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Ancient Hawaii
- A Captivating Guide to Hawaiian Human History, Starting from the Polynesian Arrival Through the Growth of a Civilization to Kamehameha the Great
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Are you interested in the history of one of the most isolated kingdoms on Earth? Then this audiobook is for you! When most people hear the phrase “ancient Hawaii”, it brings up a certain air of mystery and intrigue. Some might think of tattooed tribesmen sailing across the vast emptiness of the Pacific Ocean under the moonlight, dancing around campfires to connect with their gods, or living on the sides of volcanos. But is this an accurate depiction? Or is there more to the early people of Hawaii?
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Excellent
- By Walter W. Chu on 04-23-25
- Ancient Hawaii
- A Captivating Guide to Hawaiian Human History, Starting from the Polynesian Arrival Through the Growth of a Civilization to Kamehameha the Great
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono
Reviewed: 07-01-22
The history of Hawai’i before European contact is really a rich and wonderful story. I’ve been to the islands a few times and the culture and environment always fills me with good feeling and desire to learn more about the people and legends. Just visiting Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Place of Refuge) is a very emotional experience.
This audiobook give a really good overview of the scope of ancient Hawaiian life and culture and makes you want to delve into it at a deeper level.
The narration is really good and at least attempts to give you a sense of the Hawaiian language when examples are warranted.
I really enjoyed this work.
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History of Portugal
- A Captivating Guide to Portuguese History from Ancient Times to the Present
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Portugal has a rich history that dates to prehistoric times. The first settlers left amazing art behind in the form of rock carvings and rock monoliths. Even though Portugal is probably best known for exploring the world during the Age of Discovery, the history of mainland Portugal is rarely described outside of the country. The purpose of this audiobook is to familiarize English speakers with the events and personas that built the Portuguese kingdom, its overseas empire, and the state that Portugal is today.
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Solid overview
- By Casey Parsons on 11-13-22
- History of Portugal
- A Captivating Guide to Portuguese History from Ancient Times to the Present
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
Other part of the Iberian peninsula gets its due
Reviewed: 06-15-22
This is a very good overview of Portuguese history and shows the complexity of its rise and fall as a world sea power. I enjoyed the contextualization of the Portugal's political situation in the greater picture of Spanish, Hapsburg, and other empires. I found the intricacies of the time when it was combined with the United Crown and how Portugal had varying degrees of autonomy throughout.
I was very happy to come to know the ancient history and various peoples that made up the cultural and political aspects that came to be the kingdom and country of Portugal.
Colin Fluxman's narration was enjoyable and engaging. (Although the ARC version I reviewed had a section missing - it has been fixed in the updated version).
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Timbuktu
- A Captivating Guide to an Important Ancient City and How It Became a Part of the Wealthy Mali Empire During the Reign of Mansa Musa
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Whether we realize it or not, stories and characters from Timbuktu are everywhere in our modern-day lives. The great Mansa Musa was the most iconic king of the Mali Empire. Considered to be one of the richest men ever, Mansa Musa is not only the right answer to a commonly asked trivia question but also one of the inspirations behind Marvel’s Black Panther. Although the other kings who reigned over Timbuktu may not be known quite as well as Mansa Musa, their lives have also inspired stories we are quite familiar with today.
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How its done!
- By Amazon Customer on 12-14-23
- Timbuktu
- A Captivating Guide to an Important Ancient City and How It Became a Part of the Wealthy Mali Empire During the Reign of Mansa Musa
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
Really about the Mali Empire and Mali history
Reviewed: 06-12-22
Calling this book Timbuktu is a bit of a stretch given the entire content. It's a really good telling of Mali history from pre-empire times to modern day. There is some detail about Timbuktu but the city seems mainly to be used as a narrative element to tie together different periods of the history of the area more so than the history of the city itself. So, if you expect a detailed history of the famous city, you would likely be disappointed. Even so, I really enjoyed learning about the Mansas and the various peoples and competing kingdoms and empires of the area. The subtitle is more accurate to what the book is really about.
The narrative performance is very well done as usual by Jason Zenobia.
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History of Hawaii
- A Captivating Guide to Hawaiian History
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Just how did the ancient Hawaiians sail thousands of miles of open ocean without modern methods, without getting lost, and somehow finding new islands? How did such a rich culture even come to exist on perhaps the most isolated archipelago in the world? And is the nickname of a “beach island paradise” an accurate description of the various kinds of beautiful, intriguing, and sometimes even dangerous topographies and natural phenomena that make up Hawai'i? Learn the true answers to all these questions and much more in this audiobook of the history of Hawai'i.
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History of Hawaii
- By Christopher .W Coleman on 05-05-25
- History of Hawaii
- A Captivating Guide to Hawaiian History
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
Eye opening story about a beautiful land
Reviewed: 06-07-22
This tells the story of Hawai’i from ancient times to modern. The early history is quite intriguing. The unflinching look at contact with European, British, and America shows how these external powers radically changed Hawaii and it’s people.
This is the first Captivating History audiobook narrated by Jason Saffir I really enjoyed his speaking style and look forward to hearing more from him in the future.
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The Servile Wars
- A Captivating Guide to the Three Slave Revolts Against the Roman Republic
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs
- Unabridged
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In ancient Rome, the use of slave labor in all levels of society was a part of the natural order. Eventually, like with any other empire, these less fortunate individuals, who found themselves with fewer rights than even livestock, would find the courage to stand up and fight for freedom against their all-powerful masters.
