Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Dark Defile

Subtitle: Britain's Catastrophic Invasion of Afghanistan, 1838-1842

Author: Diana Preston

Narrator: Antony Ferguson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-13

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

Convinced in 1838 that Britain's invaluable empire in India was threatened by Russia, Persia, and Afghan tribes, the British government ordered its Army of the Indus into Afghanistan to oust from power the independent-minded king, Dost Mohammed, and install in Kabul the unpopular puppet ruler Shah Shuja. Expecting a quick campaign, the British found themselves trapped by unforeseen circumstances; eventually the tribes united and the seemingly omnipotent army was slaughtered in 1842 as it desperately retreated through the mountain passes from Kabul to Jalalabad. Only one Briton survived uncaptured.

Diana Preston vividly recounts the drama of this First Afghan War, one of the opening salvos in the strategic rivalry between Britain and Russia for supremacy in Central Asia. As insightful about geography as she is about political and military miscalculation, Preston draws on rarely documented letters and diaries to bring alive long-lost characters-Lord Auckland, the weak British governor-general in India; his impetuous aide William Macnaghten; and the prescient adventurer-envoy Alexander Burnes, whose sage advice was steadfastly ignored.

A model of compelling narrative history, The Dark Defile is a fascinating exploration of nineteenth-century geopolitics, and a cautionary tale that resonates loudly today.

Members Reviews:

Interesting times in the Middle East in the early 1800's!

If you are into history of the Middle East in the 1800's, especially the "great game" as it was called in Victorian England, this is one of the books to read! It reveals much of the politics and double dealing, as well as the assumptions and beliefs that led to many of the issues that we are leading up to WW 1, and the issues bedeviling the the world, today. Somewhat dry in places, but interesting reading!

What I would have liked to see more of was the political ramifications back ...

The book is okay and was not difficult to read. The major problem I have with the work is not with what is in it, but what is missing. The book covers Britain's attempted occupation and concentrates (most of the text) on the actual troops, movements, and harrowing escapes throughout Afghanistan. What I would have liked to see more of was the political ramifications back in Britain and the political/social ramifications in Afghanistan. I like Mrs. Preston's use of original source documents from those who were involved. Mrs. Preston also did well by showing the interactions of the soldiers on both sides. What Mrs. Preston put into the book I found readable, enjoyable, but only to the level of being okay. For those wanting a broader understanding of how Afghanistan has been in middle of the "Great Game" or its position in modern world you want to keep looking. If you are looking for brief, well written synopsis of couple of years of British troop movements and withdrawal from Afghanistan then this will work.

"With the benefit of hindsight (there are a number of) important lessons ... from the First Afghan War"

Preston's _The Dark Defile_ is a bit uneven in the telling of Britain's incursion into Afghanistan, but her evaluation and conclusions are spot on.