Download the Popular Authors Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical

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Title: Shardlake: Sovereign

Subtitle: BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramas

Author: C J Sansom

Narrator: Bryan Dick, Justin Salinger

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-03-16

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Ltd.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

An atmospheric BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation based on C. J. Sansom's best-selling Tudor crime novel featuring hunchback lawyer detective Matthew Shardlake.

Autumn, 1541. King Henry VIII has set out on a spectacular Royal Progress to York, aiming to strike fear and awe into his rebellious northern subjects. Shardlake and his assistant, Barak, arrive in the city a day ahead of the 3,000-strong procession. Officially there to prepare petitions for the King, they have also been tasked with a secret mission by Archbishop Cranmer: to ensure the welfare of one of the Northern conspirators, Sir Edward Broderick, who is to be brought back to London for questioning in the Tower.

Tensions are running high in the city, and soon Shardlake is called to investigate a suspicious death - and stumbles upon a daring plot that has the potential to shake England to its core.

C. J. Sansom's Shardlake series has sold over 2 million copies, and this atmospheric dramatisation starring BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries) brings his début novel to electrifying life.

Fast-paced and suspenseful, it is both an engrossing murder mystery and a brilliantly realised portrayal of Tudor England.

Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Members Reviews:

loved book

I have read all the series and will now listen to all . Top class

EXCELLENT PRODUCTION

Having read all of the Shardlake books, these radio full casts productions are a good adaptation. Well acted, atmospheric and draws you into the Shardlake era.

I have all the Shardlake radio series and over all, excellent for what they are. But you cannot beat the good books.

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Title: Days Without End

Author: Sebastian Barry

Narrator: Aidan Kelly

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-16

Publisher: Wholestory Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Having signed up for the US Army in the 1850s, aged barely 17, Thomas McNulty and his brother-in-arms, John Cole, go on to fight in the Indian wars and ultimately the Civil War. Orphans of terrible hardships themselves, despite the horrors they both see and are complicit in, they find these days to be vivid.

Both an intensely poignant story of two men and the lives they are dealt and a fresh look at some of the most fateful years in America's past.

Critic Reviews:

"[Barry's] words have a stony allure of the Irish poets and the lyrical pull of an epic storyteller." (The Boston Globe)

"Sebastian Barry's handling of voice and cadence is masterly. His fictional universe is filled with life, quiet truth, and exquisite intimacy." (Colm Tóibín, author of the Costa Novel Award-winning Brooklyn)

Members Reviews:

Great book and so well narrated by Aidan Kelly !

Great book and so well narrated by Aidan Kelly !

Masterpiece of writing

Epic story skilfully read by authentic Irish narrator telling the tale of a tough survivor of the Great Hunger in Ireland, the so called Indian Wars and the American civil war. Highly recommended.

Absolutely brilliant!

Riveting language makes this compelling story so interesting. I could not stop listening. It is read beautifully and the descriptive language is sublime

Beautiful

Sebastian Barry has long been a literary hero of mine, ever since the Secret Scripture. In Days Without End he has taken the sack of native America (much of it at the behest of Irish soldiers, who were themselves oppressed by Cromwell; the irony is not left unsaid) and laid upon it the most incredible love stories. Those that transcend blood and 'nature' and are accepted without prejudice by most who witness it. It is lyrical and brutal and majestic in scale and I loved it.

A beautiful story

What made the experience of listening to Days Without End the most enjoyable?

The poetry of the authors writing

What does Aidan Kelly bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you had only read the book?

The readers wonderful accent makes the story so much more authentic

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

it is incredibly uplifting in spite of some of the horrors told

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Title: The Lebensborn Experiment

Subtitle: Book 1

Author: Joyce Yvette Davis

Narrator: Kevin Gallagher

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-21-16

Publisher: Joyce Y. Davis

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Amid the chaos and destruction of World War II, racial profiling runs rampant. After kidnapped children whose appearances fails to meet the Nordic ideal are taken to concentration camps, some are used in experiments to satisfy the Reich's quest for Aryan superiority. It is April 28, 1945, and a sinister struggle between life and death secretly takes place high in a dingy tower of a medieval castle in the Black Forest. Under the watchful eyes of Nazi Colonel Otto Strass, notorious inventor Dr. Josef Weiss injects a 10-year-old Polish boy with an experimental serum, killing him - that is, until the child, Adok, is miraculously resurrected with unforeseen side effects. Meanwhile, somewhere in the castle dungeon, a Negro American soldier, Sergeant Kapp Johnson, awaits ceremonial execution. But things go awry. On that same day, Hitler's unexpected suicide throws the castle into bedlam. In the ensuing confusion, Kapp is mistakenly given the serum. In a matter of minutes, Kapp has been given a gift even God cannot bestow upon him: eternal life on Earth. In this exciting historical thriller, an American soldier and a Polish boy who unwittingly become victims of the Nazi regime in the final days of World War II must find a way to escape their fate and find their way back home before it is too late.

