The Illustrious Dead
The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon's Greatest Army
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Hoye
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By:
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Stephan Talty
About this listen
A masterful dual narrative of Napoleon Bonaparte and a tiny microbe that pits the height of human ambition and achievement against the supremacy of nature, from the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Blue Water
“Gripping . . . Talty brings international politics and science together in a compelling story of personal hubris and humbling defeat.”—Jack Weatherford, author of the New York Times bestseller Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
In the spring of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte was at the height of his powers. Forty-five million called him emperor, and he commanded a nation that was the richest, most cultured, and advanced on earth. No army could stand against his impeccably trained, brilliantly led forces, and his continued sweep across Europe seemed inevitable.
Early that year, bolstered by his successes, Napoleon turned his attentions toward Moscow, helming the largest invasion in human history. Surely, Tsar Alexander’s outnumbered troops would crumble against this mighty force. But another powerful and ancient enemy awaited Napoleon’s men in the Russian steppes. Virulent and swift, this microscopic foe would bring the emperor’s progress to a halt. Even as the Russians retreated before him in disarray, Napoleon found his army disappearing, his frantic doctors powerless to explain what had struck down a hundred thousand soldiers.
The Illustrious Dead delves deep into the origins of the pathogen that finally ended the mighty emperor’s dreams of world conquest and exposes this “war plague’s” hidden role throughout history. A tale of two unstoppable forces meeting on the road to Moscow in an epic clash of killer microbe and peerless army, The Illustrious Dead is a historical whodunit in which a million lives hang in the balance.
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From the New York Times best-selling author comes the definitive history of one of the greatest battles ever fought - a riveting nonfiction chronicle published to commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of Napoleon's last stand.
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Not a close run thing!
- By carl801 on 05-13-15
By: Bernard Cornwell
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The Enemy at the Gate
- Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe
- By: Andrew Wheatcroft
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Great Siege of Vienna is the centerpiece for historian Andrew Wheatcroft's richly drawn portrait of the centuries-long rivalry between the Ottoman and Habsburg empires for control of the European continent. A gripping work by a master historian, The Enemy at the Gate offers a timely examination of an epic clash of civilizations.
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Look elsewhere
- By Ben H. on 09-20-21
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Bloody Spring
- Forty Days That Sealed the Confederacy's Fate
- By: Joseph Wheelan
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In the spring of 1864, Robert E. Lee faced a new adversary: Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. Named commander of all Union armies in March, Grant quickly went on the offensive against Lee in Virginia. On May 4th, Grant's army struck hard across the Rapidan River into north central Virginia, with Lee's army contesting every mile. They fought for 40 days until, finally, the Union army crossed the James River and began the siege of Petersburg. The campaign cost 90,000 men - the largest loss the war had seen.
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Skip this! Get Catton's Stillness at Appomattox
- By BVerité on 10-19-14
By: Joseph Wheelan
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Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle
- By: Kenneth W. Noe
- Narrated by: Tom Sleeker
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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On October 8, 1862, Union and Confederate forces clashed near Perryville, Kentucky, in what would be the largest battle ever fought on Kentucky soil. The climax of a campaign that began two months before in Northern Mississippi, Perryville came to be recognized as the high water mark of the western Confederacy. Some said the hard-fought battle, forever remembered by participants for its sheer savagery and for their commanders' confusion, was the worst battle of the war, losing the last chance to bring the Commonwealth into the Confederacy.
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Pitiful narration
- By Charles on 10-22-17
By: Kenneth W. Noe
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The Retreat
- Hitler's First Defeat
- By: Michael Jones
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The thrilling history of the turning point of the Second World War, when Hitler's armies were halted on the Eastern Front. At the moment of crisis in 1941 on the Eastern Font, with the forces of Hitler massing on the outskirts of Moscow, the miraculous occurred: Moscow was saved. Yet this turning point was followed by a long retreat, in which Russian forces, inspired by old beliefs in the sacred motherland, pushed back German forces steeled by the vision of the ubermensch, the iron-willed fighter.
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how common soldiers experienced the Eastern Front
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M). on 08-12-18
By: Michael Jones
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American Heritage History of the American Revolution
- By: Bruce Lancaster
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Bruce Lancaster starts his story with an examination of colonial society and the origins of the quarrel with England. He details the ensuing battles and military campaigns from Lexington and Concord to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, as well as the tense political and social situation of the new nation. The American Heritage History of the American Revolution details the birth of America with insight and depth.
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Good thumbnail of the revolution.
- By Tony B. on 07-12-17
By: Bruce Lancaster
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Total War
- From Stalingrad to Berlin
- By: Michael Jones
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The powerful story of the Red Army's battle of liberation against the Nazi invader - from Stalingrad all the way to Berlin. In February 1943, German forces surrendered to the Red Army at Stalingrad, and the tide of war turned. By May 1945 Soviet soldiers had stormed Berlin and brought down Hitler's regime. Total War follows the fortunes of these fighters as they liberated Russia and the Ukraine from the Nazi invader and fought their way into the heart of the Reich. It reveals the horrors they experienced.
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Excellent history, great narration, worth it
- By Colin on 08-29-18
By: Michael Jones
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The Strategy of Victory
- How General George Washington Won the American Revolution
- By: Thomas Fleming
- Narrated by: Michael Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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General George Washington knew that having and maintaining an army of professional soldiers was the only way to win independence. As he fought bitterly with the leaders in Congress over the creation of a regular army, he patiently waited until his new army was ready for pitched battle. His first opportunity came late in 1776, following his surprise crossing of the Delaware River. In New Jersey, the strategy of victory was about to unfold.
