Mark
- 23
- reviews
- 17
- helpful votes
- 55
- ratings
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Lost Realms
- Histories of Britain from the Romans to the Vikings
- By: Thomas Williams
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 43
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
In Lost Realms, Thomas Williams, bestselling author of Viking Britain, uncovers the forgotten origins and untimely demise of nine kingdoms that hover in the twilight between history and fable, whose stories hum with saints and gods and miracles, with giants and battles and the ruin of cities. Why did some realms—like Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and Gwynedd—prosper while these nine fell? Williams brings together new archaeological revelations with the few precious fragments of written sources to have survived to rebuild a lost world.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Magnificent retelling of Britain’s post-Roman journey
- By Neil Dix-Pincott on 15-01-23
- Lost Realms
- Histories of Britain from the Romans to the Vikings
- By: Thomas Williams
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
What can happen when civilisation hits the buffers
Reviewed: 05-03-23
“Dark ages” illuminated as far as current knowledge allows. But it’s hard to know anything when the written record is too often serving a later agenda. Some good reminders of how far archaeology has advanced and of its limits.
Well written, if occasionally florid.
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Under the Frog
- By: Tibor Fischer
- Narrated by: Gergo Danka
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 13
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Short-listed for the Booker Prize, Under the Frog is set in Hungary in the years immediately following the end of World War II, culminating in the 1956 uprising. Tibor Fischer's hilarious first novel follows the adventures of two young Hungarian basketball players through the turbulent years between the end of World War II and the revolution of 1956. In this spirited indictment of totalitarianism, the two improbable heroes, Pataki and Gyuri, travel the length and breadth of Hungary in an epic quest for food, lodging and female companionship.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Often very funny but is too whimsical to provide much interest
- By William on 26-01-24
- Under the Frog
- By: Tibor Fischer
- Narrated by: Gergo Danka
Sharply funny take on life in soviet era Hungary
Reviewed: 16-02-23
From WW2 to the failed Hungarian uprising in 1956, the narrator his takes us through his life under a deeply cynical and dysfunctional system. The writing is brilliant and laugh out loud funny.
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Radical Hope
- Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation
- By: Jonathan Lear
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Shortly before he died, Plenty Coups, the last great Chief of the Crow Nation, told his story - up to a certain point. "When the buffalo went away the hearts of my people fell to the ground", he said, "and they could not lift them up again. After this nothing happened." It is precisely this point - that of a people faced with the end of their way of life - that prompts the philosophical and ethical inquiry pursued in Radical Hope. In Jonathan Lear's view, Plenty Coups' story raises a profound ethical question that transcends his time and challenges us all.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating story with deep implications
- By Mark on 08-01-23
- Radical Hope
- Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation
- By: Jonathan Lear
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
Fascinating story with deep implications
Reviewed: 08-01-23
An analysis of the challenges faced by the leader of the Crow people as their old way of life disintegrated beneath them at the end of the 19th century. Highly specific but with profound lessons for us all.
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Fascism
- A Warning
- By: Madeleine Albright
- Narrated by: Madeleine Albright
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 227
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 193
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 192
A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the 20th century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as US secretary of state. A Fascist, observes Madeleine Albright, 'is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.'
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4 out of 5 stars
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Poor editing, but never mind
- By ES on 26-04-18
- Fascism
- A Warning
- By: Madeleine Albright
- Narrated by: Madeleine Albright
Title misleading but extremely interesting
Reviewed: 05-07-22
The one word title suggests something focused and technical. It is neither. Instead it starts with a freewheeling account of 20th century history and the authors own important role in international relations in the century’s closing decades.
There is a focus on the headline fascists but leaders with fascist inclinations are also covered, particularly as the narrative moves to this century.
Her recollections of negotiations with Kim Jong-il are fascinating.
The book was conceived before the Trump presidency and published during it. It’s concern for democracy and the institutions and habits that it rests on is very much centre stage. Post Jan 6th, this concern seems sadly understated.
In short, a good book by one of the great international public servants of our time that only disappoints if you were drawn in by its title rather than by its author.
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The Road to Unfreedom
- By: Timothy Snyder
- Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 449
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 387
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 386
The past is another country, the old saying goes. The same might be said of the future. But which country? For Europeans and Americans today, the answer is Russia.Today's Russia is an oligarchy propped up by illusions and repression. But it also represents the fulfilment of tendencies already present in the West. And if Moscow's drive to dissolve Western states and values succeeds, this could become our reality, too. In this visionary work of contemporary history, Timothy Snyder shows how Russia works within the West to destroy the West.
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5 out of 5 stars
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From Russian communism to Russian fascism & chaos
- By Wras on 22-04-18
- The Road to Unfreedom
- By: Timothy Snyder
- Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
Most important book of our time.
