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Polar War

Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic

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Polar War

By: Kenneth R. Rosen
Narrated by: Jacques Roy
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About this listen

 Russian spies. Sabotaged pipelines. Undersea communications severed in the dead of night.

Tensions are building at the top of the world and the Arctic - the fastest-warming place on Earth - stands at the crossroads of geopolitical ambition and environmental catastrophe. As thawing ice opens up new trade routes, untapped natural resources and long-frozen biological weapons, award-winning commentator Kenneth R. Rosen draws on first-hand reportage and testimony to document the race to control this strategically crucial territory. Can America, which since the 1990s has lagged behind on infrastructure, reimpose its might against the superior technology and strategic engagement of Russia and China? Above the Arctic Circle, the world's superpowers stand on the brink of a new cold war - and every day it grows hotter.

Timely and incisive, Polar War is an indispensable account of the interests, landscapes and people that define the world's most extreme frontier©2026 R Rosen (P)2026 Simon & Schuster Audio Environment Politics & Government Science Russia Polar Region War Military
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I'm not sure if it's because the narration is so mono-tone, or because his accent makes him sound like a sleepy Peter Lorre, but I just can't make out half of what is being said, and really struggle to concentrate. I can't believe he narrates nearly 70 other audiobooks on Audible!

Like many others I was brought here by The Rest is Politics and their glowing review of the book and have been looking forward to it's release, and I NEVER usually buy books on release day. This is such a relevant story with today's geopolitics and should be on the list for anyone into such topics, however I'd recommend buying the book and avoiding the audiobook if you can, I certainly wish I did.

A great book ruined by a substandard narrator

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I should have paid more attention to the wording of the description. "Reportage". What I was looking for was the analytical perspectives of somebody who understands the strategic struggle for the arctic. What I got was a travel log honouring indigenous pagan beliefs, and the human condition vs the rigours of arctic. The whole ramble was infused with some of the most ridiculous climate change propaganda and mushy moralising, laced with anti-Trump rhetoric and the usual anti-Russian tropes.

The narration was so painful, the metaphors and observations so banal, and the rambling so meandering that I have to admit I started to skip huge chunks just to see if there was actually anything in there of interest. From what I could tolerate, there was nothing of any objective or educational substance at all.

Polar Strategic Positioning or Travel Log?

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Interesting facts and real life experiences make this an interesting read. Understanding the key actors in the arctic helped me understand what and why the things that are happening there now.

Great in-depth analysis of the region

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I was really loo forward to this after a mention from TRIP podcast. The monotonous narration was so bad I had to stop listening after an hour or so. Such a shame. Let me know if the narrator is changed in the future and I’ll definitely give it another go.

Terrible narration left this title unfinished. Shame.

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It felt like this was narrated by an ai version of Mr Burns from the Simpson’s. Sentences were very difficult to follow. Gave up after Three chapters. Shame the author didn’t narrate it as he’s much easier to listen to.

Narrator is awful

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