Fuelled by hatred of foreigners and all they stood for, the ferocious uprising of Chinese peasants and ensuing siege of Peking in the summer of 1900 sent shockwaves around the world. Diana Preston brings thundering to life this 55-day conflict between the 'Boxers', so-called for their martial-arts skills, and the Westerners - such as the young Herbert Hoover - they terrorized.