Imperial Twilight by Stephen Platt

For a book ostensibly about a war, this slow burning buildup of geopolitical diplomacy, drama, and intrigue detailing British-Chinese relations in the early 1800s doesn’t actually find its climax in battles, but rather in the very dryly funny political maneuverings that led to the war, which I found to be entertaining and ultimately quite worthwhile, altho it was a dense read along the way at some points, and I wish it had detailed more of the Chinese history alongside the British.