It took me three-fourths of a year but I finally made it through this book.

It has lots of names and places; it seems like each of the thousand pages could be expounded into a book itself. There are lots of examples of leaders doing the awful things they would have done anyway, but now with the certainty that they're doing it for Jesus Christ. There are also plenty of mentions of Christians doing great and helpful things in the world. There is a bit of theology, but overall events seem more driven by power and politics.

As a novice when it comes to history, I enjoyed this summary of civilizations in which Christians played a major role. The author has a pleasant style, occasionally snarky but mostly matter-of-fact. He doesn't have a horse in the race, which is a nice contrast to other books on Christianity which are starting with a conclusion and finding facts to fit that conclusion.

Recommended, but it might take a while.