Handsome, capable, and ambitious, Alcibiades, friend and disciple of Socrates, was the cream of Athenian youth in the fifth century B.C. He played a decisive role in the Peloponnesian War, turned traitor, and was, at last, murdered. Socrates was put to death in no small part because of his association with the man, whose life he once saved in battle. Thus, according to our author, is the irony of Alcibiades’s assassin and his teacher awaiting death in the same jail at the same time. Out of this history, Steven Pressfield (Gates of Fire) has woven a complex, thoroughly researched, and superbly composed novel of political scheming and the consequences of war. All is grist for George Guidall’s oral mill. He, too, is steeped in the lore of classical antiquity. He loves to dash out the impossible-to-pronounce names and places of the Mediterranean and to sink his teeth into the well-drawn characters, making them approachable but not anachronistic. Marvelous achievements for both writer and narrator.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 17 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
