Hastings has chosen many of the later stories well — stories of hazing in the Russian military, the difficulties of being a female soldier deployed to Iraq, farmers joining in random battles in Afghanistan — these all lend a personal and human touch to the experiences of those bearing arms.
Stories from the most famous names in military history are contained in the book, from Erwin Rommel to Julius Caesar, but I found the best stories were often from ordinary soldiers, often fighting in little-known conflicts and commenting on more obscure things such as the high prevalence of disease in the Russian military during its conflict in Afghanistan, or coalition soldiers stumbling on a furtive sex club in Iraq they thought was an insurgent cell.
Soldiers is about the men and women on the ground and their experiences, not the broader strategic perspective of history. As such, it brings together an often fascinating collection of heroic, tragic, comic, famous and humble stories from those who have borne arms over the centuries.
Though quite a weighty book at more than 500 pages, the stories in Soldiers are quick and easy reads and in general, thoroughly enjoyable.