By: Thomas Fleming
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Rebel Yell
- The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson
- By: S. C. Gwynne
- Narrated by: Cotter Smith
- Length: 24 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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General Stonewall Jackson was like no one anyone had ever seen. In April of 1862 he was merely another Confederate general with only a single battle credential in an army fighting in what seemed to be a losing cause. By middle June he had engineered perhaps the greatest military campaign in American history and was one of the most famous men in the Western World. He had given the Confederate cause what it had recently lacked: hope.
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Candidate for "My Daguerreotype Boyfriend"
- By Dorothy on 01-10-15
By: S. C. Gwynne
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Catastrophe 1914
- Europe Goes to War
- By: Max Hastings
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 25 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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From the acclaimed military historian, a new history of the outbreak of World War I: the dramatic stretch from the breakdown of diplomacy to the battles - the Marne, Ypres, Tannenberg - that marked the frenzied first year before the war bogged down in the trenches. In Catastrophe 1914, Max Hastings gives us a conflict different from the familiar one of barbed wire, mud, and futility.
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I thought I knew the battle of the frontiers
- By Anonymous User on 04-02-21
By: Max Hastings
What listeners say about The Illustrious Dead
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Francisco
- 08-09-09
A very interesting book
Overall, I think this book tells more about the history of Napoleon's invasion of Russia than about the science of typhus itself, but it's a very interesting book. I can't help comparing it to "The Great Influenza" by John Barry, which masterly describes the historical context and the science of the 1918 flu pandemic. "The Illustrious Dead" is more a book about History than about science (or the history of medicine and the treatment of typhus), but I enjoyed the book and its narrator.
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2 people found this helpful
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- chris
- 01-26-10
Wildly Entertaining
Every now and then I gamble on a book I don't think I'll love, and end up being pleasantly surprised. I can't tell you what drew me to this title, but I never would have expected to get so engrossed in a book about Napoleon, Russia, European war, doctor practices, and disease. The narrator is spot-on and this book is so well-written, you will be amazed.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-14-21
Book can't decide what it's really about
Is this a story of Napoleon's undoing or is it about a unique and once common infection? The book should have picked one and focused on it. I would have preferred the latter - indeed the notes at the end are some of the most interesting because they deal with that later path of the pathogen. As an audio book, this narration is stellar, highly recommended.
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- Joseph
- 02-24-12
Exceptional
A fascinating journey of science and history. I dont know how this author developed his expertise in both Napoleonic history and infectious disease, but the end result is a truly gripping book.
The narrator must also be given a mention for a fantastic performance. He reads as though he is really engaged by this story, delivering a level of emotion deserved by this book.
If you like the five minute preview then you wont be disappointed.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Tara
- 02-14-12
Entertaining
It has been a long time since I studied the Napoleonic Wars, yet this book was enlightening and easy to follow. I am more interested in the history than the science so was happy to find a good balance between the two. At nine hours, believe it or not, this book seemed too short! I found myself wanting to know even more details about the battles and hardships of Napoleon's army. I guess that's another book though.
As always, I find it a little difficult to imagine the maps of these places the troop movements. I don't know if the paper edition contains maps but these would be useful in following Napoleon's march.
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- Den-d
- 01-11-10
I loved it
To be honest this book contains more of a historical review of the plague that took part in Napoleons downfall. But the narrator is excellent, and the book is one that i found hard to put down. Great historical review of the march to Moscow.
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- Elizabeth
- 06-22-13
Title is misleading
On a large scale I enjoyed this book and the fascinating, and tragic, story of Napoleon’s Russian Expedition that was brought down by both the louse and poor tactics. What I found disappointing about the book was the amount of detail about those military tactics. The title does not indicate an analysis of military tactics, rather, an in depth look of the impact of typhus on the Grand Armee. Certainly if the military maneuvering were removed from the book it would be much shorter, and more to the point of the title.
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1 person found this helpful
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- S. Friday
- 06-19-12
Combines Napolean's war in Russia with Typhus
So this was an interesting listen. I learned a lot about warfare and the military in 1812, and about Napolean and his Russian campaign in general. Typhus and how it devastated armies was kind of the headliner here, but it was also amazing to hear about logistics, planning, and how a Russian Winter could affect everything. Oh yes--let's not forget a megalomanic general in the mix, too! I learned more about amputations from that era than I ever want to learn again and wonder if people 200 years from now will look at our medical practices of today and think we were barbaric! I would recommend this book to anyone with a general interest in history.
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- Dom
- 04-25-22
Missed Opportunity
A fascinating concept, this work struggles with a lack of focus on the type of history it wishes to be. Is it a military tactical history? It provides extremely little tactical analysis and even at times makes a few glaring errors in discussing military terms and detail. Is it an operational history? Perhaps more so but lacks military detail or overarching operational concepts. Is it a case study of disease and its ability to dominate military operations? There is a lack of analysis. If anything this book tries to somehow balance these forms of analysis but in the end achieves none. Numbers feels as if asserted out of nowhere. A reconstruction of the state of Napoleon's forces or delving into the division of forces and known combat casualties to begin to weigh the scale of Typhus on the campaign is lacking (though undoubtedly disease and noncombat conditions inflicted mass casualties). A missed opportunity that makes this work overall a middling history.
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- Joshua Kim
- 06-10-12
Captivating
I loved this book so much I immediately went to Netflix and ordered the 2 available documentaries on Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia. Also tried to convince my wife that our family should trace Napoleon's route for a family vacation (still working on her). This is a part of history that I did not know well.....and I had no idea that typhus played such a major role in Napoleon's defeat. Books that combine disease and history are a particular love of mine, and this is one of the best examples. Talty is a wonderful writer, masterfully evoking the horrid details of the retreat from Moscow and the larger role that disease has had in shaping human history. Highly recommended.
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9 people found this helpful