Sevastopol (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

After his involvement in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854-55), Leo Tolstoy decided to write this collection of three fictional sketches about the experience. “Sevastopol in December” takes the reader on a tour of the city, including a makeshift hospital with wounded soldiers. “Sevastopol in May” and “Sevastopol in August” continue the narrative, analyzing what war is—futile, he concludes.