out more about military tactics during the period of the 100 years war and the book started out promisingly enough with an overview of siege techniques some weaponry and castle building. Barely a quarter of the way through it then turned itself into a galloping history; covering a 450 year period in a 160 pages. Some of the more famous sieges of the period were covered but in such a superficial fashion that it was difficult to gain any knowledge about them.

I am not sure who this book was aimed at. The casual reader would be bored with the one dimensional history and it is of little use to the more knowledgeable reader. I suppose it might serve as a basic introduction. It was originally published in 1968 ( )