Rating: 
Summary: Wll worth your time and money!
Review: This book presents one of the most comprehensive and intersting descriptions on the history and development of chemical and biological weapons I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It is well researched and the source material is identified for further study. The author has a knack for presenting a wealth of information in a most useful format and interesting manner. Even more than the description and history of the weapons is the insight into human nature and the conduct of war. No one who reads this book will doubt the imagination and ingenuity of ancient warriors, nor have any illusions as to the prospects of such weapons in the hands of contemporary armies and governments, not to mention terrorists. I began reading the book as a text to increase my knowledge of the subject but finished with a deeper insight and appreciation for the historical precedents. For anyone interested in this subject, it is well worth your time and money.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating read
Review: This book takes one on a thrilling journey that doesn't let up until the last page.
Rating: 
Summary: New Insights into Biowarfare/Bioterrorism (BW/BT) Origins
Review: This delightful read explores the origins of what today we now know as biological warfare. Many books on BW/BT begin their summaries with the 14th century Tatars, but Mayor convincingly traces the use of poisons/chemicals and infectious diseases back to Greek myths and ancient battles/seiges. Those who argue that "moral repugnace" has historically limited use of BW/BT agents are proved wrong. It appears that even the classical Greeks and othe near-contemporaneous societies used venoms, toxins, plant alkaloids, and naturally occurring (and later synthezied) chemicals to defeat their enemies. For those interested in the history of military tactics, weaponry, toxicology, and biowarfare this books adds many news heuristics to consider. (Despite the title, there is very little space devoted to Greek fire. Readers might look to Alfred Crosby's "Throwing Fire" for a more complete discussion on this subject.)
Rating: 
Summary: Less than reliable
Review: This is an interesting concept for a book, and no doubt there is a lot of good information in it. Yet I have to "ding" the author for blurring myth with reality. She seems to say, "Let's suppose this myth was true, but then a few paragraphs down the narrative, the "suppose" has dropped out and things are being stated with categorical certainty. Another annoying thing to me was a ridiculous allegation made in her discussion of the use of primitive heat weapons in ancient times (Archimedes and the mirrors). She states rather off-handedly that the US used some sort of laser weapon in the 1989 invasion of Panama. Her source for this is an anti-American revisionist "documentary" called "Panama Deception." I was in the American Army in 1989 and took part in the Panama operation. I can state with certainty that we did not use laser weapons to "incinerate" Panamanians. I have no doubt that some innocent Panamanians died of burns in the cross-fire, but I would be willing to bet that the "laser beams" were either an outright invention or perhaps more likely the result of confusing tracer rounds with some sort of "death ray." The fact that the author bought such an idiotic allegation made me seriously question whether she displayed a healthy degree of skepticism in evaluating the likelihood of the various historical claims that she makes in her book, ones shrouded in myth and rather remote in time. All in all, the book was a disappointment.
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