Forgotten War is a follow-up from Reynolds' previous work, The Other Side of the Frontier which argued British colonisation of Australia had involved significant levels of violence and conflict, the history of which has been largely ignored.

[1] Historian Raymond Evans, writing for The Sydney Morning Herald described the book as a "closely argued account" which continues Reynolds' tradition of informing the "Australian public of things they need to know, but which many of them do not wish to hear."

Evans concluded by praising Forgotten War as "an important and richly textured book - one that deserves wide reading and debate.

"[2] In the Sydney Review of Books Anna Clark wrote that "Reynolds is at his heartfelt and persuasive best here, as he explains the shared horrors of the frontier.

[4] The judges praised Reynolds' work as "Elegantly written, authoritative and reflective" which "places our history in its contemporary context".