Tower is truly an epic read, in terms of scope and length (400+ pages). Jones regales readers with stories of the Tower of London from its construction by William the Conqueror to the executions of spies during both World Wars. The unavoidable reality for Anglophiles like myself is the brutal history that lies beneath the sophisticated veneer of British culture. Those who think that savagery and barbarism are unique to tribal headhunters living in isolated jungles should consider the often religiously-motivated cycles of tyranny, rebellion and revolution that characterized much of the West for the last 1500 years. Tower gives readers a view of 700 years of changing fortunes and political intrigue centered on an area not much bigger than a football field.
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