Books on newsy topics by big-name authors tend to dominate the literary pages of our newspapers, often in a glut a week or two before publication day. So it has been something of a surprise not to have seen a single review in the mainstream UK press of Douglas Murray’s new book about the Israel-Hamas war, On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization.

The book was published in Britain and in the US in early April. Murray, an ardent supporter of Israel who has written extensively about the threat of Islam to Western democracy, and who has reported from the front lines of the wars in both Ukraine and Israel, appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to mark the occasion. He spent over three hours debating — sometimes heatedly — the libertarian comedian Dave Smith.

Murray’s main point on the podcast, aside from the topic of the Israel-Hamas war, was whether people who don’t know what they’re talking about should express their dubious views on platforms like Rogan’s without being challenged. Rogan and podcasters like him, asserted Murray, have become so influential that they have a responsibility to at least question some of their guests’ opinions.

The podcast duly went viral — with over four million views at the time of writing — and the next day US President Donald Trump gave Murray’s book a shining endorsement on his Truth Social account, calling it “a powerful read from a Highly Respected author”. Unsurprisingly, On Democracies and Death Cults has ascended the bestseller lists both in the UK and in the US, as the Murray publicity machine — he’s nothing if not tirelessly self-publicising — has worked flat out. He’s appeared on TV news channels all over the world, done countless interviews, appeared on podcasts including Sam Harris’s Making Sense, written his own promotional pieces, and yet there are still no reviews in major British outlets.

Is it because the literary editors of newspapers like the Times, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Financial Times, and Guardian have been too scared to dip their toes into what they may regard as a highly divisive and controversial subject? Surely not. Could it be a personal dislike of the author? Again, that seems unlikely given any one of them could have commissioned a hatchet job if they so desired. Perhaps they feel Murray doesn’t need any more publicity; he’s certainly doing a great job without them.

The Observer and the Guardian might be forgiven for steering clear as Murray has only just settled a claim with the parent company, Guardian News and Media, winning “substantial” damages after Kenan Malik misquoted him in an article, suggesting that he had spoken in favour of the 2024 riots across Britain. Murray has appeared on the BBC’s Newsnight this month, as well as Times Radio, yet the lack of reviews is still curious. It may be sheer coincidence, but it still feels like a deliberate and glaring omission.

Meanwhile, Murray’s book has been banned in several Berlin bookshops, according to a reporter who tried to buy a copy of it there only to be told by a staff member in one of the shops that it was “too Right-wing” to be stocked.

It’s a shame, because the book tells a deeply affecting story of human tragedy with great clarity. Murray flew to Israel immediately after 7 October, and over the next weeks and months he interviewed many of the surviving victims and family members of the hostages, along with IDF soldiers and even some of the terrorists, before turning his lens on the response from the West.

Whatever the reasons are for the no-show of reviews here, the good news for Murray is that it seems not to have dented book sales. In fact, it rather proves the point he made during his discussion with Rogan: podcasters have the power now.

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