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In the Shadow of the Sword
- The Battle for Global Empire and the End of the Ancient World
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
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Millennium
- The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
- Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Millennium is a stunning panoramic account of the two centuries on either side of the apocalyptic year 1000. This was the age of Canute, William the Conqueror and Pope Gregory VII, of Vikings, monks and serfs, of the earliest castles and the invention of knighthood, and of the primal conflict between church and state. The story of how the distinctive culture of Europe - restless, creative and dynamic - was forged from out of the convulsions of these extraordinary times is as fascinating and as momentous as any in history.
Written by: Tom Holland
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Dominion
- How the Christian Revolution Remade the World
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Tom Holland, Mark Meadows
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion - an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus - was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughout history.
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What a Story
- By Phil J on 2021-01-01
Written by: Tom Holland
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Dynasty
- The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Dynasty tells the story of Rome's first dynasty of emperors, from its establishment by Augustus Caesar in the last decades of the first century BC to its final, florid extinction less than a century later. The line of autocrats known to historians as the 'Julio-Claudians' remains to this day a byword for depravity. The brilliance of its allure and the blood-steeped shadows cast by its crimes still haunt the public imagination.
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So good!
- By randy hanson on 2019-10-05
Written by: Tom Holland
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Pax
- War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Tom Holland
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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The Pax Romana has long been shorthand for the empire’s golden age. Stretching from Caledonia to Arabia, Rome ruled over a quarter of the world’s population. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state in the history of humankind. Pax is a captivating narrative history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland shows ancient Rome in all its glory
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Enlightening
- By Anonymous User on 2023-10-23
Written by: Tom Holland
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Persian Fire
- The First World Empire, Battle for the West
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
- Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 480 BC, Xerxes, the King of Persia, led an invasion of mainland Greece. Its success should have been a formality. For 70 years, victory had seemed the birthright of the Persian Empire. In the space of a single generation, they had swept across the Near East, shattering ancient kingdoms, storming famous cities, putting together an empire which stretched from India to the shores of the Aegean. Yet somehow, astonishingly, against the largest expeditionary force ever assembled, the Greeks of the mainland managed to hold out.
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Awesome book. I love Tom Holland
- By randy hanson on 2019-10-22
Written by: Tom Holland
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Empires of the Steppes
- Written by: Kenneth Harl
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
The barbarian nomads of the Eurasian steppes have played a decisive role in world history, but their achievements have gone largely unnoticed. These nomadic tribes have produced some of the world’s greatest conquerors: Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, among others. Their deeds still resonate today. Indeed, these nomads built long-lasting empires, facilitated the first global trade of the Silk Road and disseminated religions, technology, knowledge and goods of every description that enriched and changed the lives of so many across Europe, China and the Middle East.
Written by: Kenneth Harl
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Millennium
- The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
- Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Millennium is a stunning panoramic account of the two centuries on either side of the apocalyptic year 1000. This was the age of Canute, William the Conqueror and Pope Gregory VII, of Vikings, monks and serfs, of the earliest castles and the invention of knighthood, and of the primal conflict between church and state. The story of how the distinctive culture of Europe - restless, creative and dynamic - was forged from out of the convulsions of these extraordinary times is as fascinating and as momentous as any in history.
Written by: Tom Holland
-
Dominion
- How the Christian Revolution Remade the World
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Tom Holland, Mark Meadows
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion - an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus - was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughout history.
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What a Story
- By Phil J on 2021-01-01
Written by: Tom Holland
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Dynasty
- The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dynasty tells the story of Rome's first dynasty of emperors, from its establishment by Augustus Caesar in the last decades of the first century BC to its final, florid extinction less than a century later. The line of autocrats known to historians as the 'Julio-Claudians' remains to this day a byword for depravity. The brilliance of its allure and the blood-steeped shadows cast by its crimes still haunt the public imagination.
-
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So good!
- By randy hanson on 2019-10-05
Written by: Tom Holland
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Pax
- War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Tom Holland
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Pax Romana has long been shorthand for the empire’s golden age. Stretching from Caledonia to Arabia, Rome ruled over a quarter of the world’s population. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state in the history of humankind. Pax is a captivating narrative history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland shows ancient Rome in all its glory
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Enlightening
- By Anonymous User on 2023-10-23
Written by: Tom Holland
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Persian Fire
- The First World Empire, Battle for the West
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
- Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 480 BC, Xerxes, the King of Persia, led an invasion of mainland Greece. Its success should have been a formality. For 70 years, victory had seemed the birthright of the Persian Empire. In the space of a single generation, they had swept across the Near East, shattering ancient kingdoms, storming famous cities, putting together an empire which stretched from India to the shores of the Aegean. Yet somehow, astonishingly, against the largest expeditionary force ever assembled, the Greeks of the mainland managed to hold out.
