
Throne of Darius
A Captain of Thebes
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Austin Walp
-
Anne Cunningham
About this listen
Historical military fiction at its best
Ancient Thebes, 335 BC. Alexander savagely crushes the Theban revolt against his rule. Swearing revenge for their once glorious city, Dimitrios, a captain of the Theban army, physician Klemes, and soldier Ari join General Memnon in Asia Minor to fight against Alexander as he sets off to conquer the Persian Empire.
An irreverent portrait of Alexander the Great
Throne of Darius is a story of high adventure, romance, and war - especially war, told with heart and a sense of humor. Mark McLaughlin paints a unique and irreverent portrait of Alexander the Great, who certainly was not "great" to everyone. Unlike the majority of historical and literary works, this novel does not glorify the Macedonian king but instead tells the tale of the young conqueror from the point of view of those who fought against him.
What people say about Throne of Darius
“Military historical fiction is often all about male warriors, complex strategies and vicious battles. There is all of that in this book, but there are also strong female characters in Throne of Darius, like the noble princess Barsine and the brave horsegirl, Halime. Narrating the story from the point of view of Alexander’s opponents is a refreshing take that brings a new understanding of Alexander's campaign without diminishing historical accuracy. There is humor, fierce battle scenes but also deeply emotional moments - everything to make Throne of Darius an enthralling read that will keep you hooked.” (Krystallia Papadimitriou, editor)
©2011 Mark G. McLaughlin (P)2020 Mark G. McLaughlinListeners also enjoyed...
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Gripping action
- By maydaygray on 09-13-23
By: Simon Scarrow, and others
-
The Grace of Kings
- The Dandelion Dynasty
- By: Ken Liu
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods.
-
-
Unfortunately cannot recommend
- By Eric on 05-21-16
By: Ken Liu
-
Roman Mask
- By: Thomas M. D. Brooke
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Augustus Caesar rules Imperial Rome at the height of its power, as the Roman Empire stretches across the known world. Cassius, son of one of her most powerful families, is the personification of Rome's imperial strength: wealthy, popular, a war hero with a decorated military career, he hides a secret. After his nerve is broken in Germany, the thought of genuine armed combat is enough to send him into a cold sweat of fear and shame.
-
-
One of the best Roman Historical Novels EVER
- By Gail N. on 05-17-21
-
Son of Mars (A Novella of Ancient Rome)
- The Marius Scrolls, Book 1
- By: Vincent B. Davis II
- Narrated by: Joshua Saxon
- Length: 1 hr and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Julius Caesar ruled Rome, his uncle Gaius Marius was the most powerful man in the eternal city. Once a provincial nobody with a ruined family, Marius only had one way to power: the sword. Years later, he writes to his protege Quintus Sertorius, explaining to him how he rose through the ranks of the Roman legion to become the most powerful man in the Republic. He wants to encourage and inspire the young man but gets lost in the retelling of his first experience of war, love, and killing.
-
-
EXCELLENT!!
- By Jocko Johnson on 06-10-20
-
Hannibal's Foe
- Republic of Rome Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Edward Green
- Narrated by: Rhys David
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hannibal, a name used to terrify millions. Long before that pale shade Lecter came on the scene, the original Hannibal shook the foundations of the ancient world. Do you remember who defeated him? Few remember. But those who do never forget. You can ride with the Legion. You can fight the Carthaginian hordes in desperate battles. You can risk daring rescues. You can escape from an enemy’s grasp. You can survive defeat to fight another day. Listen to the exciting real-life story that sounds like a Hollywood action movie script. Only it’s true. Richard Sharpe.
-
-
Great story and well written!
- By Gman on 08-01-19
By: Edward Green
-
The Virtues of War
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I have always been a soldier. I have known no other life. So begins Alexander’s extraordinary confession on the eve of his greatest crisis of leadership. By turns heroic and calculating, compassionate and utterly merciless, Alexander recounts with a warrior’s unflinching eye for detail the blood, the terror, and the tactics of his greatest battlefield victories.
-
-
Pressfield the Prodigy
- By Michael on 10-07-08
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Gripping action
- By maydaygray on 09-13-23
By: Simon Scarrow, and others
-
The Grace of Kings
- The Dandelion Dynasty
- By: Ken Liu
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods.
-
-
Unfortunately cannot recommend
- By Eric on 05-21-16
By: Ken Liu
-
Roman Mask
- By: Thomas M. D. Brooke
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Augustus Caesar rules Imperial Rome at the height of its power, as the Roman Empire stretches across the known world. Cassius, son of one of her most powerful families, is the personification of Rome's imperial strength: wealthy, popular, a war hero with a decorated military career, he hides a secret. After his nerve is broken in Germany, the thought of genuine armed combat is enough to send him into a cold sweat of fear and shame.
