Review

Precipice is another outstanding historical novel by British author Robert Harris, author of many excellent novels set in diverse eras such as the Roman Empire (His trilogy on Cicero's life (Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator) and the eve of World War Iii (Munich). Precipice begins in England in the Gilded Age leading to World War I and details the origins and the course of the War including intriguing events in England before and during the War. Harris relates three stories simultaneously: The tragic events of the War, a secret romance between Harold Asquith, the married Prime Minister, and Venetia Stanley, a much younger woman, and the security investigation into the Prime Minister's disclosure of top-secret war plans to Venetia. Harris depicts in detail the lavish lifestyle of the British aristocracy in 1914 and the gulf between the elite landed families and the working class. He presents a fascinating day by day account of the events triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand which quickly culminates in the outbreak of World War I. Harris deftly chronicles the diplomatic telegrams to and from European governments and British embassies, Asquith's cabinet meetings and sessions of Parliament as governments act and react. The Prime Minister is distracted by his romance. He is a popular but naïve politician. The cabinet is distracted by the threat of civil war in Ireland which may dissolve Ireland's colonial ties to England. The cabinet is also at odds on how to respond to events on the Continent. The cabinet dithers as war engulfs Europe and England. The descent into war is redolent of a Shakespearean tragedy. The besotted Asquith surreptitiously writes love letters during critical cabinet meetings and is further distracted by political issues. Ill- informed ministers do not comprehend the scope of the impending war. The characters include dimwitted King George, Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, Lloyd George, future Prime Minister and Lord Kitchener, the famed Army hero, who shocks Asquith and the cabinet when he tells f them that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the War will not end by Christmas, four months away, but will likely last at least three years. The action is character driven and fast-moving. Harris masterfully uses the historical records to drive the novel. The diplomatic telegrams, the records of the cabinet meetings and the Parliamentary proceedings are real. The many love letters are real and still survive. Churchill's speeches are real. Implicit in this fine historical novel is the message that political leaders, through ignorance, arrogance and lack of experience and foresight, can get their countries into wars they do not understand until it is too late. The Vietnam War, 50 years later, comes to mind.

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