Reviews
"Saudi Arabia is testing the extremes of tradition and innovation, of half-baked visions and intensifying repression. Ben Hubbard's authoritative reporting on the inner sanctums of its society offers a perfect synthesis of journalism and area expertise: the best description we have at the moment of why things happen as they do in the kingdom." --Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Return of Marco Polo's World "Brilliant . . . clear and convincing . . . a detailed and disturbing portrait of Saudi Arabia's crown prince . . . The book's strength is the thoroughness of its reporting." --Christopher Dickey, The New York Times Book Review "A devastating profile of the Saudi prince who rose rapidly to become one of the Middle East's most powerful players--and one of the world's most ruthless leaders . . . Ben Hubbard has provided a chilling and occasionally horrifying portrait of a man known worldwide simply by his initials: MBS. It's a captivating read." --Robin Wright, author of Rock the Casbah "An elegant writer, the multilingual veteran Middle East correspondent Ben Hubbard is exactly the right person to draw this portrait of the most important leader in that part of the world today. His fast-paced narrative never flags or avoids dark corners. I found it riveting." --Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost "Can we trust this mysterious prince with our oil supplies, with our friendship--with the prospects of peace in the Middle East? If anyone can give us the answers to these life-and-death questions, it is the brilliant and compulsively readable Ben Hubbard." --Robert Lacey, author of The Kingdom and Inside the Kingdom "Is Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, a modernizer or a murderer? Through dogged research and a remarkable ability to navigate the labyrinth that is Saudi society, Hubbard makes clear the answer is 'both.' MBS is a devastating portrait of the young and increasingly despotic prince whom President Trump calls 'a very great friend.' . . . Essential reading." --Scott Anderson, author of Lawrence in Arabia "Riveting. . . . fascinating. . . . a fine example of talented and dogged reporting . . . an impressively well-sourced work . . . Ben Hubbard's thoroughly researched study of the Saudi crown prince is full of chilling detail."-- Ian Black, The Guardian "In this engaging account, Ben Hubbard shows both sides of the story, bringing his narrative alive with a host of insights, conversations, anecdotes and details." --Malise Ruthven, Financial Times "Here's a biography of MBS by a brilliant journalist whom he hasn't managed to muzzle." --Nicholas Kristof "An excellent account of the life and the background of the most consequential new figure in the Middle East in our time. . . . It's a frightening picture." --Bruce Riedel, Lawfare, "Saudi Arabia is testing the extremes of tradition and innovation, of half-baked visions and intensifying repression. Ben Hubbard's authoritative reporting on the inner sanctums of its society offers a perfect synthesis of journalism and area expertise: the best description we have at the moment of why things happen as they do in the kingdom." --Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Return of Marco Polo's World "A devastating profile of the Saudi prince who rose rapidly to become one of the Middle East's most powerful players--and one of the world's most ruthless leaders . . . Ben Hubbard has provided a chilling and occasionally horrifying portrait of a man known worldwide simply by his initials: MBS. It's a captivating read." --Robin Wright, author of Rock the Casbah "An elegant writer, the multilingual veteran Middle East correspondent Ben Hubbard is exactly the right person to draw this portrait of the most important leader in that part of the world today. His fast-paced narrative never flags or avoids dark corners. I found it riveting." --Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost "Can we trust this mysterious prince with our oil supplies, with our friendship--with the prospects of peace in the Middle East? If anyone can give us the answers to these life-and-death questions, it is the brilliant and compulsively readable Ben Hubbard." --Robert Lacey, author of The Kingdom and Inside the Kingdom "Is Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, a modernizer or a murderer? Through dogged research and a remarkable ability to navigate the labyrinth that is Saudi society, Hubbard makes clear the answer is 'both.' MBS is a devastating portrait of the young and increasingly despotic prince whom President Trump calls 'a very great friend.' . . . Essential reading." --Scott Anderson, author of Lawrence in Arabia
