
The Parthian
Parthian Chronicles series, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Michael Page
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By:
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Peter Darman
About this listen
When Rome transgresses upon his father's domain that lays between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Pacorus, a prince of the Parthian Empire, is sent to exact revenge. After a string of victories, Pacorus and his men are captured in Cappadocia, clapped in chains, and sent to Italy to live out the rest of their days as slaves.
But fate intervenes and Pacorus and his companions are saved from a living hell by a renegade gladiator named Spartacus. In gratitude, Pacorus agrees to help Spartacus build his army as Rome musters its legions to crush the slave uprising. And so begins an epic adventure of glory and savagery played out across the length and breadth of Italy, as Spartacus defeats the armies of Rome and Pacorus leads his horsemen to victory after victory.
But will Pacorous and the slave army escape from Italy, and will he win the love of the fierce and proud Gallia before the most powerful man in Rome, Marcus Licinius Crassus, takes the field against Spartacus?
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- East Indiaman Saga, Book 1
- By: Griff Hosker
- Narrated by: Alan Medcroft
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In the unforgiving docklands of east London, young orphan William must do all he can to survive. Like the other ‘wharf rats', his life of petty crime is not a choice; it's a necessity. But William's misdeeds won't remain hidden for long. When the boy unknowingly steals from a murderous pirate captain, escape is his only option. He is forced to stow away and begin a life that will take him to the far side of the world; a life as a soldier of the East India Company.
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Most enjoyable
- By Benad Shoef on 03-10-25
By: Griff Hosker
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Warlords of Ancient Mexico
- How the Mayans and Aztecs Ruled for More Than a Thousand Years
- By: Peter G. Tsouras
- Narrated by: Paul Christy
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Learn the unbelievable true history of the great warrior tribes of Mexico. More than 13 centuries of incredible spellbinding history are detailed in this intriguing study of the rulers and warriors of Mexico. Dozens of these charismatic leaders of nations and armies are brought to life by the deep research and entertaining storytelling of Peter Tsouras. Tsouras introduces the reader to the colossal personalities of the period.
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Written in 1996. Narration disrespectful
- By Amazon Customer on 04-30-20
By: Peter G. Tsouras
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The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes
- The Ancient World Economy and the Empires of Parthia, Central Asia and Han China
- By: Raoul McLaughlin
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes investigates the trade routes between Rome and the powerful empires of inner Asia, including the Parthian regime which ruled ancient Persia (Iran). It explores Roman dealings with the Kushan Empire which seized power in Bactria (Afghanistan) and laid claim to the Indus Kingdoms. Further chapters examine the development of Palmyra as a leading caravan city on the edge of Roman Syria and consider trade ventures through the Tarim territories that led Roman merchants to Han China.
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An arduous trek through Eurasia
- By Eternl Rayne on 12-27-19
By: Raoul McLaughlin
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The Forgotten Legion
- Forgotten Legion Chronicles 1
- By: Ben Kane
- Narrated by: Michael Praed
- Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery after their mother is raped by a drunken nobleman on his way home from a good night out. At 13 years old, they and their mother are sold: Romulus to gladiator school, Fabiola into prostitution, where she will catch the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome, and their mother into obscurity and death in the salt mines. Tarquinius is an Etruscan, a warrior and soothsayer, born enemy of Rome, but doomed to fight for the Republic in the Forgotten Legion.
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can't stop listening
- By mark malcolm on 07-22-24
By: Ben Kane
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Warrior: The Epic Story of Caratacus, Warrior Briton and Enemy of the Roman Empire
- By: Simon Scarrow, T. J. Andrews
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The Romans invaded Britannia in AD 43 confident of victory. They swept through a divided and ill-equipped enemy, scattered across tough terrain. But one man was not prepared to surrender. Caratacus - quick-witted youngest son of a a tribal king - had been trained from birth to be a warrior of power and grit. Sent to be schooled by the Druids in his boyhood, his training meant that an already strong and cunning prince returned to his father's kingdom as a war machine.
