hjˈuːbɚt zˈæwɑːdzki, ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ ɪnðə slævˈɑːnɪk ænd ˈiːstɚn jˌʊɹɹəpˈiən ɹᵻvjˈuː ɹˈoʊt ðætðə bˈʊk hˈæz "sˈʌmθɪŋ əvən ˈɛpɪk kwˈɔlᵻɾi", ænd ðˌɐɾɪt mˈænɪdʒᵻz tə ɡˌoʊ bᵻjˌɔnd tɹɐdˈɪʃənəl dʒˈɜːmən vˈɜːsᵻz pˈoʊlɪʃ ɹˈaɪvəlɹi ɪnðə hˌɪstoːɹɪˈɑːɡɹəfi kənsˈɜːnɪŋ ðə sˈɪɾi.
Hubert Zawadzki, writing in the Slavonic and Eastern European Review wrote that the book has "something of an epic quality", and that it manages to go beyond traditional German versus Polish rivalry in the historiography concerning the city.