I hope this is the proper subreddit for this question - if not, please let me know and I'll delete this post. I already asked /r/booksuggestions but received no responses.
I'm looking for the best biography of Napoleon, but there are so many options to select from! Some Napoleon bios consist of several volumes, and I'm not interested in those because my reading to-do list is already too long. I wouldn't be bothered by a bio that skips over his childhood - I'm mostly interested in how he achieved power and his subsequent years in power leading to his death.
I checked the /r/AskHistorians book list, and there were several fantastic Napoleon book suggestions, but each related more or less to Napoleon's campaigns. While I'm certainly very interested in Napoleon's campaigns, I'd prefer books that also discuss Napoleon's rise to power, reigns, campaigns, ouster from power, and death.
Thanks for all the help!
/u/britainopplsnerf has raved about the biography of Napoleon by Alan Schom for being critical yet fair to Napoleon. The most difficult thing that I have had in studying the Napoleonic Era is how willingly many authors are willing to paint Napoleon as an absolute ogre and terrible. However, I've always held that Napoleon, while a great leader and commander, was a man that didn't fit well into the Dynastic diplomacy that he was ignoring. So, biographies are a difficult thing for Napoleon but this one is fair-ish.