The New Tsar

The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin

By: Steven Lee Myers

Narrated by: René Ruiz

“A riveting, immensely detailed biography of Putin that explains in full-bodied, almost Shakespearian fashion why he acts the way he does.” –Robert D. Kaplan

The New Tsar is the book to listen to if you want to understand how Vladimir Putin sees the world and why he has become one of the gravest threats to American security.

The epic tale of the rise to power of Russia's current president—the only complete biography in English–that fully captures his emergence from shrouded obscurity and deprivation to become one of the most consequential and complicated leaders in modern history, by the former New York Times Moscow bureau chief.

In a gripping narrative of Putin’s rise to power as Russia’s president, Steven Lee Myers recounts Putin’s origins—from his childhood of abject poverty in Leningrad, to his ascension through the ranks of the KGB, and his eventual consolidation of rule. Along the way, world events familiar to readers, such as September 11th and Russia’s war in Georgia in 2008, as well as the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, are presented from never-before-seen perspectives. This book is a grand, staggering achievement and a breathtaking look at one man’s rule. On one hand, Putin’s many reforms—from tax cuts to an expansion of property rights—have helped reshape the potential of millions of Russians whose only experience of democracy had been crime, poverty, and instability after the fall of the Soviet Union. On the other hand, Putin has ushered in a new authoritarianism, unyielding in his brutal repression of revolts and squashing of dissent. Still, he retains widespread support from the Russian public.

The New Tsar is a narrative tour de force, deeply researched, and utterly necessary for anyone fascinated by the formidable and ambitious Vladimir Putin, but also for those interested in the world and what a newly assertive Russia might mean for the future.

©2015 Steven Lee Myers (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Steven Lee Myers’s The New Tsar is not the first biography of Putin, but it is the strongest to date. Judicious and comprehensive, it pulls back the veil… from one of the world’s most secretive leaders. What is most striking, given the aura of steely consistency that Putin cultivates, is how he has changed over the years…. The great strength of Myers’s book is the way it shows how chance events and Putin’s own degeneration gradually cleared the path to the Ukraine crisis… Putin emerges as neither a KGB automaton, nor the embodiment of Russian historical traditions, nor an innocent victim of Western provocations and NATO’s hubris, but rather as a flawed individual who made his own choices at crucial moments and thereby shaped history.” —Daniel Treisman, The Washington Post

“What Steven Lee Myers gets so right in The New Tsar, his comprehensive new biography — the most informative and extensive so far in English — is that at bottom Putin simply feels that he’s the last one standing between order and chaos… What Myers offers is the portrait of a man swinging from crisis to crisis with one goal: projecting strength… A knowledgeable and thorough biography… Putin himself now represents the chaos he so abhors — the chaos that will surely come in his wake.” —Gal Beckerman, The New York Times Book Review

"Steven Lee Myers coherently, comprehensively, and evenhandedly tells the story not only of Putin’s glory years, but also of his hardscrabble childhood in Leningrad, his checkered academic career, his undistinguished work as a KGB agent in East Germany, his remarkably loyal service to the mayor of post-Soviet St. Petersburg, and his reluctant but speedy climb through President Yeltin’s ministries in the late 1990s."— Bob Blaisdell, The Christian Science Monitor

superb

excellent book. great voice. the first book i will re-listen to. i hope the author continues withe the topic and has a part 2.

May be best Putin bio to date, but ...

I liked it; didn't love it. However, it serves a very useful purpose.

Putin seems to get a lot of do-overs from politicians and the press. But all evidence shows he's bad to the bone and should be dealt with accordingly.

This book does a great job of presenting a balanced view of the man; his metamorphosis from not a bad guy to a really bad guy. It's actually surprising to learn how high he has risen from his unremarkable KGB career and upbringing.

We should all read up on this man, so we can hold our own politicians accountable for enabling him and deferring action to contain him. This book is a deep dive for those willing to invest the time.

Outstanding book. Everyone should read.

Putin is a major player in these end times. This book is very enlightening as to the character of a ruthless, determined, clever and cunning chess player, playing for real on the World Chessboard.

Introduction to Putin

Great book if you don't know much about putin and Russia currently. It's more of a summary of known information than anything else, so if you're already very knowledgeable it probably won't help that much.

The books real flaw is that it necessarily tells a lot of the same stories the kremlin tells. It pushes forward some narratives because they are the only ones out there--not necessarily because they are true.

The creation of Putinism

Who is Vladimir Putin and how did he rise to power, absolute power? He has been incredibly consistent and positions/actions he takes today are incredibly predictable. He is a master of his own fate and has linked it to the resurgence and strength of Russia. It is an epic modern tale of Machiavellian leader acting defiantly against the Western version of world order.

Interesting Profile

Intertwined facts some might not have immediately grouped together in this particular way. Where has democracy gone in Russia? Did it ever exist? In seeing years of dictatorial rule one realizes a single person holds all power over what was thought to have become a free nation. You are free until you cross Mr. Putin. Then, you disappear.

Exceptional - Comprehensive Book on Putin

This book does a wonderful job telling the story of President Putin (with exceptional detail). To my knowledge it is the most intimate and comprehensive book on Putin that is available, outside of academic papers. The book is long, very long, which is necessary to convey a realistic image of this fascinating world leader.

Narration is totally fine, I felt that the pronunciations were clear and that the narrator spoke with a good mix of enthusiasm, interest and subtlety.

One challenge that stood out was the sheer number of names that one must remember throughout the course of the book (Russian names that most English speakers will not find easy to recall). But this is obviously unavoidable if one wants an accurate retelling of events.

Overall: Get this book if you want to learn about President Putin.

A Cautionary Tale

The New Tsar is an interesting retelling of Vladimir Putin's life, from childhood through his current position as absolute dictator of Russia. It's a cautionary tale, describing how someone who had patriotic ambitions converted those goals into a self-serving pursuit of power and riches; how political manipulation and intimidation became the jailing of opponents, theft of corporations, the annexation of sovereign lands, and murder; and how the farther Putin went building power and enriching himself, the more frightened, paranoid, and ruthless he became. As an American I see this as a cautionary tale; I don't know if our current leadership will end up in the same place Putin has created for himself, but we're definitely on the same road.

Well Done. Ready for Part II

Complete and easy-to-follow review of Putin and the politics surrounding the man, Russia and world powers.
Lots has happened with Putin since this release and I hope there is a Part II.

TSAR PUTIN?

Vladimir Putin is no Tsar. Steven Lee Myers has written a highly polished and informative biography but fails to convince one that Putin is a Tsar. Putin is more Richard Nixon than Catherine the Great. Putin, like Nixon, is smart and thin-skinned. Putin, like Nixon, makes personnel decisions based on loyalty, and views the world in real-politic terms.

Russia is unlikely to be ruled by a Tsar again. Its population is better educated; and aware of the value of qualified freedom. This qualified freedom insures relative social stability, and security. Russia is equally unlikely to return to U. S. S. R.’s hegemonic control of independent nations because ethnic nationalism and the desire for freedom are unquenchable thirsts. Forcing the Ukraine or Georgia to return to the Russian block or quelling Chechen resistance is, in the long run, beyond the military strength of Putin or his successors. Reassembly of a form of the U. S. S. R. is only conceivable based on political accommodation based on economic influence and independent federation.

Just as Watergate exposed the hubris of Nixon, Putin will suffer from the nature of being a flawed human being. Putin, like Nixon, is a great patriot of his country but neither exhibits or exhibited the inner moral compass that make good leaders great leaders.