Members Reviews:

The Lebensborn Experiment

This was a good, dark,suspenseful book.During Hitlers reign children are kidnapped from all over the world if they match the Nazi profile.Some are lucky and get homes.Some are experimented on.They also use captives in their experiments.Two black US servicemen are lying in a cell waiting for death.One gets it but the other is given a shot that changes him.Also, a serum is given to the wrong one and revenge is served to the regime.Kevin Gallagher is the perfect narrator.I was provided this book by the author, narrator or publisher for review.

Lebensborn Experiment

It was a good well written and narrated book. I was expecting something different though.

A powerful and unique tale.

If you enjoy well-written historical fiction books or stories occurring during the period of World War II, you will like The Lebensborn Experiment: Book 1 written by Joyce Yvette Davis and narrated by Kevin Gallagher. The author weaves a fictional tale around actual historic events taking place by Nazi Germany. These Lebensborn experiments were conducted in a hope to rapidly increase the German population by building an army of pure and healthy Aryan people. The population growth and experiments were initiated by kidnaping children from other countries, mostly Poland, and indoctrinating them through brainwashing and other techniques to become German Nazi soldiers. The term Lebensborn translates roughly to fount of life in English, and Germany was hoping these practices would permit them to turn the tide of the second world war.

Historic fiction is a genre I do not often listen too, nor is the subject matter something I actively seek to read, however I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the ride the author and narrator took me on; often surprising me along the way. The story was very well crafted and unique in the many twists and turns it took from start to finish. The author did an exceptional job of balancing the characters current and backstory details so one could better understand why they acted in the way they did.

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Title: The Girl Who Fought Napoleon

Subtitle: A Novel of the Russian Empire

Author: Linda Lafferty

Narrator: Kathleen Gati

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-20-16

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 41 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In a sweeping story straight out of Russian history, Tsar Alexander I and a courageous girl named Nadezhda Durova join forces against Napoleon.

It's 1803, and an adolescent Nadya is determined not to follow in her overbearing Ukrainian mother's footsteps. She's a horsewoman, not a housewife. When Tsar Paul is assassinated in St. Petersburg and a reluctant and naive Alexander is crowned emperor, Nadya runs away from home and joins the Russian cavalry in the war against Napoleon. Disguised as a boy and riding her spirited stallion, Alcides, Nadya rises in the ranks, even as her father begs the tsar to find his daughter and send her home.

Both Nadya and Alexander defy expectations - she as a heroic fighter and he as a spiritual seeker - while the battles of Austerlitz, Friedland, Borodino, and Smolensk rage on.

In a captivating tale that brings Durova's memoirs to life, from bloody battlefields to glittering palaces, two rebels dare to break free of their expected roles and discover themselves in the process.

Members Reviews:

Brave, loyal, entence and great endurance

This fiction drawn from real life history was well written. All young women should read this novel as a model for determining strength of character and becoming who they are meant to be.

Then epilogue gave me pause as to the historical facts to weight the previous sentence but as I listened and reviewed the book, it is still a book of strong character and endurance. I rate it with the history of Joan of Arc.

Brilliant! I think this is a 10!

I had no expectations of this book other than that it would be a Loosely constructed novel about Russian history. It turned into a miraculous combination of history, myth, memoir, and romance. I don't even like romance! This was the most beautifully explained beautifully detailed experience for anyone who loves historical " you are there " memoir accounts. I will never do this book Justice in my commentary, but you must read it. Male or female this is a great book. I will seek out this author immediately because I respect so much the work she did to put this together. I loved this book!!!

History at it's finest

A must read for history lovers. A well written and informative look into the Romanov dynasty, the hardships of war and the consequences it brings.

The story is about a woman disguised as a male, who joined the Russian military during the Napoleonic Wars.

