John Telfer's masterful reading of Roy and Lesley Adkins's history of the 1779-83 Spanish siege of British-held Gibraltar is a model of audiobook technique. The Adkins's account relies heavily on historical journals and first-person reports, many in the more elevated diction and formal syntax of that time. Telfer enhances rather than subdues these passages, setting them off from the more neutral modern narrative. The effect is singular, and the story he tells is itself amazing, filled with action and human drama, a tale of genuine consequence. Did the British trade defeat in North America for victory in the Mediterranean? Telfer's expert reading captures the heat and uncertainty of unfolding events, and leaves listeners with something to think about.
Pub Date: March 13, 2018
Duration: 15 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780525589426
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
GENERAL HISTORY | MODERN | WORLD | MILITARY | HISTORY
Geoffrey C. Ward's audiobook version of the current Ken Burns documentary series recounts the history of the Revolution as a story, and Robert Petkoff delivers it as such. He matches its narrative flow with a polished performance that draws the listener compulsively and pleasurably along. Never calling attention to himself, he narrates the text deftly with a subtle but perceptible mirroring of both sense and feeling. Petkoff's performance is like a dish that the more you have of it, the more you want. Six sidebar essays by other authors are split between narrators Beth Hicks and Fred Sanders. While they're not up to Petkoff's level of fluidity--Sanders' performance is somewhat stiff--both are able and professional enough. Overall, an engaging, illuminating retelling of America's founding story.
Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
Duration: 22 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217165483
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Never underestimate the value of a pleasing voice, especially when the subject is history--in particular, a topic as obtuse as the English Civil War. Mark Meadows's light British accent is an enhancement and a defining feature of this well-told narrative, a sequel of sorts to Oxford scholar Jonathan Healey's THE BLAZING WORLD. That narrative surveyed the entire revolutionary 17th century in Britain. This one focuses on a few momentous months when King Charles I and his Parliament split irrevocably, and England spiraled into civil war. As a case study in government deadlock and division, these events draw numerous parallels to contemporary scenarios. As an audiobook experience, Meadows delivers a lucid, arresting analysis of the how and why of England's most tragic era.
Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217165612
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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