dry

While performance was great I just did not enjoy the book as much as others I've read.

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The best Chernobyl history to date - very accessible

Though this appears to be the author’s first book, it is very accessible and interesting to the average lay reader who is interested in how the worst nuclear disaster at a power plant happened without getting lost in the weeds. Juxtaposing his own trip to the plant decades later with the real time event in sequential chapters is a great vehicle and allows one to see the long term consequences of nuclear meltdown to the surrounding area years later. The reader is easy to understand with good emotional cadence. It was an easy listen. It makes for a great companion to HBOs Chernobyl miniseries.

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Fantastic!

I could not put the book down. A detailed version of a major event and aftermath. Highly recommend!

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Decent content with bad reading.

The book itself has reasonably accurate content. Factually it mostly accurate. The writing is a little bit hard to follow and seems disorganized at times.

The narration makes it hard to listen to. The over (and incorrect) pronunciation or Russian and Ukrainian names by and English man is embarrassing and hard to listen to. At best you could make a drinking game out of this audiobook. “Drink every time you cringe” or “drink every time he takes two minutes to butcher another language”. It takes away from the feeling of the book.

I am glad to see the narrator has changed for Andrew’s new book. But this one ruined it for me.

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Inside Chernobyl: what happened, and as it stands today

I found this to be an interesting book, as I really hadn't learned the full story. I do remember when it happened, so that drew me to the story. This book will be of interest to urban explorers, as it is written by one.

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2 people found this helpful

Enlightening!

In this short book, the author sandwiches slices of a detailed description of the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe with a segmented account of his own visit to the site in 2011.

The result is just fascinating. Though he does not speak or read Russian, the author has meticulously researched the topic and, in a simple writing style, renders the results with clarity. The detailed description of his on-site visit with equally passionate associates makes the reader feel that he is almost there with them.

Regarding the audio version, the narrator must be commended for evidently following the cues of a native speaker in pronouncing Russian names.

This unassuming work is warmly recommended to all interested not only in the Chernobyl events per se but also in human frailty in general.

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Most Complete Discussion Available (So Far)

I am a lot like author Andrew Leatherbarrow. I'm not a physicist. I'm not an activist. I'm not invested in politics or discussions of engineering failures. I'm just interested in the largest nuclear accident in history, how we responded, and how an entire city was abandoned overnight.
This book was put together by an amateur author and revised continually after comments from experts, journalists, and people who were there. It consequently feels undeniably genuine. Leatherbarrow sold his belongings and borrowed money from his parents to fund a trip to the site so that he could inform his exposé with on-the-ground experience. The effort pays off.
Some of the discussion of the physics and engineering redundancies that failed are yawn-inducing  - and much of the book (disappointingly) reads like a Travel Blog - but Leatherbarrow largely generates a complete, unbiased documentary that puts readers in the control rooms and in the communities surrounding Pripyat, Ukraine on April 26, 1986.

Michael Page has a growly timbre that can get irritating , but thankfully isn't burdened with voice-acting responsibilities in this recording (he's terrible at accents). Tantor Audio did a nice job casting a professional like Page to read the book. His diction, pacing, and tone are spot-on. This project is creditably narrated.

Altogether, I rate this audiobook 8 stars out of 10. The Travel-blog aspects of the book are moderately annoying (I don't care what the author's feelings were when he went for a beer with fellow tourists 'Danny & Katy'), but the book otherwise provides what I was expecting when I bought it. It was definitely worth the $6.50 CDN I spent when I got it on sale (it's actually worth a Credit).
Like most works of History, the story will require revision as facts come to light - but this book (written with literally NO agenda) will tell an average listener everything they need to know.
'Chernobyl: 01:23:40' is a great option for a long drive or a boring night shift.

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Better than expected

Easy to listen to on comprehend the technical info important to the event.

Really enjoyed it.

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