It was positively received by journals like The Times Literary Supplement and Literary Review from terrorism experts Walter Laqueur and Michael Burleigh. Steven Poole in The Guardian called it "remarkably trite" and asked "what universe is Gove living in?"
The book received praise from journals such as The Times Literary Supplement and Literary Review, written by terrorism experts Walter Laqueur and Michael Burleigh. In contrast, Steven Poole in The Guardian found it to be unimpressive and asked where the author's perception of reality lay.