A page-turning, headline-making narrative on the Yom Kippur War that is, all at once, a war drama, a political history, as well as an espionage story.

The Yom Kippur War is a turning point in the history of the Middle East -- and a conflict that continues to influence and shape Israeli - Arab relations and the prospects for peace.

In October 1973, a coalition of Arab armies caught Israel in an inventive surprise attack. More than 80,000 highly trained Egyptian troops crossed the “impregnable” Suez Canal in a daring offensive that overran the Israeli forts and penetrated deep into the Sinai Peninsula. In the north, Syrian tank brigades rushed through the weak Israeli lines and stood poised to storm major cities. And the vaunted Israeli Air Force was shattered by the sophisticated missile defence systems that protected the Syrian and Egyptian lines: one third of all its fighter jets were shot down in the first two days of the war.

By the end of the third day of the fighting, as an Israeli counterattack in the Sinai failed totally, the leaders of Israel were convinced that not only was defeat imminent, but also the end of the Jewish state. Prime Minister Golda Meir, after the terms of surrender were outlined in a cabinet meeting, acquired a suicide pill. Defence Minister Moshe Dayan told the cabinet that “the destruction of the Third Temple is at hand” and ordered Jericho missiles armed with atomic warheads prepared for launching: If Israel is no longer to exist, he will destroy the Arab world too.

Yet even as Israel was on the verge of being annihilated, it began to fight back. In a series of dramatic battles on the land, sea, and air Israel turned the tide. In the north, 7 tanks hold off 178 Syrian tanks for two days -- and when Israeli reinforcements finally arrive they push on to the outskirts of Damascus. While in the south, the largest tank battle in history takes place -- and after three days of constant brutal fighting Israeli forces recross the canal and penetrate into Egypt.

This is a big, sprawling and important tale -- and one that has never before been told in a popular book. It is story that will attract attention because of the news it will reveal -- the account, for example, of a daring Egyptian double agent who fooled the Mossad. And it will be of interest because the events in this war continue to influence how both Arabs and Jews think about peace today.

But most compelling is the way New York Times-bestselling author Howard Blum tells this story: as a self-contained dramatic narrative about Arabs and Jews, a story about love, war, and courage and the possibility of peace.

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