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  • Persian Fire

  • The First World Empire, Battle for the West
  • By: Tom Holland
  • Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
  • Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (299 ratings)
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Persian Fire cover art

Persian Fire

By: Tom Holland
Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
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Summary

In 480 BC, Xerxes, the King of Persia, led an invasion of mainland Greece. Its success should have been a formality. For 70 years, victory - rapid, spectacular victory - had seemed the birthright of the Persian Empire. In the space of a single generation, they had swept across the Near East, shattering ancient kingdoms, storming famous cities, putting together an empire which stretched from India to the shores of the Aegean. As a result of those conquests, Xerxes ruled as the most powerful man on the planet. Yet somehow, astonishingly, against the largest expeditionary force ever assembled, the Greeks of the mainland managed to hold out. The Persians were turned back. Greece remained free. Had the Greeks been defeated at Salamis, not only would the West have lost its first struggle for independence and survival, but it is unlikely that there would ever have been such an entity as the West at all.

Tom Holland's brilliant book describes the very first 'clash of Empires' between East and West. Once again he has found extraordinary parallels between the ancient world and our own. There is no competing popular book describing these events.

©2005 Tom Holland (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Persian Fire

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Accessible telling of fascinating history

Not only does this book tell what happened when a quarter of a million Persian soldiers invaded Greece, but it explains why. It has great discussions and histories of the powers involved in the war, as well as the events which cause it. I cannot recommend this book enough! Well structured and gripping throughout!

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Gripping from start to finish

Really interesting and brilliantly narrated. History told as a story. Awakened an interest in a period of history I knew little about. Highly recommend

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4 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

You could be mis-sold this book, read on

The Title of this book and summary are pretty much wrong, I bought this to listen about the ancient Persians, their rise and the states they conquered, Aswell as their leaders of the time, Cyrus, Xerxes and Darius etc...

This is what i got, 60 minutes about babylon and how darius conqured them, which is fine and a few reflections and stories.

90 Minutes about sparta and the spartans and their ways, gods and some stories. nothing much in the way of battles here

90 Minutes of Athens, their gods, a summary about the olympics, their olympic champions, nothing much again in the way of battles, to me these chapters are book fillers and if i want to hear about ancient greece i will get a book about such a topic which i have, i do not need to hear all about the greeks, their gods and ways of living and stories which i already know!

The Narrator i am not keen on how he reads the book, he stops and starts between sentences and its very annoying, it does not make this book immersive at all.

There is a lot of waffling\story telling about civilians and very little interesting information about Persia here.

I cannot refund the book due to limitations, thanks audible, but be warned, if your looking for a book strictly on the persians and their conquests, you will not find it here. Just a load of greek stories and their way of living and gods here.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent narrative history of the Persian Empire

As always, Tom Holland produced a magnificent narrative history. He lays out the development of two empires interwoven by geography and ambition.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Ruined By Intonation

Oh, how I tried. Time after time, I approached the experience hoping the narrator’s infuriating inflection would just p*ss off, but there it was - ruining any chance I had of immersing myself of what I presume to be a rollicking good ‘read’. Surely Tom Holland winces like me..?

Can I recommend that Ralph fella who narrates a fair few of C S Lewis’ tomes & essays? He’s a treat.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Hated it

This was a struggle to get to the end. It was an awful lot of make believe if you ask me.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Almost refunded, glad I didn’t.

I’ll be honest. The transition from the author reading the introduction to the main narrator at the start of chapter 1 was very jolting and I almost sought a refund.

At first, I found the narrator annoying and difficult to focus on. It felt like I was being read a story by a teacher or a parent rather than being presented with a serious history.

But…

once I adapted to his voice (and played it at 1.2x speed) I actually really enjoyed his narration. So if you have that experience too, bear with it.

As a history, it was fabulous. Holland has a beautiful ability to communicate serious history in an almost novelistic tone. For instance, his descriptions of battle scenes and characters clearly relies unashamedly on imagination, and is not told as dry, objective fact. He imagines the emotions and the sounds and smells and all this brings to life what is an incredible story.

In retrospect, I can see why this narrator was chosen since he too brings a storytelling feel to history.

Right, now onto the next Tom Holland book!!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story - a bit corny narration

I would have preferred the author to have narrated, he gave a good intro and was not too dramatic!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another Holland masterpiece

A superbly researched and wonderfully told history. Tom Holland has a wonderful way of taking you from big picture to interesting detail and back again. Time very well spent!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

More about Greece than Persia.

Good narrative but I was left wondering more about Persia. Not enough detail as to how Darius and Xerses got to be so powerful in Asia.

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1 person found this helpful