An incredible story told with rigour and passion

I love reading about history but this book is especially compelling. The depth of prof. Llewellyn-Jones knowledge and passion for the subject is evident from the start and makes for a gripping narrative. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

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11 people found this helpful

Excellent!

I was new to learning about the Persian Empire and struggling to find a book not written from a Greek perspective. This did exactly what I was hoping for. A great balance of detail without being overwhelming.

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Fabulous work

So well written and beautifully spoken the best I’ve heard from a narrator, let alone a writer and narrator, I recommend this to all those interested in learning about a very overlooked topic!

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1 person found this helpful

Too much fluff in the story but.... different!

The storylines language was loaded with unnecessary phrases and over embellished to the point where I just felt like I was choking on it. Also a tad too much of the author's opinion and interpretation baked into the text which can smear the facts.

It should have been more clinical, focused on just the facts and used simpler language getting to the point faster! let the reader decide if they were good or bad. it's like the 10 hour scenic route you don't want when all could be said in ~4 hours .

Historically it also contradicts itself at times (suspect the author got to too close to the subject he was assessing) claiming the Persians were "nicer" than what the Greeks wrote. Clearly deluded! I find them worse than the Huns or Romans by far. For me these lot rank No1 in manipulation, lies and internal family squabbles which on the outside portray artificial cohesion. most have this but these guys made an art of it and refined it over 200 years. last chapter is also sad....Iran Vs Persia and the confused, and ignorant masses of today buying the stories they want to believe vs the truth. good for political science.

Otherwise a good read providing a different perspective to the Greeks. one part that was exceptional was the history behind the 90 year old woman who manipulated and influenced so many kings, ...what a mother to have! in the end the more one reads and connects to other cultures of the time, the easier it is to make more sense and reach conclusion of how "nice" these chaps were.

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The ancient kings

I learnt more about the kings and how their dynasties happened. I learnt more about the modern changes in Iran.

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Fascinating new history of ancient Persia

This was an excellent listen! It is read by the author with real intelligence and clarity. He made the past really come to life. Plus, his Welsh accent was a lovely bonus!
The work is a really gripping history of the Persian empire. It is challenging, because the author argues, very persuasively, that Persia needs to be given its place in history and that reliance on western accounts of antiquity is misleading and wrong. The book is filled with interesting stories and great characters. I really enjoyed it and learned loads from it.

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15 people found this helpful

very interesting listen

I loved it. I am not very interested in history but being a Persian I found this book very interesting and engaging. I wanted to know what happened next. it flows very nicely from era to era.

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2 people found this helpful

Superb.

Excellent narration.
Throughly researched.
A must listen for any lover of people and history and a refreshing take on (in the final part ) on Irans modern history.

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Good for anyone who likes history

The book is well written, nicely formatted and explained, and the audio book is narrated nicely. There are few books, audios and documentaries etc on Persian history so it's good to have these few, but this one is particularly good for anyone new to the history of the first Persian empire. Their history is one definitely worth knowing about, and this is a good book to learn about it.

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Outstanding

This is truly one of the most brilliant and compelling narratives on the history of the Persian Empire before the invasion of Alexander

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