Revolting: A Riotous History of Rebellions and Revolutions

by Terry Deary

A globetrotting, laugh-out-loud funny history for grown-ups from the multi-million copy bestselling author.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the rich and powerful always look after their own and the working people are always revolting.

But every now and again, a new group actually manages to seize power, and it changes history.

In his new book, Revolting, bestselling Horrible Histories author Terry Deary takes readers on a hilarious and eye-opening journey through some of the most significant rebellions and uprisings that have happened through the ages,


Ivaylo, the Bulgarian swineherd who managed to fight off the Mongols, slay the Tsar and marry his widow in the space of a year.Spartacus, a touch more modest in his aims, who mainly wanted to go home to see his mum.The two suffragists who posted themselves by Royal Mail to see the prime minister (a first-class idea, though Downing Street declined the parcel).
From the peasants to the slaves, the martyrs to the mutineers, Revolting celebrates the resilience and determination of those who dared to challenge the status quo through the ages.



Praise for A History of Britain in Ten Enemies:

'If you could take just one history book to a desert island, this would be it. It is laugh out loud funny' Conn Iggulden, bestselling author of the Emperor series

'Ram-packed with mind-blowing facts, hilarious characters, and little-known tales' Dan Schreiber, author of The Theory of Everything Else

‘A book for anyone who ever wished there was a Horrible Histories for grown-ups' Kate Lister, author of A Curious History of Sex

‘Not just an eye-opener, but a mind-opener’ Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Humor, Politics

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2025

About the author

A former actor, theatre-director and drama teacher, Deary says he began writing when he was 29. Most famously, he is one of the authors of the Horrible Histories series of books popular among children for their disgusting details, gory information and humorous pictures and among adults for getting children interested in history. Books in the series have been widely translated into other languages and imitated.

A cartoon series has been made of the series of books and was shown on CiTV for a period in 2002.

The first series of a live-action comedy sketch show of the same name was shown on CBBC in 2009 and a second series is due.

Terry is also known widely throughout children and adult reading groups alike for his True Stories series (see below for series list).

He received an Honorary Doctorate of Education from the University of Sunderland in 2000. His numerous accolades also include the Blue Peter "Best Nonfiction Author of the Century" Award in the U.K.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[SnarkyMoggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley. The following review is my own opinion, and hasn't been influenced by the author, Net Galley or the publisher.

I can't be the only adult that likes picking up Terry Deary's books. I see a new one, I love the humour and the way he makes everything fun. His writing style is engaging, and even if I already know the information, I don't care. I want to see how -he- explains it.

This one is all about revolution; the various ways people have revolted around the world. I will state that it's mostly about ones that happened in Europe, though there are mentions of various places. That's the only slight dip I felt while reading this. I wish there had been a bit more about other countries. But that barely causes a slip in the fun I had. The only reason it took me so long to read was because I had other longer, harder books to read first. Now I wish I had just taken the hit and read this one earlier.

This is great from anyone twelve up. I don't really see anything that would stop anyone from reading it, other than maybe two things. The words used might be a bit difficult for anyone younger, but if someone wants to... There is mention of physical assault, and the harsher ways people treat each other, but I personally think that pre-teens would be able to handle it. But that is up to the parent/guardian/librarian/teacher/etc.

Highly recommend.

5 Stars.

[A.J. Sefton · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the corny and often immature wit of Deary's other works for children (notably Horrible Histories), this book for adults is very much in a similar vein. For example, he refers to the controversial English king Edward the Confessor as 'Ed the Con' and the famous Roman slave Spartacus, who just revolted because he wanted to 'visit his ma'. But there is so much more to this book than a witty romp through revolutions.

There is a gap on my history shelf for a book like this. It's about some of the most famous rebellions and revolutions in history, plus some obscure, but important ones. Mostly English uprisings are included such as Boudicca, the events of 1066 and the many rebellions of the Tudor times, but Roman, Greek, Bulgarian, Turkish, Ecuadorian and the French are also included.

The structure of the book is what makes it a useful addition to history learning. The revolutions are considered thematically and are therefore explored in terms of cause and effect. The driving forces include an array of things such as money, freedom, slavery, revenge, protest, deception, prejudice, work and injustice and the relevant examples set out to prove the case. Each chapter starts with an historical quote, often from literature, to set the scene. Deary also makes comparisons to modern times and culture, which makes the history relevant and accessible.

