„The book can also serve as an excellent first guide tomost historiographical debates about the post-war SovietUnion.“ (English Historical Review, 1 April2014)
„But by re-arranging known phenomena his fascinating bookoffers new and consistent perspectives on the last Russian andSoviet decades. It is one of the best introductions to the focusedperiod of time.“ (Jahrbücher fürGeschichte Osteuropas, 1 May 2013)
"With its capacity for engaging synthesis of the scholarlyliterature of the period and pioneering insight intohistoriographical commonplaces, Lovell's elegantly formulatedand delightfully illustrated history is an indisputable asset toany scholarly bookshelf.„ (Slavonica, 1 May2013)
“Lovell, in particular, has written an accomplished andstimulating book.„ (European History Quarterly,2012)
“There are different ways to write a survey of Russianhistory, and most of them have been tried many times. Yet SimonDixon, the editor of this excellent three-volume series, hasinvited his authors to do something new.„ (Slavonicand East European Review, 1 April 2012)
“It is easy to read, is based on recent research in English andRussian, covers a wide range of issues, and has an up-to-date andvery well informed approach to its subject. Its moderate optimismabout the future is a welcome counterbalance to the currentpredominantly negative Western assessment of modern Russia.„ (TheRussian Review, 1 October 2011)
“Stephen Lovell's The Shadow of War is a work of a differentkind: a textbook which should appeal also to a general readership. It is both a social and political history and provides an excellentsynthesis of the Russian experience from the Second World War tothe present„. (History Today, 1 August 2011)
“Shadow of War is an astute topical approach to Soviet/Russianhistory from 1941 to the beginnings of the Medvedev presidency in2008. Its clarity and first-rate scholarship make it exceptionallyenlightening on major socioeconomic and national conditions andpost-Soviet matters generally.„ (Michigan War StudiesReview, November 2010)“For Russians the Second World War was one of both nationalliberation and imperial expansion; it was also the dominant memoryin the lives of three generations of Soviet citizens. Lovell'sdecision to take it as his starting point enables him to shine aninnovative and penetrating light on many aspects of Soviet andPost-Soviet Russia often ignored in general studies. This is a veryvaluable book for those seeking to understand today'sRussia.„
--Geoffrey Hosking, Emeritus Professor, UniversityCollege London
“An extremely sure-footed and gracefully written interpretationof the last sixty years of Soviet/Russian history. Lovell exhibitsmuch razor-sharp wit and insight, although almost never at theexpense of his subjects. He views Soviet leaders and ordinarycitizens from the standpoint of a western observer, but also stepsback to observe himself observing his subjects, a perspective alltoo rare in textbooks."
--Lewis Siegelbaum, Michigan State University