Finally, the longest read, for some considerable time, has been completed.

"Mao" took the best part of four months, on and off, with plenty of sideways seducation into a library occupied by less harrowing reads. Not that this was a book I was reluctant to read but once on the relentless road of Mao's self promotion, shameless manipulation, endless exploitation and callous treatment of his fellow Chinese, it proved to be a gruelling and tortuous slog at times. Short comfort breaks developed into periods of long abstinence, which was more than was ever offered to Mao's long suffering countrymen and women.

It has to be said that it is very much anti-Mao text but even if only 10% of the authors' observations are accurate, he emerges as a Titan class dictator. Not that I wish to disparage the authors, who have written a massive book full of the most extraordinary details and eye witness accounts from people who even now could suffer because of their revelations. The research is wide ranging and well recorded, following Mao's life from his early peasant origins to his last breathe as a tyrannous despot who ruled as a latter day Emperor in all but name.

Considering he was a major world player for a significant part of my life, I previously knew very little about him and his motivators. From this book, it would appear there was only one motivator. Himself. According to the authors, nothing and nobody appear to have had any call on him, not his mother, brothers, children, wives or indeed any human agency. Terror and mind control were combined to keep millions of people in a dehumanised and dehumanising condition.

The chronological pace of the book allowed plenty of time to absorb the political machinations of a mind acutely tuned to self preservation and heedless disregard for an ancient people and their civilisation.

The difficulties in reading this book, apart from the unrelenting cruelty, included the sheer physical size of the book, the complexity of the politics, the vast time period and ultimately the revulsion felt towards the subject of the book, Mao himself. In the interests of balance, it would be useful to read another account of his life and perhaps in time, I will. But I felt like a weight had been lifted after I finished the last page and it's a relief to turn from this to other, softer reads. Ultimately, I think of the book as an astounding work of research and a respectful homage to Chinese people who suffered too much, too long.