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Gripping action
- By maydaygray on 09-13-23
By: Simon Scarrow, and others
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The Rise and Fall of Alexandria
- Birthplace of the Modern Mind
- By: Justin Pollard, Howard Reid
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.
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A good listen
- By Jeffrey on 10-02-08
By: Justin Pollard, and others
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Exile
- The Last Roman, Book 1
- By: B.K. Greenwood
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Some debts you cannot repay, even if you live forever. Seasoned imperial officer Marcus Sempronius Gracchus leads the 9th Roman Legion into a bloody battle against a fierce barbarian tribe. It's a battle he won't survive. When he awakens three days later, clawing his way from a shallow grave, Marcus must face the reality of his new existence. He will never see the afterlife...but that won't stop him from dying time and again over the next 2,000 years.
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An interesting twist on a variety of storylines
- By Chris D. on 05-10-22
By: B.K. Greenwood
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Red Land, Black Land
- Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
- By: Barbara Mertz
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 14 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Esteemed Egyptologist Barbara Mertz updates her widely praised social history of the people of ancient Egypt, which was originally published in 1968. Combining impeccable scholarship with a delightfully personal style, the author reconstructs the life of the Egyptians from birth to death, and beyond death, too.
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Brilliant
- By Elizabeth on 04-03-10
By: Barbara Mertz
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God's Hammer
- Hakon's Saga, Book 1
- By: Eric Schumacher
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 935 A.D., and the North is in turmoil. King Harald Fairhair has died, leaving the High Seat of the realm to his murderous son, Erik Bloodaxe. To solidify his claim, Erik ruthlessly disposes of all claimants to his throne, save one: his youngest brother Hakon. Erik's surviving enemies send a ship to Wessex, where the Christian King Athelstan is raising Hakon. Unable to avoid his fate, he returns to the Viking North to face his brother and claim his birthright, only to discover that victory will demand sacrifices beyond his wildest nightmares.
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A story of the Vikings and the Christians
- By Carolynn on 11-14-18
By: Eric Schumacher
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The Enchanting of Miss Elliot
- A Friends to Lovers Historical RomCom
- By: Grace Hitchcock
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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She thought he was her forever—he had other plans. Of all the dares Lorna Elliot had accepted, becoming a Harvey Girl waitress was by far the dumbest—and she’d pulled some pretty foolhardy antics. Her back was sore. Her feet were swollen. And she had done it to herself in a fit of pique over a Texas Ranger who was mooning over another woman. Lorna had longed for distraction at the time, but after weeks of training, she might keel over and die in the middle of the dining room floor with a plate of apple pie in one hand and a pot of coffee in the other. But, she’s an Elliot. And ...
By: Grace Hitchcock
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Lords of the Sea
- The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy
- By: John R. Hale
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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The navy created by the people of Athens in ancient Greece was one of the finest fighting forces in the history of the world and the model for all other national navies to come. The Athenian navy built a civilization, empowered the world's first democracy, and led a band of ordinary citizens on a voyage of discovery that altered the course of history.
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Sound narrative history
- By Matthew on 06-16-09
By: John R. Hale
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In the Name of Rome
- The Men Who Won the Roman Empire
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Adrian Goldsworthy has received wide acclaim for his exceptional writing on the Roman Empire - including high praise from the acclaimed military historian and author John Keegan - and here he offers a new perspective on the empire by focusing on its greatest generals, including Scipio Africanus, Marius, Pompey, Caesar, and Titus.
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This pie was all crust, no filling
- By JLB on 04-11-17
Very gripping tale
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Captivating
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great story
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great
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Another view of the Spartacus War
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crafted and fascinating
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While laying the groundwork for future novels, our hero’s encounters provide a surprisingly accurate retelling of history while also providing a rich story.
Amazing battlefield narrations frequently interrupts the fast paced story making it difficult to press pause or drift to sleep. Saddle up, kick up your stirrups and lean into this fantastic journey!
A marvelous surprise
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Not much Depth...
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There was tremendous potential for a great story, but unfortunately this book had a lot of problems.
