The Penguin Podcast is back! Listen Now
The Quest

The Quest

Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World

Summary

The Quest continues the riveting story Daniel Yergin began twenty years ago with his No.1 International Bestseller The Prize, revealing the on-going quest to meet the world's energy needs - and the power and riches that come with it.

A master story teller as well as our most expert analyst, Yergin proves that energy is truly the engine of global political and economic change. From the jammed streets of Beijing, the shores of the Caspian Sea, and the conflicts in the Middle East, to Capitol Hill and Silicon Valley, Yergin 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 have transformed the oil landscape. He shows how the drama of oil - the struggle for access to it, the battle for control, 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 we run out; are China and the United States destined for conflict; what of climate change? Yergin also reveals the surprising and turbulent histories of nuclear, coal, and natural gas, and investigates the 'rebirth of renewables'- biofuels, wind, and solar energy - showing how understanding this greening landscape and its future role are crucial to the needs of a growing world economy.

The Quest presents an extraordinary range of characters and dramatic stories to illustrate the principles that will shape our energy security system for the decades to come. It is essential reading.

Reviews

  • It is impossible to think of a better introduction to the essentials of energy in the 21st Century ... above all, the value of The Quest is in the clarity and fair-mindedness of Yergin's thought ... the definitive guide to how we got here
    Ed Crooks, Financial Times

About the author

Daniel Yergin

Daniel Yergin is one of the most influential voices on energy, international politics and economics in the world. He is a recipient of the United States Energy Award for 'lifelong achievements in energy and the promotion of international understanding' and is the vice chairman of IHS Markit. Yergin is the author of The Quest and received the Pulitzer Prize for The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power, which became a number one bestseller and was made into an acclaimed eight-hour PBS/BBC series.
Learn More

More from this Author

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more