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  • Prisoners of the Castle

  • An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis' Fortress Prison
  • Written by: Ben Macintyre
  • Narrated by: Ben Macintyre
  • Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (40 ratings)

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Prisoners of the Castle

Written by: Ben Macintyre
Narrated by: Ben Macintyre
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Publisher's Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “entertaining yet objective and often-moving account” (The Wall Street Journal) of one of history’s most notorious prisons—and the remarkable cast of POWs who tried relentlessly to escape their captors, from the author of The Spy and the Traitor

“Not since Ian Fleming and John le Carré has a spy writer so captivated readers.”—The Hollywood Reporter

In this gripping narrative, Ben Macintyre tackles one of the most famous prison stories in history and makes it utterly his own. During World War II, the German army used the towering Colditz Castle to hold the most defiant Allied prisoners. For four years, these prisoners of the castle tested its walls and its guards with ingenious escape attempts that would become legend.

But as Macintyre shows, the story of Colditz was about much more than escape. Its population represented a society in miniature, full of heroes and traitors, class conflicts and secret alliances, and the full range of human joy and despair. In Macintyre’s telling, Colditz’s most famous names—like the indomitable Pat Reid—share glory with lesser known but equally remarkable characters like Indian doctor Birendranath Mazumdar whose ill treatment, hunger strike, and eventual escape come across like fiction; Florimond Duke, America’s oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent; and Christopher Clayton Hutton, the brilliant inventor employed by British intelligence to manufacture covert escape aids for POWs.

Prisoners of the Castle traces the war’s arc from within Colditz’s stone walls, where the stakes rose as Hitler’s war machine faltered and the men feared that liberation would not come soon enough to spare them a grisly fate at the hands of the Nazis. Bringing together the wartime intrigue of his acclaimed Operation Mincemeat and keen psychological portraits of his bestselling true-life spy stories, Macintyre has breathed new life into one of the greatest war stories ever told.

©2022 Ben Macintyre (P)2022 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“In retelling the story of Colditz, [Macintyre] makes it his own. [An] entertaining yet objective and often-moving account.”The Wall Street Journal

“Not since Ian Fleming and John le Carré has a spy writer so captivated readers.”The Hollywood Reporter

“Macintyre details the famous escapes, but, just as importantly, gives a vivid picture of everyday life in what became Germany’s most elite prison. Set aside a few hours for this book, since once you start reading, you will not stop until the last page.”AirMail

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  • LNM
  • 2022-11-17

easy listening and interesting story

if you are looking for a good book on WWII history this is an easily digestible story

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  • Jay
  • 2022-09-18

As always, Captivating

I have enjoyed every book Ben Macintyre has written and this one did not fail to keep my attention. With many themes rolled into one riveting tale of a castle that housed some truly eccentric and unique characters this story was funny, heart warming, depressing, and all together engaging.

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Colditz history.

Interesting history. Well written. I wonder if the the paper copy includes photographs? Pictures would enhance visualization.

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Amazing story by an amazing author!

The book grips to from the beginning. Fantastic research. Nice voice. I very much like when the author reads his own book.

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Fundamentally differs from spy bios.

Having heard and hugely enjoyed all of McIntyre's books on Audible, I preordered this one in happy anticipation. There is a fundamental divergence by this book from the others: it is about one place, not one character moving around from setting to setting in constant fear or exposure or capture. I don't fault the author, given the limitation of the subject matter, being primarily the setting. There is a cast of hundreds of brave ingenious inmates (and guards) who literally don't go anywhere and become a salad of characterization.

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Outstanding

As usual for Ben MacIntyre, very well researched, written and narrated. A really interesting account of the lives of these prisoners of war…and so many escapes! I found myself study the castle’s layout to picture them. Also learned about how coded messages were sent to/from the POWs, and how contraband was snuck in. Eye opening.

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  • David Green
  • 2022-10-08

Another great Ben Macintyre book

Ben Macintyre is masterful at making history come alive. Each character is respectfully represented and the reader comes away with the sense of knowing these amazing people, not merely knowing about them. Although this particular tale of WWII is relatively well-known, the stories of the people at Colditz have never been better told. Macintyre is great at weaving in elements like social class, race, politics, and religion, and the impact of those realities which have always and still drive human behavior, especially in extraordinary circumstances. It’s also just a very stirring adventure story, and it was great to hear it read by the author. Well done, and I can’t wait for the next Ben Macintyre book!

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  • Steve
  • 2022-09-28

Another chapter of history brought to life by a master

After discovering Mr. Macintyre’s work, “Rogue Heroes,” I have devoured every one of his books, in audiobook format. This latest work is no exception to his brilliance. As great a narrator as he is an author, Macintyre can distill epic stories played out over years by large casts of characters into engaging, detailed narrative that never loses his audience. His is a unique blend of journalistic observation, heartbreaking insights and laugh-out-loud turns of phrase. I want to visit Colditz castle now, because I feel like I’ve already been given the audio tour, and I want to see where these remarkable events happened.

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  • LDH
  • 2022-09-28

Excellent

The story never lagged but kept my interest all the way through. I even listened to the credits. The reader was pitch perfect for this material. Highly recommended.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2022-10-06

Fabulous

I was as captivated by the story as the prisoners were by the castle!! Never a dull moment from beginning to end!

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  • Ash
  • 2022-09-24

Macintyre at his best !

I enjoy all of Ben Macintyre books and this was no different. Extensively researched and beautifully written. Ben is a very underrated narrator and would love to hear him narrate more. Well worth your credit !

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  • Barry M.
  • 2023-11-30

A Unique History Story

For those interested in Colditz this is interesting and enlightening in some unexpected ways as well.

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 2023-11-09

JUST FABULOUS

OMGOSH what a story. I have fallen in love with Ben MacIntyre..... what an incredible story of men in one of the darkest days of the world's history. He has done a stellar job of researching this subject and the characters (ie, real people) just come alive. I hated hearing when someone died and I was rooting for the escapees. When an escape failed, I almost cried. BM is an outstanding author.

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  • Jeffrey R. Bednar
  • 2023-09-02

Excellent History

This is an often told tale done better than it has ever been previously.

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  • Mary C. Baque
  • 2023-07-10

Great read

I really enjoyed the depth of the research that was done by the author great story It’s amazing what humans can endure when pressed into survival mode .

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  • tarheel_65
  • 2023-07-09

Another great listen from Ben Macintyre!

A story wonderfully told (and read) by Ben Macintyre. I rank it up there with Double Cross.
A ‘must listen’ for those who love to mine WW II non-fiction.

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