I am a Saudi so my review might give a different perspective about Mark's book. I was astonished by the tremendous effort he puts in the data collection and research to write his book. He travelled to different cities and met many people. It also amazed me how much knowledge that Mark has about the history of Saudi Arabia.
In short, unlike other authors how wrote their books about Saudi Arabia from their offices in Washington, Mark did travel to Saudi Arabia and met and interviewed Saudi people from different backgrounds and levels in order to write his book.

An entertaining and detailed look at Saudi Arabia at a time when Westerners (and Americans in particular) need more than ever to understand the country. I learned a lot and enjoyed the read.

The price of gas is sky-high and I admit, I was surprised to realize that Saudi Arabia has a quarter of the world's oil while the United States has just 2 percent. I knew I had a lot to learn about the Saudi kingdom and am so glad to have Prophets and Princes as my guide. Mark Weston does a phenomenal job of separating myth (and mistrust) from fact and of explaining in a thoughtful and compelling way everything westerners should know from the birth of Islam to the recent and dramatic changes in Saudi Arabia today. A balanced and comprehensive book complete with remarkable photographs, this is an impressive tour de force that is also remarkably clear and readable.