It is notoriously difficult to get a neutral view of communism. Read any review of Das Kapital or The Communist Manifesto and you will frequently find them either slavishly in awe or militantly against. Although some reviewers say this book in anti-communist, I sincerely believe that it is one of the best and most balanced scholarly (see appendix) accounts of Communism I've read. Furthermore, it contains valuable insights into the merits and flaws of the theory through to how different leaders put them into practice. As the most prominent example of the fairness of this book there is the final chapter. I was struck by how little Service sought to dance on the grave of communism, instead mentioning how there continue to be successful communist movements in Kerala (India) and pseudo-communism in the hills of Mexico. Also for balance, Service goes through the various crimes of capitalism too and the overwhelming impression I got was that, despite the tyrannical excesses of Communism, there is still potential there and unfulfilled ends to accomplish. Aside from issues of fairness, I found the book a compelling read; the type of book you read in a week and skip TV to read more of. In addition his portrayals of leaders such as Castro, Tito and Mao are vivid and his judgements are sound. Crucially it gives you a good feeling of what Stalin's Russia or Mao's China was like and, unlike other books on the subject, doesn't dwell too much on issues of Good/Evil, Gulags, etc. So, if you want an interesting read, then this book takes some beating and, for £6.99, you get a 500 page tome that, at least, makes good shelf-filler. However, for those that disagree, there is another history of Communism taken much more from a socialist perspective. 'Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism' (or at least the film adaptation) is equally as good as this, with much greater emphasis on socialism as a whole (e.g. Israeli Kibbutzes). On the DVD version I saw, Christopher Hitchens (maverick socialist) even provides some commentary so, if you found this book to be anti-communist, then give that a go instead...