This is a light way to learn about dark things. Even for those of us who know about these rebellions it's good to read a pun-infused version that often includes details we may be unaware of, in an amusing way. Great for adults and older children, a wonderful gift. History done with the Terry Deary commentary. Great stuff.

[Becki Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting read by Terry Deary. It was extremely engaging and informative and I enjoyed reading it immensely.

If you are a history fan or a fan of the author, it is definitely one to add to your TBR piled.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Ellen Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - an entertaining read. While the humour wasn’t quite my taste, I did enjoy learning about the rebellions and significant historical figures (that I otherwise wouldn’t have known).
The fun little tidbits also made what could be a dry history book more interesting.
Definitely a good beginner-level look into some of humankind’s more significant revolts.

[Emily Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, quick read for Horrible Histories adults. Lots of interesting stories and anecdotes from history.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Mel Aras · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Terry Deary’s works, especially Horrible Histories, which I still love to read even though I am an adult. I like his humor a lot and we can see them in his non-children friendly books too such as this one.

Overall, I think the book was pretty good and interesting. I have learned a lot, not only for revolting stories but also for general knowledge as well.

My only problem was that as much as I agree with Deary when it comes to certain people being overlooked in history compared to bigger names like monarchs, I do not really think that Queen Elizabeth or Queen Victoria are that overrated compared to many other male monarchs. I truly agree with Deary about their faults and real heroes are the regular folk but still I think that there are many more figures that have been terrible that are quite popular and seen as pretty good monarchs/rulers.

Another point I need to mention is regarding to Saladin. Saladin is most likely not a Turk. The best claim for his ethnicity is Kurdish. He definitely associated with Turkic culture and fought alongside Turks but he most likely was not one himself. This is sort of a controversial topic for many so I wanted to mention as it sounds like he is being called Turk. I do not know if sort of situation happens for other figures in the book.

In general, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some fun historical read, and who feel sort of “rebellious”.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bantam, and Terry Deary for this advanced reader’s copy.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has since they were a kid appreciated Terry Deary's voice when it comes to the way he talks about history, I am happy he is continuing that with a move into writing adult versions (kinda) of his books and this one certainly is as entertaining and as rye as his usual telling of history and all its flaws.

Telling the stories of rebellion and revolution around the world, Revolting gives us the reasons why people start a revolution be that money or prejudice this book delves into different causes and reasons for why people may not be happy with what's going on and it is told with humour but also with interesting facts around what happened in these times - if you want Horrible Histories but for an older reader, well, I can't lie these are perfect for you.

I feel like these books allow the author to go into the depth that of course you can't do for kids, and honestly it makes for such a good read. Bringing that humour but also allowing for more history with more depth and details makes for such a compelling history book and I just flew through the pages when I got the chance to sit down finally and get to it (I mean how will I ever forget a mob attacked the mayor of Nottingham with a wheel of cheese?)

Another great one, I look forward to more like it!

(Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC to honestly review).

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Maybe children would enjoy history lessons a bit more if it was taught like this. It was really quite good fun, and amusing, yet informative and captivating.

Terry has chosen people and events that I hadn't heard of. Some I had, but a lot were new and fascinating and led me down some Google black holes.

I know Terry is mainly known or his kids books, but I wouldn't recommend this for children. By all means teach them about these historical events but not in the honest deadpan way that Terry has.

Some of it I found more interesting than other bits, but I find that's normally the way with non-fiction books.

At just over 250 pages, it should have been quite a quick read, but it felt quite long and I don't know why. I enjoyed it, thought it witty and well researched and written, and it didn't feel like a slog, but the page count seemed to creep up slowly.

I mean, it's not the happiest or jolliest of books, regardless of the humour used. There's a lot of death and murder and torture and poverty and imprisonments and whatnot.

It wasn't quite what I thought. I assumed it would be about 'revolting' historical people, but it's about the historical people who 'revolt'.

[Selina Ryles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to thank Random House Uk Publishing , Terry Deary and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of ' revolting ' to read and provide an unbiased review .

