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  • The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories

  • By: Rudyard Kipling
  • Narrated by: Sean Barrett
  • Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (115 ratings)
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The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories

By: Rudyard Kipling
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Summary

In a remote part of 19th-century Afghanistan, two British adventurers pursue their ambition to rule an empire. Using betrayal, threats, and guns, they win the respect of a primitive tribe and become worshipped as gods until one day they draw blood, and the game is up. "The Man Who Would Be King" is an action-packed tale about the pitfalls of colonialism and the temptations and evils of power. This volume also includes the stories "The Phantom Rickshaw", "The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes", "The Mark of the Beast" and many more.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2015 Naxos AudioBooks

What listeners say about The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great selection of stories

A fantastic selection of atmospheric stories (listed below) by Kipling, evocatively read by Sean Barrett with great delineation of tone, voice etc. Quite a few of these stories have a supernatural bent, and I think Kipling achieves appropriate atmospheres very effectively. Others are more straightforward, but all show his perception, humanity, and fascination with and fondness for India and its peoples.

- The Man Who Would Be King
- The Phantom Rickshaw
- My Own True Ghost Story
- The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes
- The Mark of the Beast
- Without Benefit of Clergy
- The Sending of Dana Da
- Wee Willie Winkie
- On The City Wall
- The Education of Otis Yeere
- The Judgement of Dungara
- Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Took me away

I’ve only recently discovered Rudyard Kipling. I had assumed he would be toe curlingly racist & imperialist but although he describes some British attitudes & behaviour from that time he clearly has sympathy & respect for other religions, races etc. His story telling is wondrous. A Different time & place but wisdom & wit. Very evocative. I’ve always loved Somerset Maugham & I’m sure he must have been influenced by Kipling in terms of human emotions & ability to capture an atmosphere.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Learning about India

Gripping stories that give insight to life in India under British rule. Makes me wanna know more about Indian tradition and the complexity of being governed by a foreign power.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Delighful collection of short stories

A Delightful collection of Kipling short stories. Nicely read. Love the movie with Michael Caine and Sean Connery and was surprised that MWWBK was only a short story not a full novel. Some of the other tales could be adapted for tv if it still had shows like The Twilight Zone or Armchair Theatre. But instead stick on your headphone, listen and be transported to a different world

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Dark stories for a dark time

Kipling is a good storyteller and the first tale is by far the most straightforward and cinematic, but the others are just as interesting, even if the underlying message is darker.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved every minute of it.

I really enjoyed both the stories and the performance. The delivery of "black sheep" had my heart broken

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Classic Kipling

Classic Kipling, who could ask for more.

He sees his india with honest eyes and multiple viewpoints not simply of the Raj.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant collection of short stories

This is a very good selection of Kiplings short stories as expected some are better than others but I would say all are enjoyable and listenable.

The stories are obviously of their time and must be considered through the lense of history and empire in which they are steeped. However Kiplings clear sensibility and understanding of India and Empire are evident throughout and make for very interesting listening.

Very good narration with some good accents however the attempt at a Germany missionary was a bit odd!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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So Nice

It's so lovely to listen to stories, such as "Wee Willie Winkie" and "Baa Baa Black Sheep", that I can't help but listen to them again and again.

Excellent performance from Sean Barrett, which gives life, and perhaps more, to the stories, as always; thank you.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Superb reading

These were familiar stories, cleverly written and in this format read superbly by Sean Barrett. His voice suited the tales, and he clearly understood Kipling's written words and intentions.
The readings are a joy but I dropped one star for the awkwardness with the PDF. It should surely be possible to align stories with chapters and name them in the chapter listings. But that is a minor flaw in a wonderful performance.

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