{Review} Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by Robert K. Massie

Massie is the author of Dreadnought and this book essentially picks up where the last ended, with the beginning of the Great War. I had at first hesitated to jump into this book because I had read other naval histories of WW1 and didn't expect this to be much different. Yet surprisingly the book is very engrossing and readable and full of details often not covered in conventional histories. Massie explores the personalities of the political and naval leaders of Great Britain and Germany and shows how the naval movements and battles that occurred where often the outcome of conflicts between leaders of the same nation. Politics, ambition and personality quirks were often as influential as intelligence reports and naval doctrine.

Recommended for those who enjoy some fascinating history in narrative form, even if you don't really have any great interest in naval warfare.

Link to LibraryThing entry for this book