Age of Ice and Steel tells the story of a handful of lives transfixed and transformed by the German invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II. It follows the parallel and intersecting lives of Heinz Guderian and Georgi Zhukov, the two most dynamic and important commanders of the campaign, as well as the lives of ordinary citizens, Nadia, Lev, Anatoly, and Sebastian. But it is far from being a mere historical novel. It stands at the brink of literature and research, an approach which was essential to emphasize differences in tactics, attitudes, characters and philosophies. Guderian and Zhukov were the new archetypes of a modernized military philosophy and the brand new war doctrines by which modern leaders rule their generals and modern nations fight their wars. Indispensable and fascinating reading for anyone interested in World War II or modern warfare, Age of Ice and Steel is the essential novel of the War in the East.