This work investigates the complex political maneuvers and personal psychology of Abdul Hamid II, the last absolute monarch of the Ottoman Empire. Joan Haslip, a biographer known for her focus on European and Middle Eastern historical figures, utilizes archival records and contemporary accounts to reconstruct the Sultan's reign. The text argues that Abdul Hamid II was a pragmatic, if paranoid, ruler attempting to preserve a crumbling empire against internal dissent and external imperial pressures.

Historians and readers often note that this biography provides a readable, narrative-driven account of a notoriously difficult historical figure. While some scholars suggest the work lacks the analytical rigor of more recent academic studies, it remains a frequently cited entry point for those interested in the final decades of the Ottoman Sultanate.