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Awesome book. I love Tom Holland
- By randy hanson on 2019-10-22
Written by: Tom Holland
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Empires of the Steppes
- Written by: Kenneth Harl
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The barbarian nomads of the Eurasian steppes have played a decisive role in world history, but their achievements have gone largely unnoticed. These nomadic tribes have produced some of the world’s greatest conquerors: Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, among others. Their deeds still resonate today. Indeed, these nomads built long-lasting empires, facilitated the first global trade of the Silk Road and disseminated religions, technology, knowledge and goods of every description that enriched and changed the lives of so many across Europe, China and the Middle East.
Written by: Kenneth Harl
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Rubicon
- The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic
- Written by: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
- Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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The Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world. Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall. It is a story of incomparable drama.
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Good Intro
- By Bryce Wittenberg on 2023-07-20
Written by: Tom Holland
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Children of Ash and Elm
- A History of the Vikings
- Written by: Neil Price
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The Viking Age - from 750 to 1050 saw an unprecedented expansion of the Scandinavian peoples into the wider world. As traders and raiders, explorers and colonists, they ranged from eastern North America to the Asian steppe. But for centuries, the Vikings have been seen through the eyes of others, distorted to suit the tastes of medieval clerics and Elizabethan playwrights, Victorian imperialists, Nazis, and more. None of these appropriations capture the real Vikings, or the richness and sophistication of their culture.
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An engaging written history of the Vikings...
- By Anonymous User on 2021-01-10
Written by: Neil Price
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The Norman Conquest
- The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
- Written by: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
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Great stories
- By Alex MacLean on 2022-03-20
Written by: Marc Morris
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Under the Eagle
- Eagles of the Empire, Book 1
- Written by: Simon Scarrow
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The first novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Roman series. It is 42 AD, and Quintus Licinius Cato has just arrived in Germany as a new recruit to the Second Legion, the toughest in the Roman army. If adjusting to the rigours of military life isn't difficult enough for the bookish young man, he also has to contend with the disgust of his colleagues when, because of his imperial connections, he is appointed a rank above them.
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Pleasing story, lopsided reading
- By NW_Raven on 2018-05-03
Written by: Simon Scarrow
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The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
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Iffy narration, abrupt ending
- By Micah Clark on 2020-09-07
Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
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Philip and Alexander
- Kings and Conquerors
- Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Neil Dickson
- Length: 20 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
This definitive biography of one of history's most influential father-son duos tells the story of two rulers who gripped the world - and their rise and fall from power.
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excellent read
- By jeff olasz on 2021-06-06
Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
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Powers and Thrones
- A New History of the Middle Ages
- Written by: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 24 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
From the best-selling author of The Templars, Dan Jones' epic new history tells nothing less than the story of how the world we know today came to be built. Across 16 chapters, blending Dan Jones' trademark gripping narrative style with authoritative analysis, Powers and Thrones shows how, at each stage in this story, successive Western powers thrived by attracting - or stealing - the most valuable resources, ideas and people from the rest of the world.
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Excellent history
- By Gordon Mcghie on 2023-07-07
Written by: Dan Jones
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The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
- Written by: Toby Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In this landmark work, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption into the Roman Empire - 3,000 years of wild drama, bold spectacle, and unforgettable characters. Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavish pomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohs but for the first time reveals the constant propaganda and repression that were its foundations.
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Really Enoyable
- By Liri on 2018-12-15
Written by: Toby Wilkinson
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Assyria
- The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire
- Written by: Eckart Frahm
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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At its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen. Here, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history. Assyria’s wide-ranging conquests have long been known from the Hebrew Bible and later Greek accounts. But nearly two centuries of research now permit a rich picture of the Assyrians and their empire beyond the battlefield.
Written by: Eckart Frahm
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The Plantagenets
- The Kings Who Made England
- Written by: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 22 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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England’s greatest royal dynasty, the Plantagenets, ruled over England through eight generations of kings. Their remarkable reign saw England emerge from the Dark Ages to become a highly organised kingdom that spanned a vast expanse of Europe. Plantagenet rule saw the establishment of laws and creation of artworks, monuments and tombs which survive to this day, and continue to speak of their sophistication, brutality and secrets. Dan Jones brings you a new vision of this battle-scarred history.
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Very good overall book
- By Jason Gacek on 2023-02-06
Written by: Dan Jones
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Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey
- Written by: Homer, W. H. D. Rouse - translator
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 25 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are unquestionably two of the greatest epic masterpieces in Western literature. Though more than 2,700 years old, their stories of brave heroics, capricious gods, and towering human emotions are vividly timeless. The Iliad can justly be called the world’s greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns. The Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars to his beloved wife.
