Mission to Tashkent by F.M. Bailey, Peter Hopkirk Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Mission to Tashkent
Book Review: Better than fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
There are two excellent reasons for reading this book. The first is that it is it an extraordinary story, well told. The second is that it dovetails beautifully with other memoirs and accounts of the time, notably Narzaroff's Hunted Through Central Asia and many of the superb books written by or (as Mission) introduced by Peter Hopkirk . If you want to know what it was like to be an Englishman alone amid the shifting malignant currents of the Russian Revolution, hunted by the secret police, living on your wits yet trying to carry out a mission, this is the book for you. Better than fiction.Book Review: A fantastic spy story & historical snap-shot of Central Asia
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read a number of excellent books concerning Central Asia History and the 'Great Game' exploits between the Soviet & British Empires, but this rates amongst the best because it is a first-hand account written by an excellent author.Not only is Bailey's an amazing story of cunning & courage of a man trapped & isolated in hostile territory but it is also a marvelous snap-shot of a far-flung corner of the Soviet Empire during it's fledgling days. Baileys has great powers of observation and this enables him to describe in detail both the people and the country around him.
Although this book makes a great read by itself, I believe to fully appreciate the importance of Bailey's Mission and how stranded he was really was, some knowledge of the political setting helps add to the enjoyment of the book. I can recommend Peter Hopkirk's 'Setting the East Ablaze' which is another great book and puts Bailey's Mission in context with the bigger picture.
The only problem with this book is that it leaves a great desire to visit the places mentioned and to keep looking for other books that cover the same subject and the people that Bailey encountered on his journey.
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