Journalist Greg Prato is a master of the oral history form of writing. He's used it write about a range of subjects from the Jets (Sack Exchange: The Definitive Oral History of the 1980s New York Jets) to grunge (Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music). He now applies that approach to the New York Islanders circa 1972-1984, a team that many hockey fans consider the greatest ever. Once again, Prato dives in headfirst to create an extraordinarily thorough and exhaustively researched book that puts you inside the locker room and out on the ice.

He has interviewed everybody from the Islanders' head coach during this era (Al Arbour) to photographers, wives, scouts and virtually every player on that team. Though this is an oral history, Prato has the unique ability to present the content in such a way that it reads like a novel. His interviewees are obviously relaxed and at ease with his questions and indeed they should be--he probably knows as much about their history and legacy as they do themselves.

If you're a hockey fan and want to know what made the Islanders so great, read this. Made up of almost 30 recently conducted interviews, Dynasty delivers a revealing and entertaining look into the lives of professional hockey athletes.