I have loved this author from his horrible histories days and was so excited to receive a copy of his latest release especially as I hadn't heard about this upcoming title beforehand. It was so exciting to find that Terry had brought his unmistakeable style to a book aimed at adults.
It didn't fail to disappoint with the dry humour that was expected . Terry just knows how to keep readers gripped even through factually heavy material . My only issue is that I wish it could have been written in a more chronological order rather than jumping back and fourth , but I also appreciate why it was written in this way considering the chapters are so well segregated. The book brings history to life whilst relating it to the present day and I think every single reader will take on board snippets of it going forward. I can only hope that there will be many follow on sequels as it has been one of my favourite reads of the year so far.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deary's writing defined a very specific part of my childhood, probably 2000-2003?, and I immediately recognised his voice after twenty years. He still has all the charm and warmth and silliness of his Horrible Histories writing, all his ability to tell a good story crammed with provable facts, and his radical viciousness towards exploitative systems especially empire. There's a repeated theme which could easily have been it's own book: the quotable soundbite which is misattributed, especially when coined by women. Deary makes sure we know who really said it first, *then* tells us who we all assume said it. I really like this approach of prioritising the original source.

If I have a single complaint, it's that some, but not all, descriptions of extreme violence come with a slight warning. I was listening to the audiobook, and these were specifically phrased about warning "the listener", so I don't know how they look on the page, but it's very inconsistent. Some descriptions of violence which were quite tame got warnings, but the bit where a man was taken to a beheading with an eye loose of it's socket did not. Odd.

[Lori S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like last year's "A history of Britain in Ten Enemies", Terry Deary has written a book for adults but with the same wit and style as the Horrible Histories series. Like the previous book, this is organised in chapters about different sorts of revolt with each chapter describing various examples of it in history. Like the previous book, there are ten chapters, each talking about different reasons for revolt and providing multiple examples. In this book, he does skip around a lot more due to the different focus so that he is talking about numerous events from various points in history and various places in the world. Otherwise, the book comes with the information and wit we have come to expect from Deary's children's books, but with an adult spin. I enjoyed it thoroughly and highly recommend it as a starting point for those looking to learn more about history without being overwhelmed.

Thank you to Transworld Publishers and Netgalley for the free advanced reader copy. I have read and provided my feedback voluntarily.

[Charlotte reads history · Rating 4 out of 5]

History has never been so... revolting! ⚔️

Terry Deary is back with another sweeping history lesson – this time through the lens of revolutions and rebellions!

There’s lots to learn here - Deary thematically traverses the globe looking at the motivations behind various uprisings throughout history. It’s a dip into each – we are appraised of the main players, their beliefs, and what ultimately happened to them (usually a grisly end, sometimes successful).

It’s Deary’s signature wry, sarcastic style that adds an element of fun and light relief here – some of the subject matter is gruesome as the revolting are usually punished in the worst ways. But there’s a strong moral compass throughout the book too, even through the sarcasm – even if most people don’t get what they want.

Revolting was an engaging and informative rush through some famous and not-so-famous riots and rebellions, and would make a great gift for the history lover in your life.

Thanks to @bantambooksuk for an advanced #gifted copy for review – Revolting is out now!

[Rachel N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terry Deary is best known for his Horrible Histories books for children but his new book, Revolting, is aimed more at adults. In it he covers various rebellions and uprisings over the centuries, looking at the different causes and lessons that can be learned.

The book continues with the light hearted approach of the Horrible Histories, although the history behind the humour is as solid as ever. I have to admit, though, that it didn’t quite work for me – having so many different events meant that they were all covered a little too quickly and without enough context and the humour became a little grating after a while (in many ways it felt more suited to a teenage audience). That's purely personal though and I'm sure there will be plenty of people who disagree!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll always have praise for Terry Deary and how he writes history. It’s always with a flair for humour whilst being both informative and entertaining. I find these books effortless to read and again, I really enjoyed this one as I thought I would!

History is littered with rebellions, mutinies, revolts and uprising and this is the book that brings them altogether with style.

I always looked forward to reading a few chapters of this and I also learnt plenty. I found I knew alarmingly little about this pocket of history and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about it.

Petition for Terry to write books forever. Thank you :)!

Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.

[Sarahlovesbooks76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolting is a book for adults written by the famous author of the children's Horrible History series, Terry Deary. Written in his usual amusing, and often sarcastic, but interestingly informative style, Revolting covers the many reasons why people look to revolt.

I really liked the use of footnotes throughout, this was definitely where the sarcasm appeared! I also appreciated that it was often unknown historical figures that Deary writes about - and when it was a little known figure, there were often snippets of information about those more well known to add.

We're huge fans of Horrible Histories, we still often watch reruns of it and it's always appreciated - it's therefore wonderful that we can still enjoy Terry Deary's work as adults.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun and enjoyable history or Revolts and Rebellions from the creater of the much loved kids books Horrible Histories. This book is similar but for adults. I found it easier going and more enjoyable than "A History of Britain In Ten Enemies".

