My thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for an advance copy of this book that looks at the lives of three revolutionaries who faced long a journey before securing their power and changing history, and the lives of their chroniclers who faced a long journey into blame and exile for their writing.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. And that is true of history, also. Small steps can lead to nations falling, ideas becoming popular, and the freshness and new start that revolution promises, slowly becoming something different, maybe even darker. These journeys leave quite a mark on the people who undertook them, from the leaders down to the lowest follower. Chroniclers too can be changed by these journeys, beginning with hopes and ideas, and ending up being called fellow travellers and having to leave all they know. Three Revolutions; Russia, China, Cuba and the Epic Journeys that Changed the World by Simon Hall is a look at six men, three world changers, and three writers, who traveled different paths, had different results, and were changed by their treks.

Three revolutionaries, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro and three writers, John Reed, Edgar Snow and Herbert Matthews are discussed in this book, a history of the times they affected and for the writers how the times affected them. The book works as both history and biography, looking at how events and consequences, and how the writers shaped the image of the revolutionaries. The book begins with Lenin, in exile in Switzerland given a chance by the German government in hopes to end Russia's involvement in World War I. Reporting on events was John Reed an American sympathetic to the Russian people, who not only wrote about the revolution, but fought along side. The book moves to China and the Long March, the retreat by the Chinese Communists from their enemies that covered over 6,000 miles, and solidified Mao's hold on the party. Mao was featured prominently in articles by Edgar Snow, whose writings helped Mao secure his power base. The final section deals with Fidel his return from exile in Mexico kicked off the Cuban revolution. Herbert Matthews a reporter with the Times made Castro a cool revolutionary, with a look and a talent that gave the uprising a public relations push that gained him supporters, and a mystique that later changed the way the world thought of him.

An interesting book filled with travels, history and a lot of interesting facts. Hall is a good writer, able to write about three charismatic people in such a way that the information seems fresh and new. Little things like Lenin wanted to pretend to be mute as a disguise, which was laughably stopped by a fellow revolutionary pointing out what happened if Lenin spoke in his sleep. Or Mao and his brother having their own rooms in their house, which was unprecedented. Hall does a good job discussing the chroniclers, those almost true believers who followed the story, in many ways became part of the story, and paid for it with ther own exile. The book has a strong narrative style and doesn't stop moving, even though it covers the lives of six different people. A very different kind of history, but one I quite enjoyed.