Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy | 
| Author: Matthew R. Simmons
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  93 reviews
Sales Rank: 4096
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0471790184
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.272809538
EAN: 9780471790181
ASIN: 0471790184
Publication Date: June 5, 2006
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Product Description
Twilight in the Desert reveals a Saudi oil and production industry that could soon approach a serious, irreversible decline. In this exhaustively researched book, veteran oil industry analyst Matthew Simmons draws on his three-plus decades of insider experience and more than 200 independently produced reports about Saudi petroleum resources and production operations. He uncovers a story about Saudi Arabia’s troubled oil industry, not to mention its political and societal instability, which differs sharply from the globally accepted Saudi version. It’s a story that is provocative and disturbing, based on undeniable facts, but until now never told in its entirety. Twilight in the Desert answers all readers’ questions about Saudi oil and production industries with keen examination instead of unsubstantiated posturing, and takes its place as one of the most important books of this still-young century.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 88 more reviews...
 a must read July 18, 2008
if you really want to understand why oil prices have risen and are likely to stay high for a long time, this is a must read. for some reason, americans feel as if they have a divine right to cheap fuel; we are 5% of the world's populationa and consume 25% of each year's oil production. as large parts of the world economy expand outside of the US, we will be competing for oil resources and since we produce hardly any oil ourselves, we can bid for oil at the going price or go without. the book is a call to arms for the US to realize the facts and do something before the crisis overwhelms us.
Saudi Oil Shock June 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Matthew R. Simmons is one of the smartest oil men on earth. He knows more about Saudi Aramco Oil Company than I do and I lived in Saudi Arabia for 18 years. I love the title, Twilight in the Desert, it's sometimes twilight that's the most beautiful in Sauid Arabia. In the empty quarter, away from all city lights you can see a billion stars. I am a romantic when I remember the most beautiful sight in the world, nightime flare off from the Riyadh Refinery! It's beautiful. This is just a quick review to say that I believe Mr. Simmons is right. 100% right about Saudi Aramco. My concerns about this book is that it doesn't talk about water enough. Saudi's big problems are about water. Water tables are falling. In some places, as much as 16 feet per year. I believe Saudi Arabia might stop exporting by 2018. I have no way of knowing this. It's just a feeling from having worked for Saudi Aramco Oil Company. Regards, Keith Renick, Peachtree City, Ga.
 OIL! June 19, 2008
0 out of 8 found this review helpful
OH BOY. WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF OIL. AGAIN. GOTTA KEEP THOSE PRICES UP UP UP!
WHAT YOU NEED IS A BICYCLE AND A BUS PASS IN SUNNY TAMPA FLA. AND ANOTHER COLD BEER...
MAYBE THE BUS WILL BE A HYBRID RUNNING ON B80 BIO-DIESEL.
DON'T WORRY JUST BE HAPPY...
Long but worth it May 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a fairly long and detailed book on Saudi oil production. It talks about all of the different oilfields from both an historical and current point of view. Of course the fame of this book lies in the fact that it suggests the strong possibility that some Saudi oilfields may be much closer to depletion or decline than we are led to believe. That's basically a peak oil issue. However, I found the book to be interesting on a different level also. Everyone knows that Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil producing country, but very few people probably know what the oil industry is like there. This book gives a feel for what the oilfields and related processing plants are actually like. In any case, if you are interested in peak oil, you will probably want to get around to reading this book at some point since it is referenced in a lot of other works.
 Twilight, but not yet! April 18, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is well written, with a lot of research....however, I do not completely agree with the author's conclusions. A book on Peak Oil. Well worth reading, but the author does not take into account the progress of technology and its significance in extracting the precious oil from the ground.
Many people do not understand that oil fields left behind by oil companies still retain a great deal of the original estimates locked within its stone. The problem is that it becomes too expensive to extract for use in the economy. That will change. Further, the US has enough oil shale to rival the largest fields in the world....additionally, the US has its own tar sands that few know about. For that matter, Russia owns two large tar sands regions within its borders. Then there is the most recent, unconfirmed, find from Petrobras off-shore of Brazil that is reputed to have ~33 billion barrels of reserves......although this remains to be proven. But it does not discount the Tupi field of the Brazilians, who are about to become major oil exporters in the next several years.
If you just take "conventional" oil and current "conventional" extraction methods, his book has a lot of credence....however, things never remain static and companies are investing large sums of money to find new ways of extracting oil from known fields that are dormant.
Good book, worth reading, but should be read in conjunction with opposing viewpoints as well.
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