This book is one of the most interesting and innovative studies I have read in recent years. ... The exposition is clear and logically structured, the argumentation convincing and built up in a systematic way, the style succinct, the information up to date.
Hans Hauben, Gnomon
a very detailed analysis of the naval arms race that developed in the Hellenistic Age. ... an important contribution to the field of both naval history and the Hellenistic Period. Murray does an excellent job of gathering all of the available evidence for the larger polyremes of the period and presents it in a well written and convincing manner. ... While the work will certainly be an important reference work, it will also clearly benefit anyone wishing to lean more about the larger polyremes of the Hellenistic Period.
R. Scott Moore, International Journal of Maritime History