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Shadow of the Silk Road cover art

Shadow of the Silk Road

By: Colin Thubron
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Summary

Out of the heart of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across Northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey, Colin Thubron undertakes a journey along the greatest land route on earth: the Silk Road. Travelling 7,000 miles in eight months, he traces the passage not only of trade and armies, but of ideas, religions and inventions. With a gift for talking to others, and of getting them to talk to him, Thubron meets some fascinating people and encounters some of the world's discontented margins, where the true boundaries are not political borders but the frontiers of tribe, ethnicity, language and religion.
©2006 Colin Thubron (P)2007 Isis Publishing Ltd.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
Biographies & Memoirs Asia Middle East Travel Writing & Commentary
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Critic reviews

"He stands awestruck before the oldest piece of paper in the world in a Chinese museum and is quarantined for Sars in the Taklamakan desert as he bears witness to a world that is remote from our own yet unbreakably connected to it."( The Times)
"Thubron doesn't cut corners, he talks to people, he takes risks, he's honest-and so is Jonathan Keeble's reading. He's got a great on-the-road voice."( The Guardian)

What listeners say about Shadow of the Silk Road

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Profile Image for paul

magnificent .wonderful

best book I've listened to full of drama and will probably listen or read it again in a few years

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  • Overall
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Profile Image for Considered opinion

Awe-inspiring

An engaging, awe-inspiring read. Simply beautiful prose interwoven with historical background and lively dialogue Realistically, whilst I may never get to travel to any of the places recorded in this book, I now feel as if I have a far more vivid and informed picture of exactly what I am missing. If I could choose anyone as a dinner guest, Mr Thubron, you’d be top of my list!

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  • Overall
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Profile Image for Mike C Davies

Another great Thubron travel book

Very much enjoyed this epic voyage, tracing the silk road through modern day China, central Asia, Iran and Turkey. Very well researched. Good narration by Jonathan Keeble.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Nick

Thoroughly Enjoyable

Well observed with plenty of personal encounters and conversations recounted to make this most enjoyable. However, as another reviewer remarked, the carelessness of the narrator with the pronunciation of Chinese names is very annoying. It is not, alas, the only audiobook to fall foul of this error, but how refreshing it would be if the producers of audiobooks spent just a little more money to employ an advisor in to help narrators in this regard.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for M. Griffiths

Should have been a great book...

The author is clearly a very accomplished writer. Here, he has sacrificed narrative flow for literary style with the result that I often didn't know where he was or where he was going. It is a journey after all.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Peter

Another world

If the object of a sucessful book is to entertain and educate at the same time, this one certainly fits the bill. The language and word craft were inspirational. In audio format, it is superlative. It achieves the above criteria effortlessly and it transports the listener to another world with ease. I really enjoyed the author's style and his obviously meticulously researched content. The narrator's performance was superb. Altogether a wonderful production which I enjoyed from beginning to end.
Peter

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35 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mikal Mast

Unfamiliar names

I was delighted to find Shadow of the Silk Road already available on audible, as it saved me waiting for amazon to deliver a hard copy. However, I am rather disappointed with the narrator, who has not made much of an effort to pronounce correctly a number of people and place names. I am familiar with both the history and geography of the region, but I often find it difficult to figure out to which person or place the narrator is referring - I am hoping things improve as we leave China.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Carolyn

Just needs a map

I have never read Colin Thubron and chose this book because I am interested in the silk road rather than a devoted fan of the author. I didn't learn as much about the silk road as I had anticipated, but I was absolutely delighted with the Thubron's narrative and his subtle use of language. His portraits of the people he meets on his journey are detailed and fascinating. The one thing I felt I missed through hearing this rather than reading it was a map of his journey. I sometimes lost track of where we were and had to wait until we crossed a border in order to locate myself again.

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4 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for susan cumisky

I walked with him.

What a magical journey. It has been far too long since I read a Colin Thubron book. Thank you for bringing a far away country to my door.

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Profile Image for Alex

Great travel book

Great book. I found this book while looking for something to listen to in the car that was a little different and I'm glad I did. It took me a little while to get used to the style but once I settled in it is a great travel book.
Colin Thubron is a great descriptive writer and I could almost picture each of his encounters along his journey.
Not only did I learn about the environment he was in but the history and background were also great education. It is a great chance to learn about whole cultures that I have very little knowledge of.
Downloading another of his books straight away.

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1 person found this helpful