The Quest

Daniel Yergin continues the riveting story begun in his Pulitzer-winning book, The Prize, in this gripping account of the quest for the energy the world needs - and the power and riches that come with it. From the jammed streets of Beijing, the shores of the Caspian Sea and the conflicts in the Middle East, to Washington DC and Silicon Valley, energy is the engine of global political and economic change, as well as central to the battle over climate change.

In The QuestYergin tells the inside stories of the oil market- the rise of the 'petrostate', the race to control the resources of the former Soviet empire and the massive corporate mergers that transformed the oil landscape. He shows how the drama of oil - the struggle for access to it, the insecurity of supply, its impact on the global economy and the geopolitics that dominate it - will continue to shape our world. And he takes on the toughest questions- will the world run out of oil before we can cope with its absence? Are China and the United States destined to battle over this precious resource?

Yergin also reveals the surprising and turbulent history of nuclear, coal, oil and natural gas, and their roles as power sources and in electricity generation. Investigating the 'rebirth of renewables' - biofuels and wind, as well as solar energy, which venture-capitalists are betting will be the next big thing for meeting the needs of a growing world economy - he makes it clear that understanding this greening landscape and its future role is crucial.

Daniel Yergin is a master storyteller as well as one of the world's great experts, and The Questpresents an extraordinary range of characters and a panorama of dramatic stories. It is an extraordinary achievement in explaining the state of the world today.