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Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: An incredible journey through the remains of the former Soviet Union both in pictures and words. Broken Empire puts the lie to the "Workers Paradise" promised by the USSR's once all-powerful communist regime, revealing the harsh realities of environmental and spiritual decay left in its wake. The images are dazzling and heartbreaking. A must see and read book for anyone who loves truth.JH
Rating:
Summary: Broken Empire, Broken Dreams
Review: An incredible journey through the remains of the former Soviet Union both in pictures and words. Broken Empire puts the lie to the "Workers Paradise" promised by the USSR's once all-powerful communist regime, revealing the harsh realities of environmental and spiritual decay left in its wake. The images are dazzling and heartbreaking. A must see and read book for anyone who loves truth. JH
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Unforgettable
Review: Broken Empire leaves an indelible mark on the memory. This stunning work presents a passionate and proud people, ravaged by the merciless process of political change. The book's coverage of the effect on the Russian environmental landscape alone, makes this a documentary of great importance. But most unforgettable, are the images which capture the entire spectrum of human experience that the nation's new self-image has imposed - from humiliation and despair, to dignity and triumph of the spirit against all odds - making this work an uncompromising testament to the historic realities of post-communistic Russia.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Unforgettable
Review: Broken Empire leaves an indelible mark on the memory. This stunning work presents a passionate and proud people, ravaged by the merciless process of political change. The book's coverage of the effect on the Russian environmental landscape alone, makes this a documentary of great importance. But most unforgettable, are the images which capture the entire spectrum of human experience that the nation's new self-image has imposed - from humiliation and despair, to dignity and triumph of the spirit against all odds - making this work an uncompromising testament to the historic realities of post-communistic Russia.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Contrary to the cover image of the book, this work clearly takes the blindfolds off in delivering a superb body of photographic work. I have been traveling to the former Soviet Union now for the past twenty-five years and have always been surprised by how ignorant the world was about this marvelous nation. Ludwig clearly has an intimate feel for the soul of this great world. The images breathe and display the majesty of this people and empire wonderfully, warts and all. This is not a tragic populace, but a noble collection of races and groups who share a common pride, humanism and patriotism with a unique perspective and outlook on life that is both refreshing and vital.
I thought that the Western world would never get it right about the great land and her people, but Ludwig's masterpiece clearly and artfully reveals the nuances of an emerging colossus whose rightful place in history, commerce, politics, art and culture is assured by its dogged determinism to continue, to live, to strive to express the essence that is "Mother Russia".
And to do all of this with photography...what an achievement!!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent photography, but¿.
Review: Gerd Ludwig photography is first-class but I wish written text had been as creative as the photographer's eye. Nothing to discredit the author, Fen Montaigne. But Fen, must you be so boring and bland. A single image captured a thousand words and your text was a dreadful mono-tone grounded in a yawning choice of vocabulary. If your looking for images and insight text read "The Home Planet" by Kevin W Kelley. Two different subject matters, but the written text illustrates where this book went astray.
Rating: 
Summary: wrong focus!
Review: No doubt, Gerd Ludwig is a very talented photographer. However the Russia he shows is packaged to fit expectations of a clueless Westerner. Ludwig shows the disgusting reality, the poverty, and philistine Russian entrepreneurs to contrast all this. A perfect photojournalistic essay! Ludwig is himself clueless. By bringing up all the dirt he forgets that Russians are much more complex than his ugly pictures. Russians know that they live in substandard material conditions! However the drama is that their will power is so exceptionally strong that they are able to ignore the dirt in life, and enjoy its most wonderful moments: a beautiful sunset, a meadow full of flowers, a pretty cloud. Where is all that in this book? Instead, we see a hustly society that's struggling to be like the West with some dubious success.
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