Summarizing a century of warfare in approximately 200 pages is, as John Childs acknowledges in the introduction, a challenge involving choices of inclusion and omission. Childs's choice is to offer only a compressed account of the various campaigns in favor of focusing on the waging of war in Europe in the 17th century. While Childs does include summaries of the key wars waged during this time - three of his chapters provide accounts of the Thirty Years' War, the wars of Louis XIV, and the other prominent conflicts of the era - such an approach allows him to use the battles of the period to illustrate the techniques and tactics of war in those decades.

By freeing himself from the burden of a detailed account of the disparate conflicts which spanned the period, Childs is able to provide a perceptive account of European warfare in the 17th century. He uses the Thirty Years War to illustrate the problems posed by mercenary armies, problems which led to their replacement by the end of the century with standing national armies. Such forces increased the need for better organization and taxation, which reinforced the trends towards greater centralization and monarchial authority. Yet Childs is dismissive that these developments reflect a "military revolution" in early modern Europe, pointing out sensibly that the developments and their timespan reflect more of an evolutionary development rather than an revolutionary one.

With its helpful maps, numerous illustrations, and useful glossary, Childs's book is a good introduction to the evolution of combat in early modern Europe. It offers information on nearly every aspect of warfare, from tactics to personnel to logistics, along with a bibliography for anyone seeking to continue their readings on the subjects the author has covered. For anyone seeking a starting point to understanding the wars of the era or how combat changed over the course of the 17th century, this is the book to read. ( )