The gathering storm is the first book of a six book series written by churchill about world war ii it is unique because the other major players stalin roosevelt mussolinidid not write about it at publication is was taken as a historical work but today it should probably be read more as a memoir i am on a wwii reading jag right now. These two factors combine to make the gathering storm a unique work the first volume of churchills memoirs this selection is broken into two parts the first from war to war consists of churchills critical observations on the settlement of world war i and its place in the causes of the second world war