Reviewed: 23-06-22
If you care about democracy and the rule of law or just don’t want to see the world dominated by those who don’t care if it burns, read this book. It wipes the scales from our eyes with a lucid account of our history both distant and recent. With Putin’s cards now fully on the table and Trump (or whichever proxy) looking good for 2024, this could not be a more timely (or galvinating) read.
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On Tyranny and On Ukraine
- Lessons from Russia's War on Ukraine
- By: Timothy Snyder
- Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 184
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 164
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Story5 out of 5 stars 162
In this exclusive audiobook edition, which includes eight hours of new content, Timothy Snyder combines the original On Tyranny (2017)—20 lessons on how history can instruct our response to the rise of tyranny around the world today—with 20 new lessons that answer the questions everyone is asking about Russia's war on Ukraine. With forays into history, he clarifies the causes of the Russian invasion and the meaning of Ukrainian resistance, and explains the war's connections to threats to democracy around the world.
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5 out of 5 stars
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On the wrongs of Russia. The rights of Ukraine.
- By RC on 26-07-22
- On Tyranny and On Ukraine
- Lessons from Russia's War on Ukraine
- By: Timothy Snyder
- Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
Wise, timely and inspiring
Reviewed: 11-06-22
A lucid take on the history of Ukraine that forces us to reframe our understanding of our history and of history itself. Take a day out and listen in one go. You will be fully repaid in both insights into the past and inspiration from the sacrifices of the people of Ukraine in standing up for their, and our, democratic future.
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Entangled Life
- How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures
- By: Merlin Sheldrake
- Narrated by: Merlin Sheldrake
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,097
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,807
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,794
Neither plant nor animal, it is found throughout the earth, the air and our bodies. It can be microscopic, yet also accounts for the largest organisms ever recorded, living for millennia and weighing tens of thousands of tonnes. Its ability to digest rock enabled the first life on land, it can survive unprotected in space and it thrives amidst nuclear radiation. In this captivating adventure, Merlin Sheldrake explores the spectacular and neglected world of fungi: endlessly surprising organisms that sustain nearly all living systems.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Willingly entangled
- By Paul on 17-11-20
- Entangled Life
- How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures
- By: Merlin Sheldrake
- Narrated by: Merlin Sheldrake
A fine ramble into new scientific territory
Reviewed: 13-10-21
Takes your understanding of who you are and how the natural world works and gives is a really good shake. Delivery slightly dreamy but firmly grounded in science.
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1177 B.C.
- The Year Civilization Collapsed
- By: Eric H. Cline
- Narrated by: Andy Caploe
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 307
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 260
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Story4 out of 5 stars 259
In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded Egypt. The pharaoh’s army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant book: shame about the narrator.
- By M. R. Frost on 24-04-14
- 1177 B.C.
- The Year Civilization Collapsed
- By: Eric H. Cline
- Narrated by: Andy Caploe
Turns out some non fiction needs illustrating.
Reviewed: 21-05-21
Probably better in hardback, if it has maps, timelines, photos of excavations etc. But subject interesting and well told.
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The Tyranny of Merit
- What’s Become of the Common Good?
- By: Michael J. Sandel
- Narrated by: Michael J Sandel
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 360
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 298
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 290
These are dangerous times for democracy. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favour of the already fortunate. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the promise that 'you can make it if you try'. And the consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fuelled populist protest, with the triumph of Brexit and election of Donald Trump.
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4 out of 5 stars
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a unified theory of discourse as we know it
- By Stuart Robertson on 05-11-20
- The Tyranny of Merit
- What’s Become of the Common Good?
- By: Michael J. Sandel
- Narrated by: Michael J Sandel
Encourages fundamental perspective reset.
Reviewed: 10-11-20
Deeply learned and humane analysis of how we went so wrong and what to do next. Dismantles our understanding of social worth and economic justice. Meritocracy is found to be bad for the losers, bad for the winners and corrosive to any shared sense of the common good.
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Radical Uncertainty
- Decision-Making for an Unknowable Future
- By: Mervyn King, John Kay
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 116
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 95
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
Uncertainty pervades the big decisions we all make in our lives. How much should we pay into our pensions each month? Should we take regular exercise? Expand the business? Change our strategy? Enter a trade agreement? Take an expensive holiday? We do not know what the future will hold. But we must make decisions anyway. So we crave certainties which cannot exist and invent knowledge we cannot have.
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4 out of 5 stars
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An important topic we’ll described but lacking advice
- By Philip Thorne on 04-05-20
- Radical Uncertainty
- Decision-Making for an Unknowable Future
- By: Mervyn King, John Kay
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
Economics may have a practical futue
Reviewed: 27-07-20
Thorough examination of the foundations of decision theory with profound implications for the "science" of economics. The shape of a more limited but more useful toolkit emerges.
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1 person found this helpful