Both beautiful and profoundly menacing, the Kremlin has dominated Moscow for many centuries. Behind its great red walls and towers many of the most startling events in Russia's history have been acted out. It is both a real place and an imaginative idea; a shorthand for a certain kind of secretive power, but also the heart of a specific Russian authenticity. Catherine Merridale's exceptional book revels in both the drama of the Kremlin and its sheer unexpectedness: an impregnable fortress which has repeatedly been devastated, a symbol of all that is Russian substantially created by Italians. The many inhabitants of the Kremlin have continually reshaped it to accord with shifting ideological needs, with buildings conjured up or demolished to conform with the current ruler's social, spiritual, military or regal priorities. In the process, all have claimed to be the heirs of Russia's great historic destiny. 'Magnificent . Merridale uses the Kremlin like a backdrop to an opera - a screen on which to project scenes from Russia's violent and dramatic history .

it works wonderfully.' George Walden, Sunday Telegraph 'Glorious. A zingy, razor-keen history.' Ian Thomson, Spectator , Books of the Year 'A splendidly rich portrait of an exotic and puzzling redoubt that was built to keep foreigners out and secrets in . she has a detective's nose and a novelist's way with words.' Economist , Books of the Year 'Addictively clever . whisks us through a series of terrific melodramas.' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times , Books of the Year 'Anyone who wants to understand Russia today will not only learn a lot but will enjoy every page .

wonderful.' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Telegraph 'One of the best popular histories of Russia in any language.' Marshall Poe, The Times Literary Supplement.