Tim Marshall, a political-economy and geography journalist, has penned a number of best selling books related to geography (or using geography as an entry point to discuss nation-states). His 2021 book "The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World" is the first I have read of his books. The book has ten chapters, covering 8 countries and 2 areas (the Sahel and space). It was unclear why these ten were selected (which seems a critical point to make clear for readers). The "ten maps" alluded to in the subtitles are basic cartographic regional maps with the country of focus at the center. The other part of the subtitle "the future of our world", was not well delivered on - the vast majority of the content is descriptive of history and current context, not future oriented. I have lived for extended periods in some of the countries covered, and the content is mediocre to disappointing (maybe the book is amazing on countries I do not know well, say Australia or the UK, but it does not give much reader confidence). The book is not academic, quotes and key points are not specifically cited, there are only lists of references at the end (making follow-up and fact checking impossible - readers are unable to know where the ideas are sourced). The reading lists at the end are sparse and of comparatively low quality. The source material places a heavy emphasis on websites and basic government pages, which almost certainly did not provide the material for all the content presented (for example: 1 of 11 sources for Saudi is a peer reviewed academic source, 1 of 7 listed sources for Ethiopia is a peer reviewed academic source, et cetera). I'd pass on this one. Here is an example of a future oriented comment the book has to offer:
[Australia] "This will include talking about coal. Given that all the states have coal mines, and that the AU$69.6 billion industry employs tens of thousands of people, that won't be easy... Australia could close down its industry tomorrow and not significantly reduce global pollution - it is part of a problem that will not be resolved without each country working to reduce its carbon footprint - but it would have a profound effect on the Australian economy. As such coal is likely to remain king for years to come, even as the country looks to alternative sources of energy." (p. 23)