Continuing the trilogy he began in Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado (Clarion, 2000), Aronson points out startling similarities between 21st-century fanatical religious extremists and the zealous religious leaders who sought to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth nearly 400 years earlier. Focusing on the lives of two prominent Puritans, Cromwell in England and Winthrop in New England, the author takes the viewpoint that "we are the heirs of the radicals, not of the established government." He is fair and nonjudgmental in his clear, thorough explanations of the beliefs of the parties involved in the English Civil War and in the establishment of England's American colonies. Because this book is filled with a wealth of detailed historical information and unique analyses of philosophical issues, it will be challenging for readers without prior exposure to U.S. and British history. Sophisticated readers who come to it with a basic grounding in history and current events should find it fascinating and provocative.