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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Who needs Game of Thrones? Ghost Empire's tales of intrigue, betrayal,war, atrocities, love and lust is exciting as any fiction. Richard Fidler weaves a rich tapestry of personalities spanning a thousand years. What I most enjoyed was his character centric story telling. I have to admit that although I consider myself pretty well read with a decent grasp on History, I never considered Byzantium the Roman Empire. Its amazed me when I realized the Roman Empire existed during Christopher Columbus's lifetime.
My first ever audio book complete!
When I first purchased this book, well over a year ago, I was slightly disappointed as I really thought this was a fictional story. When I picked it up, it just wasn't the time to read it.
When I discovered it existed as an audio book I thought it would be a perfect way to start the day. I adored listening to Richard's voice for at least 2 weeks during my commute to and from work. He is an Aussie Rick Steeves in my opinion. In addition to starting my day, I have learnt so much about the Roman Empire, one that intrigues me to this day. There were certainly shivers when Richard speaks about the landmarks and artefacts of Rome which I have visited myself (including the statue of Constantine at the Capitoline museum and the Colosseum).
I did get a little lost and zone out during the stories which involved war, which is usually the part of history I find the most boring. I could keep track regardless as Richard usually goes off in tangents and then back again.
I lived for the little tid bits about the introduction of the fork, the growing of silk in the west, how the image of an angel came about and the double headed eagle.
It's such a same that modern Constantinople (Istanbul) is so very unsafe at the moment for travellers. It is so richly clad in ghosts and their stories. I think it is really unfortunate that many people do not know the glorious history of the Byzantium empire.
When I first purchased this book, well over a year ago, I was slightly disappointed as I really thought this was a fictional story. When I picked it up, it just wasn't the time to read it.
When I discovered it existed as an audio book I thought it would be a perfect way to start the day. I adored listening to Richard's voice for at least 2 weeks during my commute to and from work. He is an Aussie Rick Steeves in my opinion. In addition to starting my day, I have learnt so much about the Roman Empire, one that intrigues me to this day. There were certainly shivers when Richard speaks about the landmarks and artefacts of Rome which I have visited myself (including the statue of Constantine at the Capitoline museum and the Colosseum).
I did get a little lost and zone out during the stories which involved war, which is usually the part of history I find the most boring. I could keep track regardless as Richard usually goes off in tangents and then back again.
I lived for the little tid bits about the introduction of the fork, the growing of silk in the west, how the image of an angel came about and the double headed eagle.
It's such a same that modern Constantinople (Istanbul) is so very unsafe at the moment for travellers. It is so richly clad in ghosts and their stories. I think it is really unfortunate that many people do not know the glorious history of the Byzantium empire.
I could listen to Richard Fidler forever. I listened to the audiobook version of Ghost Empire and was transported back into a rich history of the Byzantine Empire, interspersed with a father's loving story of a trip to Istanbul with his son. Richard has the gift of being able to make history feel relevant while capturing the passage of time. This book is never dry or dull, but fascinating and often transports you off into a dreamy plane of contemplation of the nature of humanity. Richard's narration is clear and engaging and he has a gift for tenderness often excluded from the writing of men, and the writing of history.
Enjoyed this overview of the history of one of my favorite cities, and if he covered this span of history which as much depth as I would have enjoyed the book would have been at least three times longer.
This is the story of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) told by the author who professes to be a "history enthusiast, and not a historian". The author is legendary Australian journalist, broadcaster, and comedic artist Richard Fidler, and he tells the story of the Byzantine Empire while travelling through the region with his son on an exploratory tour of history and culture. Very well written and beautifully accessible history!
As Fidler himself admits, he's not a professional historian; only a fan of history. While I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style and subject, I think I'd rather try to find a history from a historian about this subject rather than stick with a story wherein he takes supernatural explanations at face value.