The Revolutionists

Reviews / Votes

Brilliant, beautifully researched, observed and written. An astonishing window not just into the origins of modern terrorism but also into our own age -- Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge A dazzling exploration of the radical politics of the 1970s... a fabulously gripping read * The Times, *Books of the Year* * A kaleidoscopic sweep through an extraordinary era told with cool authority and a novelist's eye for detail. Burke is a master in the field -- Rory Carroll, author of Killing Thatcher If journalism is the first draft of history, then this is its second draft. A book that historians will be consulting and profiting from for many decades to come -- Tom Holland, author of Rubicon and host of The Rest Is History Superb and monumental * Spectator * Riveting ... [The Revolutionists] is an absorbing history of terrorism in Europe and the Middle East ... A deeply researched, ambitious and elegantly written book * Observer * As irresistible and unputdownable as it is astonishing and relevant -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * The Times, *Book of the Week* * Magisterial ... The Revolutionists [is] such an engaging, intelligible guide through a dense geopolitical period * New Statesman * A detailed and sweeping account of the origins of modern international terrorism * Financial Times Best Books of 2025 * A deeply researched account of hijackings, hostage-takings and other terrorist activity in the 1970s, told with verve * Economist Best Books of 2025 * In a gripping book Jason Burke, the Guardian's international security correspondent, draws on decades of research as well as interviews with terrorists . . . It is the character portraits that make this book a page-turner * Economist * [A] huge, roving and painstakingly researched account of the rise of modern terrorism * Financial Times * Jason Burke's meticulously researched book is peopled by an array of colourful characters from terrorists to idealists and double agents. By melding eye-witness accounts with a deep understanding of politics and modern history, he shows how the hijackings and political murders of the late twentieth century led to the turbulence of the 21st. It makes for a riveting read -- Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News Spanning four continents and drawing on sources in a dozen languages . . . a flair for period detail . . . impressive * Guardian * Fascinating . . . Burke [who] has reported thoughtfully on political violence for several decades . . . brings considerable experience to this detailed chronicle of hostage-taking, bombings, assassinations and other adventures. Full of vivid, intriguing detail . . . Though many of his characters have been villainized elsewhere, Burke treats them as complex human beings rather than caricatured monsters . . . Burke's compellingly readable account . . . ranges widely . . . Burke's rich narrative offers an abundance of evidence that, in terrorism and counterterrorism alike, far too many actors have exaggerated what violence will achieve * Times Literary Supplement * The Revolutionists is an incisive account of the rise of modern terrorism following the founding of the State of Israel. It manages to be both scholarly and engaging. A wonderful book for any reader interested in the Middle East and the curse of terror that has haunted the region - and the world - for too many years -- Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower Superb. In this deeply researched and grippingly told account of the ... radicals who held a gun to the head of Western governments in the 1970s, Burke confirms his credentials as our foremost commentator on modern terrorism -- Saul David, author of Sky Warriors A deeply researched, original and immersive book that shines a light on the forces of radicalism and violence that shape our modern world -- Gordon Corera, former BBC security correspondent and host of The Rest Is Classified A captivating account of the origins of modern international terrorism with fascinating insights into the terrorists and their opponents. A must read to understand the contemporary Middle East and more -- Bruce Riedel, author of Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and the United States since FDR For this moment of political wildness and ideological extremism, Jason Burke, a distinguished foreign correspondent, has written a chillingly cautionary global history of political terrorism in the late Cold War. Deeply researched and engagingly written, this is a vivid, engrossing, and disturbing study of violent transnational attacks against innocent civilians in the name of leftist revolution, Palestinian nationalism, and Islamist radicalism -- Gary Bass, author of Judgement at Tokyo The Revolutionists is the authoritative true story of the encounter between leftist and Islamist radicalism, capturing in gripping and granular detail the events and ideas that elevated terrorism as a tool for political transformation. It is the culmination of years of masterful research ... The narrative is exciting, pacy and propelled forward by a cast of characters whose actions would defy all credulity if they were fictitious. By turns fascinating and heart-stopping, it is an addictive read and an extraordinary intellectual achievement -- Alia Brahimi, scholar and host of Guns for Hire podcast This is Jason Burke's magnum opus, a hugely ambitious book that greatly benefits from his three decades of reporting on revolutionary violence. Burke seems to have read everything that is relevant about terrorism in multiple languages and talked to anybody who mattered on all sides of the conflicts he writes about. The book is propulsively written and is not only an account of the rise of leftist and Islamist terrorism in the 1960s and the decades that followed, but also a wonderfully evocative history of an era that reverberates today -- Peter Bergen, author of The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden Burke masterfully connects the dots, capturing the precise the moment the world shifted - subtly, profoundly and in ways we are only beginning to grasp. His book doesn't just illuminate the past, it brings clarity to the present -- Peter Neumann, Professor of Security Studies at King's College London Burke is an experienced journalist, and he uses sources written in English, French, Arabic, Italian, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Spanish, Serbo-Croat and Hebrew to explain the motives, organisations and endless internecine disputes of the terrorist movements. The most arresting parts of his work, though, do not come from such careful analysis but from brief vignettes that are beyond easy explanation, and which remind us that behind the slogans, rituals and violence, terrorists might be human beings * Literary Review * A compelling new book that traces the history of international terrorism * Irish Times * Written with the sensibility of a journalist and fastidiously empirical, Burke's history is an eloquent tour de force that will become an essential work of reference * Morning Star * The Revolutionists is a brilliantly told story with many dimensions * New Humanist * Thought-provoking * Geographical *