-
-
One of the best Roman Historical Novels EVER
- By Gail N. on 05-17-21
-
Son of Mars (A Novella of Ancient Rome)
- The Marius Scrolls, Book 1
- By: Vincent B. Davis II
- Narrated by: Joshua Saxon
- Length: 1 hr and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Julius Caesar ruled Rome, his uncle Gaius Marius was the most powerful man in the eternal city. Once a provincial nobody with a ruined family, Marius only had one way to power: the sword. Years later, he writes to his protege Quintus Sertorius, explaining to him how he rose through the ranks of the Roman legion to become the most powerful man in the Republic. He wants to encourage and inspire the young man but gets lost in the retelling of his first experience of war, love, and killing.
-
-
EXCELLENT!!
- By Jocko Johnson on 06-10-20
-
Hannibal's Foe
- Republic of Rome Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Edward Green
- Narrated by: Rhys David
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hannibal, a name used to terrify millions. Long before that pale shade Lecter came on the scene, the original Hannibal shook the foundations of the ancient world. Do you remember who defeated him? Few remember. But those who do never forget. You can ride with the Legion. You can fight the Carthaginian hordes in desperate battles. You can risk daring rescues. You can escape from an enemy’s grasp. You can survive defeat to fight another day. Listen to the exciting real-life story that sounds like a Hollywood action movie script. Only it’s true. Richard Sharpe.
-
-
Great story and well written!
- By Gman on 08-01-19
By: Edward Green
-
The Virtues of War
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I have always been a soldier. I have known no other life. So begins Alexander’s extraordinary confession on the eve of his greatest crisis of leadership. By turns heroic and calculating, compassionate and utterly merciless, Alexander recounts with a warrior’s unflinching eye for detail the blood, the terror, and the tactics of his greatest battlefield victories.
-
-
Pressfield the Prodigy
- By Michael on 10-07-08
-
Lord of the Silver Bow
- Troy, Book 1
- By: David Gemmell
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Three lives will change the destiny of nations. Helikaon, the young prince of Dardania, haunted by a scarred and traumatic childhood. The priestess Andromache, whose fiery spirit and fierce independence threatens the might of kings. And the legendary warrior Argurios, cloaked in loneliness and driven only by thoughts of revenge. In Troy they find a city torn apart by destructive rivalries - a maelstrom of jealousy, deceit and murderous treachery.
-
-
At Last!
- By John on 04-07-18
By: David Gemmell
-
Spartacus: Rebellion
- Spartacus 2
- By: Ben Kane
- Narrated by: Michael Praed
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The mighty slave army, led by Spartacus, has carried all before it, scattering the legions of Rome. Three praetors, two consuls and one proconsul have been defeated. Spartacus seems invincible as he marches towards the Alps and freedom. But storm clouds are massing on the horizon. Crixus the Gaul defects, taking all his men with him. Crassus, the richest man in Rome, begins to raise a formidable army, tasked specifically with the defeat of Spartacus
-
-
Excellent narrator!
- By Reilly on 02-05-25
By: Ben Kane
-
Marius' Mules I: The Invasion of Gaul
- Marius' Mules, Book 1
- By: S. J. A. Turney
- Narrated by: Malk Williams
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 58 BC, and the mighty Tenth Legion, camped in Northern Italy, prepare for the arrival of the most notorious general in Roman history: Julius Caesar. Marcus Falerius Fronto, commander of the Tenth, is a career soldier and long-time companion of Caesar's. Despite his desire for the simplicity of the military life, he cannot help but be drawn into intrigue and politics as Caesar engineers a motive to invade the lands of Gaul.
-
-
The best Roman series I’ve listened to!
- By Just_Shoppin on 04-04-20
By: S. J. A. Turney
-
Housecarl
- Aelfraed, Book 1
- By: Griff Hosker
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the years before the Battle of Hastings, the story follows the trials and tribulations of Aelfraed, a young boy who aspires to be a warrior. When his uncle, Aethelward, takes him to join the warriors of Harold Godwinson, his life is irrevocably changed. Fighting the Welsh brings him great honour and when he saves the life of Edward the Confessor, he becomes a man of great reputation. The novel culminates in the battle of Stamford Bridge when the Housecarls defeated the last of the Vikings, Harald Hadrada.