Michael Page did very well on the audiobook narration. His voices are distinct, varied, and well crafted. His vocal inflections are spot on and his tempo variations are effective.
The one negative to the narration is some of the accents were not accurate to the ethnic backgrounds of the characters (Spartacus, for example, who is Thracian, sounded Norwegian).
Now, the story.
Let's start with what this novel does well.
Despite my aversion to first person, Pacorus has a compelling voice that allowed me to get invested in the story.
In the scenes where details are given, the attention given them is well balanced, giving a wonderful sense of atmosphere while not being so excessive that they dominate the narrative.
Most of the characters are well developed with at least somewhat believable reactions.
The general plot line is straightforward and makes sense.
Now, if you don't want to know all things about this book that bothered me, this is your one chance to skip to my assessment of the climax at the bottom. I fear this is a rather long list of problems.
First, let's talk about historical accuracy for a minute.
There are several issues here.
Not the least of which being that Spain (and, ergo, Spaniards) did not exist until the 15th century AD/CE, but rather most of it was part of Gaul at the time of this story.
Similarly, Germany did not exist in any official way until the 19th century AD/CE, and unofficially its existence can only be charted back to the formation of the Holy Roman Empire in the 10th century, a millennium after this book takes place.
The Longsword did not exist anywhere in any capacity until the medieval period. And leather armor, contrary to popular belief, was never commonplace (it was used, it was just never a standard). Gambison, chain, scale, and banded armors were much more common, even in the pre-Christian days of the Servile Wars.
Now, while it is true that when viewed through the lens of a reasonably civilized society, the Gauls were certainly barbaric and violent, I don't for one second believe their depiction here as being nothing more than emotionless rapists and baby killers who enjoy nothing except drink and senseless butchery.
Now, my next major issue is with explanations.
At one point, Pacorus is told the story of how and why Spartacus broke free of the ludus, and it just smacks of utter nonsense. First, if he had so little self control he would have been killed very quickly. But also, if breaking free had been that easy (there was no planning involved, it was a spur of the moment decision) then they would have done it much sooner.
He's also told the story of how Spartacus was made a slave, and once again the thinness of the explanation defies belief. Why would he just decide, out of boredom and lack of loot, to abandon his post and become a fugitive? It makes no sense.
Likewise, the explanation for why Gallia was sold into slavery is nonsensical. Even in an environment such as she grew up in, it would take more than that.
Crixus. This one isn't so much that I can't believe the explanation but that there isn't one. The reason for Crixus and Pacorus's mutual enmity is barely there, and the explanation for why Crixus and the Gauls leave Spartacus is even thinner. I would have liked to see an actual reason that makes sense for both of these.
And finally, the event that leads to Spartacus's death left me utterly baffled. While it is made clear almost from his introduction that the man is emotionally unstable, this event suggests a level of emotional codependence and imbalance that would make other of his actions in the story utterly impossible.
Of only slightly less concern is the way the text blatantly contradicts itself repeatedly.
There are multiple occasions where Pacorus directly says, "I didn't know." or "I couldn't tell," or other similar wording that makes it clear he has no idea.
Then in the next breath he goes on to relate the very details he just said he doesn't know.
Lastly, let's talk about the writing itself for a minute.
At first blush, the writing seems good. It's clear. It's evocative. It's descriptive.
But as the story progresses, we end up with more and more passive voice, more and more telling rather than showing, more and more exposition, and more and more skipping over things and jumping through time.
By the halfway point, the book dissolves into just jumping from one major plot point to the next (each easily traceable in any historic text or film about Spartacus) with virtually no story between them.
This book felt rushed. The story of the Spartacus war is a long one that should include myriad details not available in any history, as there is so little that we know as fact.
I can't help thinking that this book should have been split into three (or more) books of this length to do justice to the story.
Moving on to the ending.
For all its issues, the ending actually comes together quite well, though there is still a suspicious lack of detail on just how Pacorus and his followers make it out of Rome.
The final conclusion is well presented and hit all the right emotional notes. Unfortunately, it fails to make up for all the problems earlier in the book.
Had a lot of potential...
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dreary
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