Rise and Fall: Great Empires That Shaped the World by Peter Allen

Rise and Fall introduces young readers to world empires that don’t receive as much attention in the history books.

Rise and Fall: Great Empires That Shaped the World by Peter Allen. Cicada Press Ltd., 2025 (US), 79 pages

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 8-14

This oversize, colorful volume surveys nine historical empires from the earliest recorded history to the beginning of the modern age. Rome, Greece, and Egypt do not appear; the civilizations depicted are lesser known but still significant. In roughly chronological order, they are the Minoan, the First Persian, the Vikings, The Kamakura Shogunate (of Japan), the Kingdom of Benin, the Mongol, Mali, and Aztec Empires, and the Kingdom of Ayutthaya (Siam). It may be a stretch to label the Vikings as an “empire,” but their reach was surprisingly wide-ranging and long-lasting for a band of farmer-raiders. Some of these civilizations lasted for centuries over a huge territory; others were short-lived and local. But all are worth knowing more about.

Each empire receives four lavishly illustrated double-page spreads on a similar pattern: location, time period, and general history; religion; art and/or architecture; distinctive achievements; and decline. The author seems even-handed and objective in his observations, granting credit where it’s due as well as fair criticism. He pulls no punches about the exceptionally bloody Aztec religion and credits Christianity with taming the Vikings. Illustrations are a bit cartoony but generally accurate in detail, as well as fun. British spellings (such as “neighbourhoods”) were not changed for the US edition, but American kids should become familiar with that anyway.

Consideration:

• The illustrations of Minoan civilization record the unique fashion of Minoan females to bare their breasts. This is represented by a double-u and two dots, so it’s cartoony yet unmistakable.

Bottom Line: An informative and entertaining tour through some little-known civilizations of history.

Also at Redeemed Reader

• Reviews: Prisoners of Geography, Amazing Asia, and Indescribable Atlas Adventures (starred review) offer wide-ranging views of different times and places.
• Review: The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, including some of the civilizations featured in Rise and Fall.

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