You'll need a score card to keep up with characters and organizations, but over all a good read. It is an inside account of the war on terror--60 years ago in the battle to retain Algeria for the French Empire. The way Aussaresses describes the terror and the day to day torture that resulted, is pretty chilling just from the sheer "matter-of-factness". One can only wonder how things might have turned out had the US brass adhered to his training of US troops bound for Vietnam. ( )