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I mean... I got through it
- By Andrew Jones on 2020-06-19
Written by: Homer, and others
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The Templars
- Written by: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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The Knights Templar were the wealthiest, most powerful - and most secretive - of the military orders that flourished in the crusading era. Their story - encompassing as it does the greatest international conflict of the Middle Ages, a network of international finance, a swift rise in wealth and influence followed by a bloody and humiliating fall - has left a comet's tail of mystery that continues to fascinate and inspire historians, novelists and conspiracy theorists. Unabridged edition read by Dan Jones.
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What a book!
- By Missy Vee Elle on 2018-01-04
Written by: Dan Jones
Publisher's Summary
In the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two venerable empires: the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on and one had vanished forever, while the other seemed almost finished. Ruling in their place were the Arabs: an upheaval so profound that it spelt, in effect, the end of the ancient world. In The Shadow of the Sword, Tom Holland explores how this came about. Spanning from Constantinople to the Arabian desert, and starring some of the most remarkable rulers who ever lived, he tells a story vivid with drama, horror, and startling achievement.
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- Judy Lyoness
- 2023-08-10
Not accurate about Christian history
While the narration is good, the writer has studied only one side of his argument and presents a very skewed version of Christian history. It sounded like apologetics for the Muslim faith.
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- Mat
- 2023-04-23
Interesting but wish the argument was a it clearer at times
I enjoyed this book.it provides a really interesting look at the origins of Islam. Maybe it is the academic in me but I wish there was slightly more discussion of sources but imsuremost listeners will be glad that is not in there. Enjoyable
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- Sarah Jane Engineer
- 2022-06-20
EXTREMELY INTERESTING:
Fascinating and highly informative .
I believe that it's very important for truth to out there and assessable.
I have no wish to be controversial but so many people claim to practice a religion which in truth they know little about. Here I am referring to any specific religion.
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- Craig B
- 2022-03-25
Outstanding
Tom Holland reads like poetry. I listened to Shadow of the Sword after Dominion....both books opened my eyes and answered many questions I had regarding organized religion. I believe more now than ever that faith and religion are two separate things.
I'm a fuller person by my better understanding of the evolution of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and paganism and their effect on humanity.
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- Devon Monkhouse
- 2021-01-19
Extremely interesting and engaging.
Perhaps the best way to describe Holland is "A Fantasy novel fan's first history book" He uses the most sensationalist versions of any story and then adds a little on top.
Can't not love it. He makes History so approachable, interesting and engaging. Buyer Beware, this is a starting point in the journey of history not the last stop. It will light the fires to know more.
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- Trevor sawatzky
- 2021-01-08
It's great
Book is great if you like history. I flew through this audiobook in like 4 days
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- Alexandre Lariviere
- 2019-11-07
Solid Performance, story jumps a bit
Feels like the story jumps too much, going from different geographical areas and times without much warning. Narrator did a good job
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- Phil Webster
- 2019-05-23
An amazing look at the end of the ancient world
An epic as well told and fascinating as any modern story, no matter how fantastical.
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- Rizalde Dequilla
- 2018-05-25
Best material for History of Christianity .
I already took numerous history courses in the university on this subject that this book is still amazed me to hear it again that serves as my personal refresher course. Thanks for making this available to me.
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- Barry J. Crompton
- 2012-09-22
Another great book from Tom Holland
What did you love best about In the Shadow of the Sword?
I've read and listened to four of Tom Holland's books, he has the ability to capture a lot of historical fact and put into a way of making it understandable.
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- Jaffar
- 2021-11-02
out. of. control. prose, didactics, cheekyness
The Narrator is a stellar. The Author celestial. Must read for any anyone interested in history. Also, a triumph of scholarship. The thing good.
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- BK
- 2019-01-07
Excellent overview of the ending of late antiquity
The narrator is great, and the amount of information in this book is staggering. That said, I found it far too long, especially compared to Rubicon. That's to be expected, as the topic is so much larger, but I still struggled to finish this book. The highlight for me was all the information on Sassanids and white huns etc. Recommended for history buffs.
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- Mr Oluwasegun Olatunde Bewaji
- 2018-07-20
Extremely Good, Informative and Eye Opening Read
An essential must read for anyone trying to truly understand today's geopolitics and social turmoil
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- Rick
- 2017-10-13
Captivating and informative
The author and the narrator cooperate to tell the story of the march of religion and culture through the end of late antiquity in a way that often has the feel of a rollicking adventure.
Though the information content is dense, it comes at the reader with the pace of a good story, and the picture it paints is illuminating and satisfying.
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- Charles
- 2015-01-06
Great history
Yet another fantastic book from Tom Holland. Yet more history is made interesting and accessible. The performance is also great.
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- Malgorzata
- 2020-11-28
Very good
I was hearing this book with enormous pleasure. It is interesting and is concerning particular period of time, important to understand history of Europe and Middle East.
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