It has taken me a long time to get through this - it's very dense, but that's because it's positively stuffed with research and has ended up extremely detailed because of it. There were a few short stretches where I felt that the detail overwhelmed the narrative somewhat, but on the whole it's really quite incredible how so many disparate elements of a history, of a land, and of its peoples are drawn together to give a real sense of cause and effect. It has narrative sweep, is what I'm saying. History on an epic scale. 

It really should be read by every New Zealander.