The Illustrious Dead

The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon's Greatest Army

By: Stephan Talty

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

A masterful dual narrative of Napoleon Bonaparte and a tiny microbe that pits the height of human ambition and achievement against the supremacy of nature, from the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Blue Water

“Gripping . . . Talty brings international politics and science together in a compelling story of personal hubris and humbling defeat.”—Jack Weatherford, author of the New York Times bestseller Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

In the spring of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte was at the height of his powers. Forty-five million called him emperor, and he commanded a nation that was the richest, most cultured, and advanced on earth. No army could stand against his impeccably trained, brilliantly led forces, and his continued sweep across Europe seemed inevitable.

Early that year, bolstered by his successes, Napoleon turned his attentions toward Moscow, helming the largest invasion in human history. Surely, Tsar Alexander’s outnumbered troops would crumble against this mighty force. But another powerful and ancient enemy awaited Napoleon’s men in the Russian steppes. Virulent and swift, this microscopic foe would bring the emperor’s progress to a halt. Even as the Russians retreated before him in disarray, Napoleon found his army disappearing, his frantic doctors powerless to explain what had struck down a hundred thousand soldiers.

The Illustrious Dead delves deep into the origins of the pathogen that finally ended the mighty emperor’s dreams of world conquest and exposes this “war plague’s” hidden role throughout history. A tale of two unstoppable forces meeting on the road to Moscow in an epic clash of killer microbe and peerless army, The Illustrious Dead is a historical whodunit in which a million lives hang in the balance.

©2009 Stephan Talty (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"An eloquent and vivid portrait that includes a view through the telescopes of rear-echelon commanders, the rifle sights of front-line skirmishers, and the clouded spectacles of field surgeons laboring in candlelit abattoirs . . . the finest kind of popular history.”—William Rosen, author of Justinian’s Flea: The First Great Plague and the End of the Roman Empire

A very interesting book

Overall, I think this book tells more about the history of Napoleon's invasion of Russia than about the science of typhus itself, but it's a very interesting book. I can't help comparing it to "The Great Influenza" by John Barry, which masterly describes the historical context and the science of the 1918 flu pandemic. "The Illustrious Dead" is more a book about History than about science (or the history of medicine and the treatment of typhus), but I enjoyed the book and its narrator.

Wildly Entertaining

Every now and then I gamble on a book I don't think I'll love, and end up being pleasantly surprised. I can't tell you what drew me to this title, but I never would have expected to get so engrossed in a book about Napoleon, Russia, European war, doctor practices, and disease. The narrator is spot-on and this book is so well-written, you will be amazed.

Book can't decide what it's really about

Is this a story of Napoleon's undoing or is it about a unique and once common infection? The book should have picked one and focused on it. I would have preferred the latter - indeed the notes at the end are some of the most interesting because they deal with that later path of the pathogen. As an audio book, this narration is stellar, highly recommended.

Exceptional

A fascinating journey of science and history. I dont know how this author developed his expertise in both Napoleonic history and infectious disease, but the end result is a truly gripping book.

The narrator must also be given a mention for a fantastic performance. He reads as though he is really engaged by this story, delivering a level of emotion deserved by this book.

If you like the five minute preview then you wont be disappointed.

Entertaining

It has been a long time since I studied the Napoleonic Wars, yet this book was enlightening and easy to follow. I am more interested in the history than the science so was happy to find a good balance between the two. At nine hours, believe it or not, this book seemed too short! I found myself wanting to know even more details about the battles and hardships of Napoleon's army. I guess that's another book though.

As always, I find it a little difficult to imagine the maps of these places the troop movements. I don't know if the paper edition contains maps but these would be useful in following Napoleon's march.

I loved it

To be honest this book contains more of a historical review of the plague that took part in Napoleons downfall. But the narrator is excellent, and the book is one that i found hard to put down. Great historical review of the march to Moscow.

Title is misleading

On a large scale I enjoyed this book and the fascinating, and tragic, story of Napoleon’s Russian Expedition that was brought down by both the louse and poor tactics. What I found disappointing about the book was the amount of detail about those military tactics. The title does not indicate an analysis of military tactics, rather, an in depth look of the impact of typhus on the Grand Armee. Certainly if the military maneuvering were removed from the book it would be much shorter, and more to the point of the title.

Combines Napolean's war in Russia with Typhus

So this was an interesting listen. I learned a lot about warfare and the military in 1812, and about Napolean and his Russian campaign in general. Typhus and how it devastated armies was kind of the headliner here, but it was also amazing to hear about logistics, planning, and how a Russian Winter could affect everything. Oh yes--let's not forget a megalomanic general in the mix, too! I learned more about amputations from that era than I ever want to learn again and wonder if people 200 years from now will look at our medical practices of today and think we were barbaric! I would recommend this book to anyone with a general interest in history.

Missed Opportunity

A fascinating concept, this work struggles with a lack of focus on the type of history it wishes to be. Is it a military tactical history? It provides extremely little tactical analysis and even at times makes a few glaring errors in discussing military terms and detail. Is it an operational history? Perhaps more so but lacks military detail or overarching operational concepts. Is it a case study of disease and its ability to dominate military operations? There is a lack of analysis. If anything this book tries to somehow balance these forms of analysis but in the end achieves none. Numbers feels as if asserted out of nowhere. A reconstruction of the state of Napoleon's forces or delving into the division of forces and known combat casualties to begin to weigh the scale of Typhus on the campaign is lacking (though undoubtedly disease and noncombat conditions inflicted mass casualties). A missed opportunity that makes this work overall a middling history.

Captivating

I loved this book so much I immediately went to Netflix and ordered the 2 available documentaries on Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia. Also tried to convince my wife that our family should trace Napoleon's route for a family vacation (still working on her). This is a part of history that I did not know well.....and I had no idea that typhus played such a major role in Napoleon's defeat. Books that combine disease and history are a particular love of mine, and this is one of the best examples. Talty is a wonderful writer, masterfully evoking the horrid details of the retreat from Moscow and the larger role that disease has had in shaping human history. Highly recommended.