The only qualm I have is trying to rap my head around how the main character was able to hide the fact she was a woman living with all military males. Especially in the 1800's on the Russian steppes. No privacy, lack of hygiene and living in tents with her male counterparts. How'd she do it?

pleasantly surprised

Loved it. I didn't know if I would like this but I did! glad I gave it a chance

Narrator was great

For me the narrator made the book for me. While it is overall a very good book I almost gave up on it 2 or 3 times. However because I enjoyed the narrator so much I pushed through. If you do not have an interest in this time period and Russia I don't know that this book will be for you.

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Title: Marching to Zion

Author: Mary Glickman

Narrator: Laurel Lefkow

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-12-16

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Marching to Zion is the tragic story of Minerva Fishbein and Magnus Bailey, a charismatic black man and the longtime business partner of Minerva's father. From the brutal riots of East St. Louis to Memphis, Tennessee, during the 1920s and the Depression, Marching to Zion is a tale of passion, betrayal, and redemption during an era in America when interracial love could not go unpunished.

Listeners of Mary Glickman's One More River will celebrate the return of Aurora Mae Stanton, who joins a cast of vibrant new characters in this tense and compelling Southern-Jewish novel that examines the price of love and the interventions of fate.

Members Reviews:

Wow!

Fantastic book! GLickman is an excellent story teller and her books are well worth reading. Highly recommend!

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Title: The Tea Planter's Daughter

Subtitle: The India Tea Series, Book 1

Author: Janet MacLeod Trotter

Narrator: Sarah Coomes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-21-16

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 169 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Lush, green, fragrant: the Indian hills of Assam are full of promise. But eighteen-year-old Clarissa Belhaven is full of worry. The family tea plantation is suffering, and so is her father, still grieving over the untimely death of his wife, while Clarissa's fragile sister, Olive, needs love and resourceful care.

Beautiful and headstrong, Clarissa soon attracts the attention of young, brash Wesley Robson, a rival tea planter. Yet before his intentions become fully clear, tragedy befalls the Belhavens and the sisters are wrenched from their beloved tea garden to the industrial streets of Tyneside.

A world away from the only home she has ever known, Clarissa must start again. Using all her means, she must endure not only poverty but jealousy and betrayal too. Will the reappearance of Wesley give her the link to her old life that she so desperately craves? Or will a fast-changing world and the advent of war extinguish hope forever?

Members Reviews:

Book 1 indeed!

Before investing 15+ hours in this book, do know that the plot lines will not be in the least bit resolved, but you'll just have been set up for book 2 (and maybe 3, I don't know). Having said that, I very much enjoyed the book. The author does not betray any great in-depth knowledge of Indian topography, flora, or culture; that aspect is a little disappointing. Nor, despite the continuous references to tea throughout the story, does she enlighten us about what makes for a good tea, or the nuances of its production, blending, and distribution. The story, while set initially in India, quickly transitions to Newcastle, England, and remains firmly there for the rest of the book. The primary story, perhaps, is that of two sisters struggling against some rather cruel and unfortunate strokes of fate, and by dint of the elder sister's doggedness and tenacity, managing to overcome them. The story is an epic one, beginning in the protagonist's early adulthood and continuing through (at the end of book 1) to her being age 33. The follow-on will surely take us through another decade or two. It is very much an old-fashioned type story, with many fortuitous coincidences that stretch one's credulity and a predictability that becomes evident from the first few chapters. Yet it is endlessly varied and kept fresh, as new characters come and old ones fade out, and there is constant drama and tension that keep you wanting to move forward.

A word on the performance: not very well done, I'm afraid. The reader over-enunciates and her sense of timing is frequently dead wrong and inappropriate to the context of what is being said. Her rendering of male voices is clumsy and unconvincing; most of them sound badly constipated and stiff as wood. Indian characters are not realistic sounding, but she does sound plausible with her north English lower class accents. Fortunately, the plot carries the listener forward and one learns to overlook the weakness of the reading.

Historical Fiction

I love historical fiction. This book was wonderful I couldn't put it down. I found myself in tears at the end! I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series. The narrator was amazing and brought the characters to life.

Different emotions

This book was a tear jerker for me. I heard the second book before the first book. Now I am getting ready for the third one. I know it will be full of surprises too.

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Title: Potop (Trylogia Sienkiewicza 2)

Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz

Narrator: Mieczyslaw Voit

Format: Unabridged

Length: 58 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-10-16

Publisher: Heraclon / storybox.pl

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Druga czesc "Trylogii", wydana w 1886 Roku. Akcja dzieje sie w okresie najazdu szwedzkiego na Polske (1655-1660). Zareczony z Olenka Billewiczówna chorazy orszanski Andrzej Kmicic opowiada sie poczatkowo po stronie kolaborujacego ze Szwedami poteznego rodu magnackiego Radziwillów.

