How do you define a nation? Is it by its art, its sense of humour, its national anthem, its way of dressing, the buildings, how many potholes it has? In A History of Britain in Ten Enemies, Terry Deary (author of the brilliant Horrible Histories books) chronicles how Britain has been shaped by some of our biggest foes. From ones who started it (like the invading Romans), to ones who didn’t.
This is an interesting and entertaining wander through a few thousand years of British (and world) history, told with a wry sense of humour by someone who clearly sees the ridiculousness of what’s going on.
It’s brutal at times, making A Song of Ice and Fire look like…well, this, given that European history is what George R. R. Martin based his series on. Throughout it’s humanist and sardonic in equal measure.
History books probably aren’t often called ‘page-turners’, but I was gripped by this and found it very easy to read – an especially good compliment given that, being history, it’s dense with numbers, dates, locations and names.
Terry Deary keeps a tight narrative thread running through each chapter, which examines our beef (or soy, for the vegans) with a different country, from those close to home like Ireland and France, to those further afield including the United States and Russia.
There were points where I felt that sections jumped over information I’d have really liked to know, such as how Joan of Arc went from a shepherd witnessing angels to leading the French army three years later. But when you’re covering this much ground, it’s only natural that you’ll miss out on some things.
You could argue that that’s a French story, so it doesn’t matter; what matters is Joan beat the English. But there were other times closer to home, for example when political landscapes changed and rivals became allies, that felt similarly overlooked.
Overall, though, A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is a fascinating and entertaining tour through British history, that is as full of humour, compassion and reason as it is of facts.
