On 25 January 1885, a Sudanese Islamic revolutionary army entered Khartoum. The slaughter continued from dawn until noon and involved the beheading of British officer General Charles Gordon. This event has often been explored in literature yet the focus has always been on General Gordon and the colonial viewpoint.This new biography recognises for the first time the Mahdi‘s role as the charismatic but flawed leader of a movement seeking to free his people. Nicoll discusses a range of issues, from taxation and the spread of militant Islamic influence along the pilgrim route from West Africa to Sufi dress code and the Nile boat-building industry, but it is the character of the Mahdi who remains at the book‘s core -the boat-builder‘s son who attempted to lead the Sudanese to independence.