Holland's sensationalistic, even profane, account of the first five Caesars takes all the scurrilous stories about the emperors at face value--but still gives insightful, thought-provoking takes on such notorious figures as Caligula and Nero. Narrator Derek Perkins's strong voice, clipped accent, and brisk pacing keep the narrative vivid and energetic. His reading makes the history into something between a news dispatch and a compelling novel--it's anything but dry--and he has the intelligence to deliver handily both the historical detail and Holland's interesting interpretations of character. He manages to carry off Holland's occasional use of four-letter words without discomfort. This is lurid popular history built on a solid intellectual frame, and Perkins has the gifts to handle all of it. W.M.
Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2015
Duration: 16 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781504653633
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This is history for the modern listener, clear, efficient, and reliable.
There’s something calming about listening to ancient history, as this well-researched audiobook amply demonstrates. Mark Elstob’s polished, quietly nuanced narration maintains distance and balance while giving full weight to the narrative’s many fine details. Elstob has narrated two of Goldsworthy’s previous audiobooks, companion histories of the long competition between Rome and Persia. He perfectly matches this prolific popular historian’s lucid and impartial narrative style and his knack for balancing a panoramic view with a close recreation of place and action. The long, contentious rivalry between Athens and Sparta turned victory over Persia into division and civil strife.
This is history for the modern listener, clear, efficient, and reliable.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Duration: 20 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549135439
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Author/narrator William Dalrymple shares his fascination with the remarkable history of India's profound worldwide intellectual influence. His idiosyncratic and charming British speech and manner, along with his amiability and intelligence, are engaging throughout. His pacing and phrasing are natural, unaffected, and dictated by the material. He varies longish pauses--which allow the listener to absorb the sometimes complex details--with shorter sentences expressing excitement. His emphasis and shading of words, and his occasional deeply felt reactions, mirror the sense of the text and, therefore, illuminate it. The clear, unpretentious narration that takes the listener through this wide-ranging story of the spread of Indian religion, art, philosophy, mathematics, and science makes for an educational pleasure.
Pub Date: April 29, 2025
Duration: 13 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781639734689
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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