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The Servile Wars
- By evelyn sill on 05-21-22
- The Servile Wars
- A Captivating Guide to the Three Slave Revolts Against the Roman Republic
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
Provides context and analysis of the slave revolts
Reviewed: 05-17-22
The story of Spartacus and the third Servile War are familiar to most. This book also puts that war and the two previous wars into a coherent story in a very engaging manner. I like the format that describes the conditions and build up to each war and how the Roman republic perceived and dealt with each one. The book does well explaining the culture and causes of each of the revolts and how each lead to the next and finally to a change in how Rome dealt with slavery eventually.
Very well told and Jason Zenobia's narration is excellent.
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A Short History of Nearly Everything
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Bill Bryson has been an enormously popular author both for his travel books and for his books on the English language. Now, this beloved comic genius turns his attention to science. Although he doesn't know anything about the subject (at first), he is eager to learn, and takes information that he gets from the world's leading experts and explains it to us in a way that makes it exciting and relevant.
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The Only Book I reread imediatley after reading
- By Andrew on 11-09-09
- A Short History of Nearly Everything
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
Very engaging history with lots of humor
Reviewed: 05-01-22
I really enjoyed how Bill Bryson tells this story through his writing and how well the narrator captures the humor while making complicated subjects very accessible. It is a joy to listen to and think about the subjects covered.
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The Wild West
- A Captivating Guide to the American Old West, Including Stories of Famous Outlaws and Lawmen Such as Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and More
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Many of the most well-known lawmen of the American Wild West had multiple criminal charges to their name. Some were murderers, some were thieves, and many were corrupt - in fact, sometimes it was difficult to tell who was on which side of the law. Cowboys and Native Americans, robbers and sheriffs, courageous lawmen, opportunistic prospectors, frustrated Confederate soldiers turned outlaws after the war - the Wild West was filled with all of these. And their stories are breathtaking.
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History of the Indian
- By Ktown on 12-07-24
- The Wild West
- A Captivating Guide to the American Old West, Including Stories of Famous Outlaws and Lawmen Such as Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and More
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
Lots of interesting stories
Reviewed: 05-01-22
I listened to this audiobook as part of the larger compilation: Old West. This audiobook gives a good sense of the Wild West and has many good stories. I wish it had more information/stories about the native peoples but it does have a fair bit.
The narration is very good as well.
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The Balkan Wars
- A Captivating Guide to the First and Second Balkan War and Their Impact on World War I
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Did you know that the Balkan Peninsula is often referred to as the “powder keg of Europe?” It was a term devised in the early 20th century to describe the unstable political situation in the region just before it exploded into a conflict known as the First World War. The Balkan Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Balkan League (Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro) and its allies and the Ottoman Empire. But, these wars didn’t involve any of the great European powers such as Germany, France, or the United Kingdom.
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Complex
- By Julie Pollaro on 04-08-23
- The Balkan Wars
- A Captivating Guide to the First and Second Balkan War and Their Impact on World War I
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
A good guide to this complex region and conflcts
Reviewed: 05-01-22
This region is very complex and the conflicts that have arisen there are very complicated and impactful on modern history. This audiobook does a wonderful job of clearly delineating how these conflicts arose from the different powers both in the region and outside the region that had their own agendas. The way the story is structured you can easily see the ebb and flow of different nations and peoples and how the tensions led to the various conflicts.
Jason Zenobia's narration is engaging and enjoyable as always.
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Colonial America
- A Captivating Guide to the Colonial History of the United States and How Immigrants of Countries Such as England, Spain, France, and the Netherlands Established Colonies
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Did you know that the first English settlement in the New World was a disaster? Perhaps you have heard the story of Roanoke before. Or maybe even the creation of Jamestown. But have you heard about the Spanish colonies in North America? Or the French and Dutch settlements? Colonial America was diverse, with European settlers from various nations coming to the New World and meeting the Native Americans who already inhabited the land. What were their interactions like? Was there any semblance of peace between all of the groups who called this land their home?
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Thoroughly enjoyed
- By Gail Crozier on 07-22-24
- Colonial America
- A Captivating Guide to the Colonial History of the United States and How Immigrants of Countries Such as England, Spain, France, and the Netherlands Established Colonies
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
A good overview of the Colonial American period
Reviewed: 05-01-22
Even though I'm very familiar with this period in history, the audiobook did provide some new and interesting information that I had not known before. It was told in various, engaging segments that were easy to follow. While there was much information about the native peoples, I wish there was more stories the interactions between the various indigenous peoples and the European colonizers.
Colin Fluxman does a very good job presenting the material and not distracting from the story but allowing the story to shine.
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History of the Lombards
- A Captivating Guide to a Group of Germanic Peoples Who Invaded Italy and Ruled Large Areas of the Italian Peninsula
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Why is a region in northern Italy called Lombardy? It was named after the Germanic barbarians known as the Lombards. As one of several founding ethnic groups, they left their mark on the peninsula. They established dukedoms that set the country on a path to the formation of many independent city-states during the Late Middle Ages. The Lombards, living up to their designation as barbarians by the Romans, were a warlike people. The chronicle of their history is one of battles against other barbarian tribes, the Romans, the Byzantines, Muslims, and the pope and his army.
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Great introduction to the Lombards
- By username on 05-01-22
- History of the Lombards
- A Captivating Guide to a Group of Germanic Peoples Who Invaded Italy and Ruled Large Areas of the Italian Peninsula
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
Great introduction to the Lombards
Reviewed: 05-01-22
This book is a great intro to the Lombards (Long Beards) and their history and origins. I really appreciate how the author is upfront about much of the early history draws on a single source, Paul the Deacon, and much of the early written sources were lost. The span of history covered is long but presented in a very clear and interesting manner.
Jason Zenobia's narration is engaging while not distracting from the story.
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