Nietzsche´s works have lost sight of this fundamental issue, Bernard Reginster´s book "The Affirmation of Life" brings it sharply into focus. Reginster identifies overcoming nihilism as a central objective of Nietzsche´s philosophical project, and shows how this concern systematically animates all of his main ideas. In particular, Reginster´s work develops an original and elegant interpretation of the will to power, which convincingly explains how Nietzsche uses this doctrine to mount a critique of the dominant Christian values, to overcome the nihilistic despair they produce, and to determine the conditions of a new affirmation of life.Thus, Reginster attributes to Nietzsche a compelling substantive ethical outlook based on the notions of challenge and creativity - an outlook that involves a radical re-evaluation of the role and significance of suffering in human existence. Replete with deeply original insights on many familiar - and frequently misunderstood - Nietzschean concepts, Reginster´s book will be essential to anyone approaching this towering figure of Western intellectual history.