Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times

Vanished Kingdoms drew attention to the fact that nations, like people, are mortal. But, while alive, they all claim some kind of immortality. (…) Beneath Another Sky is effectively a follow-up. But this time it is about the whole world. (…)

Stops along [the Davieses’] way produced chapters – on Delhi, Tasmania, Texas, Mauritius, Manhattan and so on – which were combinations of present observations and more or less conventional histories. Again he tackles the transience of nations, the temporary, accidental quality of their existence. The United Arab Emirates, for example, seem to be on their deathbed because of their hopelessly unbalanced societies. (…)