Robinson's incisive, well-written work demolishes the fiction of the 'peaceful Balinese' that pervades academic and popular literature, and, for the first time, places modern political history directly into the middle of Balinese scholarship.

Exhaustively documented.... This book is an important achievement. Refreshingly free of fashion and jargon, the book also provides insights of comparative importance into the ways in which elite rivalries intensify factionalism in society.... A remarkable work of political history. It deserves to be read by all students of Southeast Asia and anyone interested in the causes of modern political violence.

Robinson's work reaches beyond history, amply illustrating the possibilities of what might be termed a 'comparative historical sociology' approach.

This is a brilliant book that must be read by anybody interested in modern Indonesia.