The Globalization of Russian Gas: Political and Commercial Catalysts is a welcome contribution focusing on a field known for its ever-growing importance in recent years. The sector of natural gas has gone through some remarkable changes, both regionally and globally. In the past fifteen years, natural gas has risen to a global prominence like never before, and gas flows have been rewritten. The so-called quiet revolution put the United States on the map of major gas producers. The European Union's (EU) internal market rules strengthened consumers, and natural gas has become an important source for energy transition, being an essential component in integrating renewables into the grid. For its part, Russia has been dealing with multiple challenges, including supplying new markets, infrastructure building, growing competition, rows over gas supplies abroad, and calls for reforms at home.

Thus, the book comes as a timely contribution, taking account of the development and prospects of the Russian gas industry. The authors, James Henderson and Arild Moe, are not new to the field, and their track record of previous works promise a data-laden work and meticulously conducted analyses. The book meets expectations in this regard. The authors built a solid structure, starting with the domestic situation in Russia. Their analysis of the still developing, historically embedded, and politically charged situation makes a solid basis for the following chapters. Close examinations of domestic actors, their relations with the government, as well as their motives are crucial for understanding the Russian gas sector. This feature of the book has to be really highlighted as the discussion on the Russian gas sector outside Russia is often simplified to the extent of inaccuracy. The authors’ approach is also important, especially now when we see worsening relations between Russia and the west and the exchange of information with Russia is subpar, to say the least. In this setting, many authors often treat Russia as internally coherent, naturally emphasizing energy supplies’ foreign policy dimension. Such an attitude, treating Russia as a “black box” while underestimating the country's internal workings is inevitably inaccurate. Luckily, building on their knowledge of Russia, the authors of this book paint a colorful picture of conflicting interests in the domestic and foreign sphere of gas trade, clearly demonstrating that what happens within the Russian domestic market is then palpably reflected abroad. The message they tacitly promote on the pages of this book is that anyone willing to understand Russian energy policy and, in a broader perspective, its impact on Russia's trade partners should pay attention to the situation inside Russia in the first place.

Political scientists may be interested mainly in those parts dedicated to the political background of decision-making and the Russian gas industry's inner workings. The role of individual gas companies and their prominent figures may serve as an inviting teaser for those who want to dig deeper into the topic. A fitting follow-up to this book might be a closer look at the intertwining of politics and the energy sector in Russia with regard to important figures and entities.

The book's structure is built logically, and the content focuses mainly on the development in the recent decade. The authors provide a nuanced picture of the reality for which they should be praised. In the section devoted to Gazprom's challenges in Europe, the authors offer a balanced view of the determining factors for Gazprom's strategy, citing both the European Commission's pressure and Gazprom's ability to respond to the changing environment. Such an attitude to the topic is highly valuable to the related discussion. The book also includes two chapters where the authors look at factors having the most significant potential to change Russian gas supplies in the future. Here, the focus is mainly on China and related infrastructure. The chapter is rich in data, providing a good picture of the situation. In the European discussion, which is dominated by EU-Russia relations, this poses a welcome enrichment.

In conclusion, it can be said that the authors lived up to their reputation and delivered a carefully crafted and information-rich book with a logical structure. A minor issue is the somewhat unclear target audience. For those new to the field, some parts, such as the chapter on gas trading, might be a bit too hard to digest. On the other hand, experienced analysts might find the introductory parts of some chapters a bit redundant or descriptive in a way that they might not see as necessary. The book is also rather short, making it clear that it should serve as a mere introduction to an undoubtedly broad issue. Nevertheless, the book's strength lies in a structured way of examining the issue. Therefore, despite its relatively modest length, the reader does not feel that the book leaves any major questions unanswered, mainly thanks to the authors’ succinct way of explaining things. By providing an insightful view into the most important challenges to the Russian gas sector and a view to the near future, the book poses a solid analytical basis for newcomers as well as a welcomed overview for seasoned professionals.