Oil, Power and War is probably going to be the new definitive history of Oil. I wouldn't say it replaces Daniel Yergin's The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power, a Pulitzer Prize winner but it certainly builds upon Yergin's book with some modifications. For example, Yergin's book talks about the story of Oil till only 1980 and even then only from the perspective of those who were winners in this game. Matthieu Auzanneau's book continues the story up to most recent times and how Oil has been influential in shaping the political and economic environment. Make no mistake even at 600 pages, shorter than Yergin's book at 900 pages it is still full of facts, and who's who and timelines that the reader is better advised to keep track of as he or she moves from page to page. The plethora of characters resembles that of some russian literature say Anna Karenina but if you really read it without extended breaks I am sure you can keep track of them. The chapters are broken down in short topics that keeps it interesting. Needless to say the book takes you all the way from origin of Oil at organic level to its uses and how it has, it is and will probably continue shaping our world's political, cultural, social, industrial and military situation. The oil dubbed Black Gold indeed has been a single most vital natural resource surpassing King Coal to give us the world we inhibit now. It would be hard to find a single entity, a single object that does not have finger prints of petroleum in its origin.
Overall, this book I think is an extension of it's predecessor The Prize and definitely adds way more information on the current situation as it relates to Oil. With that being said if you are deciding to pick up a definitive book on the biography of Oil and its influence, I would recommend you pick up this new book Oil, Power and War as it is most current on the subject. Companion book: Breaking Rockefeller -https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26192980-breaking-rockefeller
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