Kenneth W. Harl. Empires of the Steppes.

 Historical science demonstrates a regressive tendency -- from history as science to semi-medieval chronicles telling mostly about the rulers and their campaigns. Kenneth Harl is not alone; he follows in the footsteps of Simon Montefiore, Frankopan and Adrian Goldsworthy in an almost total absence of scientific reflection. 

 I looked up his book thinking that I can learn about the origins of the steppe cultures, the structure and economics of their societies, historical, technological and environmental reasons for them springing from the tribal cradles into the world arena and the reasons their for their decline. I did not find any. Even the decline of nomadic empires in Harl's book ends by the death of Tamerlane and he declares that the nomadic warriors became obsolete with the emergence of gunpowder weapons. Not so; the origins of Mughal Empire in India, Safavid and Hajar Persia and spectacular conquest of the Ming Empire by Manchus were all the triumphs of steppe warriors with gunpowder and all against their settled neighbors.