A lot of interesting tidbits of hitory split into 10 sections and lessons like for the sections it could be Money, Religion, Slavery and for the lessons Get A LEader, Gather Intelligence.

On the whole it was good fun and a nice, light read if you don't mind reading about molten metal down someone's throat or people being hung, drawn and quartered.

I look forward to reading what is next from Terry Deary. He is alongside RL Stine and Roald Dahl as one of my early literary influences that got me into reading as a child.

[Sarah Higginbottom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a huge fan of Horrible Histories, I was so excited when I saw this. I knew I had to read it. Terry Deary's writing style is fantastic, informative yet interesting, kids would love history if it was taught this way. There are many stories in this book that I had never heard of and had me doing some serious researching afterwards.
I really enjoyed this book, if you also enjoy reading abouy murder, torture, imprisonments and death with a bit of deadpan humour thrown in you will want to read this.

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Terry Deary and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine.

I found myself really enjoying this initially, but as the book went on I found it really began to drag and become a bit convoluted. While Deary is giving us a bite sized look at these Rebellions and Revolutions, sometimes I felt that they were entirely too quick and left out a fair bit of context needed to understand them. I felt the histories would jump entirely too quickly through the chronology of the events and it left me confused how we’d gotten there. It’s like a story, but you’re reading it with the middle bit taken out. It doesn’t work.

I appreciated the breaking down of the Rebellions/Revolution's in to different sections and picking out moments in history that demonstrated that. I thought that was good and I liked how they started off with a small explanation of what to expect.

All in all this was a fine read, but I think it’s best read in parts over days, rather than consuming in a short time period.

Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for this e-arc

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout history, the little man has rebelled against the big man and this is the story of many of these rebellions. Deary does go overboard on the puns at times but that is something I am able to forgive because the breadth of this book is huge. Yes, there are some very well-known individuals and groups here but there are also lots of little vignettes that really drive home a message. It's wonderfully readable and of a huge scope that demonstrates a lot of learning in and amongst the humour.

[Jamie Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

When reading this brilliant book, I got a similar feeling of joy and interest that I did as a kid reading Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories, enjoying all the thrills and spills of history. This book is brilliantly structured and covers a vast range of historical events as short tales, with interesting theoretical reflection and possible implications.

This was my first time reading an adult targeted Terry Deary book and I loved it. I’ll be purchasing his ‘A History of Britain in 10 Enemies’ right away!

[Beth Younge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as a history in ten enemies but this was still an interesting read and a really good historical fiction. This contains Terry Deary's typical humour and i liked how the chapters were broken down in this. The writing was gripping and i enjoyed how the tone switched between funny and serious- it was the right balance for that. This would be a great gift for those who like history or want to get into history more.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting history book, looking at the 'revolting' or 'bad' aspects of history from people to incidences. Written by comic historian Terry Deary, this one is more for older readers from teens to adults, rather than his usual books which are targeted for younger readers. Not too much 'gore' or horrors, but not for the light of heart. Has some of Terry's dark humour and comments, and loads of 'stories' of people and incidences in history, in ten categories with sections of 'revolt'.

[Miki Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of revolutions, rebellions and uprisings written in the unique style of Terry Deary.
While the subject matter could have been very droll, the writing and witty comments keep it light. Look for mentions of the first Serf and Turf!
I loved this book and laughed whilst I learned.

[Nathan Von Fraunhofer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Deary will never be known as a historian that pushed the boundary of historical thought; this book is testament to the fact that Deary knows what got everyone really wants to from History: Silly stories, tantasilsing trivia, and a whole heap of Gore

[Kerys Unwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly witty and informative. Another cracking book, as someone who loved horrible histories growing up it is brilliant to see some of his works no catered towards adults. Also what is his issue with dentists? Seems to be a recurring theme.

[James W3bb · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of the Horrible Histories books growing up, I was elated to discover Terry Deary once again. Was a joy to read and I found myself unable to put it down. Am hoping to read more of their books in the future.

[Richard Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a fun whistle stop tour of rebellion and revolutions.
Will I remember many of the dates and names? Probably not.
Will I remember the bit about madame tussaud making death masks? Until my dying breath.

Deary just writes in a way that is so easy to get on board with and I had fun with this.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly good read with some quirky comments but I wasn’t laughing out loud.

[Keely · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5