You maybe haven't encountered Dan Jones, the TV documentary guide for "Secrets of Britain's Great Castles" and author of "The Hollow Crown." And THE TEMPLARS is only the second of his books that he's narrated. But his performance here confirms Jones's rising status as a popular historian: academic, British, and a wee bit droll, but always crisp and to the point and, above all else, entertaining. Who would have thought medieval history--the Magna Carta, the Plantagenets, and now the Knights Templar--could be so enthralling? So easy to follow? The Templar saga is a true saga, stretching across continents and centuries, drawing together all the finest and loftiest and most savage elements of the Middle Ages.
Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
Duration: 15 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780525524489
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.
Author Hale presents the case of his young cousin Haley's disappearance on Cave Mountain in 2001 and the ensuing search and rescue operation, the largest in Arkansas history. Hale connects this with the murder of 3-year-old Bethany by a small and isolated religious sect decades earlier on the same mountain. Narrating these two stories in a low, slightly gruff tone, Hale weaves together family anecdotes, Ozark lore, local and broader history, and Christian theology. While the two cases are intriguing, the work lacks focus and contains extraneous details.
An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063398153
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.
Pollan is a favorite with listeners, and rightly so. He may not possess a silken or practiced voice, and he’d be nobody’s first choice to narrate Proust, but few author-narrators are as engaging or as effectively bonded to their narrative. Pollan here explores one of the most fundamental of questions: What is consciousness? This leads him to other questions. Where exactly is consciousness located? What other species possess it? Pollan takes his listener on a journey through theories and research sites, each rendered with his signature economy and precision. Some sections may require relistening, but the difficulties lie in the subject matter, not the prose. That couldn’t be clearer or more illuminating.
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217282159
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
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