There's a decidedly irreverent tone to historian Matthew Kneale's account of Rome's repeated sackings, a focus that allows him to compress 24 centuries of Roman history into a concise 13 listening hours. Narrator Neil Gardner's London refinements have their own edge of estuary roughness, and together author and reader are an inspired match, their sometimes horrific tale leavened by dry humor and a degree of ironic detachment. From the Gauls to the Nazis, the Eternal City has been a symbol and a prize, an epic that is more Brecht than Virgil. Told here with considerable energy and high spirits, it's a history rich in detail, action, and human interest, surprisingly accessible and engaging, and one of this spring's true sleepers.
Pub Date: May 15, 2018
Duration: N/A
DD ISBN: 9781508260066
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
GENERAL HISTORY | ANCIENT | WORLD | HISTORY
Quite interesting, if ancient history is one’s interest.
Born in Wales, Llewellyn-Jones is professor of ancient history at Cardiff University, and his narration is both heavily accented and professorial. His history of one of the world's first great metropolises is based on hard archeological evidence and is in equal parts a debunking and a rehabilitation. Much of Babylon still remains, in fact. While all those layers of grit are still being sifted and those thousands of mostly mundane cuneiform tablets translated, what Llewellyn-Jones focuses on here is primarily a line of kings and some epics. His research is thorough, scrupulous, and detailed. A particular high point is his retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Quite interesting, if ancient history is one’s interest.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
Duration: 19 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798318569005
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
Addis delivers a satisfying performance that will keep listeners engaged in this commendable history.
Matt Addis narrates Bayliss’ detailed but straightforward history of Sparta, from prehistory to the destruction of the Spartan hegemony in the 360s B.C.E., both ably and amiably. His resonant voice is likeable, if sometimes scratchy. And his manner is so thoroughly friendly that the program seems like history as narrated by a kindly uncle—but an astute one. His understanding and interpretation of the text are precise, and his tones and emphases are correct and helpful. Addis’ pacing is slightly slow, with notable pauses between text blocks, but given the complicated interurban politics of the ancient Greek city-states, moderate pacing is helpful rather than distracting.
Addis delivers a satisfying performance that will keep listeners engaged in this commendable history.Pub Date: May 19, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 27 mins
DD ISBN: 9798899749254
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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