fantastic introduction to the era.

I tent to read books that are more focused on the period around the height of the Roman empire. This is one of the reasons I follow Ben Kane and love his books. I am not a devout follower of his and was excited by the prospect of this book and the introduction into a new genre. This story did not disappoint, and he whetted the appetite for what maybe next. Great read.

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Good Story- Average Portrayal- Too much going on.

I started it off & I thought it would build up to exciting me, sadly I kept waiting until I was halfway through, I had to finish it then. I genuinely believed it would finish on a high note
Very descriptive, perhaps too descriptive at times, seemed to lose it's aim in spells, lost the story and was hard to concentrate.
Was wanting more from the character and him be more like a Sharpe ( Cornwell) / Macro ( Scarrow) style leader. He lacked charisma, toughness, and charm.

Like Ben Kane's King Richard novels but this didn't grasp me like them, the campaign is an interesting one, the Franco- Russian battle for Moscow and the retreat.
Enjoyed Napoleans stubborn attitude being portrayed and the mention of General Ney, didn't enjoy the different characters having Geordie, Cockney, Welsh or Yorkshire accents, as Frenchmen. It became baffling and hard to grasp in relating to the individuals involved.

If the character returns and becomes Wellington's Spy, may give it a go as to see if it improves and excites.

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Great story

Great story from a great writer- just a shame they chose the wrong narrator, this guy couldn’t bring the story to life with his mediocre delivery- a great writer deserves so much more.
Your call as to spend a voucher

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A long walk in the snow

A story of death and misery in the cold with Napoleon retreat from Moscow. As with all Ben Kane books it excels with great research of the period, enhanced by a master of storytelling, I do not hesitate in recommending this read 📚🍷

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Missed the mark

Sadly the audio quality is poor. Narration is also disappointing. The story didn’t grip me in the usual way but you can tell Ben has done an insane amount of research to try and bring this epic march into and back out of Russia to life. If it’s a series I hope they polish and tighten everything up for the subsequent books because it feels lacking for a Ben Kane novel.

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Brilliant listen

Listened to a few of Ben’s books. This was excellent. Looking forward to the next instalment

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A book of two parts

Took a little while for things to develop but after the story progresses it gets so much better.

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Story was good

Tension was immense, Historical accuracy was good. Yes yes yes yes yes yes indeed good good

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Quite enjoyed

Was a nice relaxed listen. Enjoyed the narrator but some of the accents used were a little odd. Seemed to end abruptly, assume a 2nd book is on the cards. The odds seem favourable. I enjoyed it and would be keen on listening to more.

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2 people found this helpful

Not Ben Kanes Best and poor narration

interesting topic for a novel; i just couldnt love the characters. I usually get lost in a Ben Kane novel and forget im reading a book, but this didnt happen this time. Ending is also abrupt and a bit disappointing. How much of this is due to poor narration, its difficult to say. Narration feels staccato and doesnt flow.

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