-
-
Appealing to adolescent boys
- By TKPK Customer on 03-11-25
By: Griff Hosker
-
Tyrant
- Tyrant, Book 1
- By: Christian Cameron
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Glory. Death. Well-born Athenian cavalry officer Kineas fought shoulder to shoulder with Alexander in his epic battles against the Persian hordes. But on his return from the east to his native city, he finds not glory but shame - and exile. With nothing to his name but his military skills, Kineas agrees to lead a band of veterans to the city of Olbia, where the Tyrant is offering good money to train the city's elite cavalry.
-
-
It’s a Fact! Cameron is the Best!
- By Daniel on 09-21-20
-
The Fort
- City of Victory, Book 1
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Stephen Perring
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Dacian kingdom and Rome are at peace, but no one thinks that it will last. Sent to command an isolated fort beyond the Danube, centurion Flavius Ferox can sense that war is coming but also knows that enemies may be closer to home. Many of the Brigantes under his command are former rebels and convicts, as likely to kill him as obey an order. And then there is Hadrian, the emperor's cousin, and a man with plans of his own.
-
-
In the top tier of historical fiction.
- By Harry Flashman on 09-09-21
-
Killer of Men
- The Long War, Book 1
- By: Christian Cameron
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Arimnestos is a farm boy when war breaks out between the citizens of his native Plataea and their overbearing neighbours, Thebes. Standing in the battle line for the first time, alongside his father and brother, he shares in a famous and unlikely victory. But after being knocked unconscious in the melee, he awakes not a hero but a slave. Betrayed by his jealous and cowardly cousin, the freedom he fought for has now vanished, and he becomes the property of a rich citizen.
-
-
Absolutely fantastic
- By William K on 07-17-19
-
The Gates of Athens
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evoking two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World - the Battle of Marathon and the Last Stand at Thermopylae - The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling by a well acclaimed master of the historical adventure novel.
-
-
One of Iggulden’s best ever!
- By Bud R on 01-15-21
By: Conn Iggulden
-
An Oblique Approach
- Belisarius Saga, Book 1
- By: Eric Flint, David Drake
- Narrated by: Pete Bradbury
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Northern India, the Malwa have created an empire of unexampled evil. Guided or possessed by an intelligence from beyond time, with new weapons, old treachery, and an implacable will to power, the Malwa will sweep over the whole Earth. Only three things stand between the Malwa and their plan of eternal domination: the empire of Rome in the East, Byzantium; a crystal with vision; and a man named Belisarius, the greatest commander Earth has ever known....
-
-
YEEEEEEEES!
- By Andrew on 08-26-19
By: Eric Flint, and others
-
Hannibal: Enemy of Rome
- Hannibal 1
- By: Ben Kane
- Narrated by: Michael Praed
- Length: 19 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the First Punic War, the Roman legions defeated and humiliated Carthage, their only serious rival for power in the Mediterranean. Now a brilliant young Carthaginian general, called Hannibal, is out for revenge. Caught up in the maelstrom are two young boys, Hanno, the son of a distinguished soldier and confidant of Hannibal, and Quintus, son of a Roman equestrian and landowner. A disastrous adventure will see Hanno sold into slavery and bought by Quintus's father.
-
-
" Almost" as good as Iggulden
- By DPM on 03-27-12
By: Ben Kane
-
Falcon of Sparta
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: Pete Bradbury
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Persian King Artaxerxes rules an empire stretching from the Aegean to Northern India. As many as 50 million people are his subjects. His rule is absolute. Yet battles can be won - or lost - with a single blow. Princes fall. And when the dust of civil war settles, the Spartans are left stranded in the heart of an enemy's empire, without support, without food, and without water. Far from home, surrounded by foes, it falls to the young soldier Xenophon to lead the survivors against Artaxerxes' legendary Persian warriors.
-
-
Great retelling of a little known part of history.
- By Joanne M. on 10-10-19
By: Conn Iggulden
-
Soldier of Rome
- The Legionary Book One of the Artorian Chronicles
- By: James Mace
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the year A.D. 9, three Roman Legions under Quintilius Varus were betrayed by the Germanic war chief, Arminius, and destroyed in the forest known as Teutoburger Wald. Six years later Rome is finally ready to unleash her vengeance on the barbarians. The Emperor Tiberius has sent his adopted son, Germanicus Caesar, into Germania with an army of forty-thousand legionaries. The come not on a mission of conquest, but one of annihilation. With them is a young legionary named Artorius.
-
-
No research whatsoever went into this book.
- By Justin on 01-23-17
By: James Mace
These voices !
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Listener received this title free
Great Story. Too Gorey
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.