Please note: This audiobook is in Polish.

© Public Domain (P)2013 Storybox

Members Reviews:

Po prostu brakuje sów.

Po prostu brakuje sów <3 cudowna narracja przepiknej powieci. Polecam gorco. Stare dzieje staj jak ywe przed oczami.

I love this book

Moja ulubiona powiesc. My favourite story. Knight's, honour, heroism, Love...everything what all girls needs. :)

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Title: Julian Fellowes's Belgravia Episode 2

Subtitle: A Chance Encounter

Author: Julian Fellowes

Narrator: Juliet Stevenson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-14-16

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 78 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

On the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, two families meet at the duchess of Richmond's ball. From this moment on, their stories will be linked by a secret.

Julian Fellowes's Belgravia is a story in 11 episodes published week by week in the tradition of Charles Dickens.

Belgravia is the story of a secret. A secret that unravels behind the porticoed doors of London's grandest postcode. The story behind the secret will be revealed in weekly bite-sized installments complete with twists and turns and cliff-hanger endings.

Set in the 1840s, when the upper echelons of society began to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, Belgravia is peopled by a rich cast of characters. But the story begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. At the duchess of Richmond's now legendary ball, one family's life will change for ever....

Members Reviews:

Great surprise!

Oh my goodness! I loved this episode so much. It totally took me by surprise and it made me fall in love with Ann. She is such a strong character--so excited to get to know her better.

Loving Juliet Stevenson! She is perfectly cast as the narrator.

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Title: Suleiman the Magnificent: Sultan of the East

Author: Harold Lamb

Narrator: Charlton Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-16

Publisher: Audio Connoisseur

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Suleiman the Magnificent is the story of the Ottoman Turks' greatest leader. He came to power at the early age of 25 in 1520. Before his death in 1566, he had altered the power structure and geography of Eastern Europe, and Turkey had become the dominant naval power in the Mediterranean. Suleiman's reign would mark the high tide of Turkish power in Asia Minor and Europe. His widespread conquests began with the taking of Belgrade and the surrender of Rhodes then surged on to Budapest, Tabriz, Baghdad, Aden, and Algiers, making the Turks' power feared and respected as far west as Paris and London.

This is a stirring drama of conquest and naked power. It is also the personal story of the sultan and his household and the less spectacular - but in some ways more deadly - play and counterplay of ambition and jealousy in the palace...particularly in the harem. It is a time of great adventure and great romance.

Members Reviews:

great book great for history buffs

great for history buffs, not for casual readers. based off of Suleiman's personal laconic diary, court records and historians notes, Harold lamb weaves a detailed record of events from Suleimans coronation to the domination of the Mediterranean to his turbulent family life. beautiful, I recommend it.

Great Non-Western History

Much of the history most Americans learn is filtered through the lens of western civilization. This is a look at the family responsible for the founding of the Ottoman Empire. The history is focused mostly on the life of Suleiman and his interactions and not at all an integrated history. Nevertheless I enjoyed the non-western perspective of the Ottomans.

I just re-listened to this book after stumbling upon the Turkish TV series about Suleiman.

It was well worth the re-listen.

The narration is clear, but a bit slow and mono-tonal.

I also really liked another non-western history Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.

Incredible material and performance!

The material was presented as a spellbinding story with an outstanding performance of the narration. Fantastic work!

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Title: A God Against the Gods

Author: Allen Drury

Narrator: DW Draffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-11-16

Publisher: WordFire Inc

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The sweeping chronicle of a great and tragic pharaoh who lost his throne for the love of a god.

In the glory of ancient Egypt, an epic of a royal family divided, bloody power ploys, and religious wars that nearly tore apart one of the greatest empires in human history.

Akhenaten: The dream-filled King of Egypt, who dared to challenge the ancient order of his people and dethrone the jealous deities of his land for the glory of one almighty God.

Nefertiti: The most beautiful woman in the world, bred from birth to be the pharaoh's devoted lover - and to follow him anywhere, even in his tortured obsessions.

Members Reviews:

Is it the author or the narrator

What disappointed you about A God Against the Gods?

I have three hours left of this book, but I can't go on. It is read so badly that I can't tell whether its the narration or the writing that makes the book unbearable. I stuck to it this far hoping its going to pick up. No. It is uniformly boring, the voices are horrible - especially that of the main character. I understand he was supposed to be croaking most of the time. But there is croaking and there is this croaking - awful to listen to.