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The Silk Roads
- A New History of the World
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 25 hrs and 7 mins
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The Silk Roads
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Summary
Bloomsbury presents The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan, read by Mike Grady.
The No. 1 Sunday Times and international bestseller—a major reassessment of world history in light of the economic and political renaissance in the re-emerging east
For centuries, fame and fortune was to be found in the west—in the New World of the Americas. Today, it is the east which calls out to those in search of adventure and riches. The region stretching from eastern Europe and sweeping right across Central Asia deep into China and India, is taking centre stage in international politics, commerce and culture—and is shaping the modern world.
This region, the true centre of the earth, is obscure to many in the English-speaking world. Yet this is where civilization itself began, where the world’s great religions were born and took root. The Silk Roads were no exotic series of connections, but networks that linked continents and oceans together. Along them flowed ideas, goods, disease and death. This was where empires were won—and where they were lost. As a new era emerges, the patterns of exchange are mirroring those that have criss-crossed Asia for millennia. The Silk Roads are rising again.
A major reassessment of world history, The Silk Roads is an important account of the forces that have shaped the global economy and the political renaissance in the re-emerging east.
Critic reviews
"Brilliant and fearlessly wide-ranging." (Guardian, Books of the Year)
"Breathtaking and addictively readable." (Daily Telegraph, History Book of the Year)
"Dazzlingly good." (Evening Standard)
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What listeners say about The Silk Roads
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Filomeno Fonseca
- 25-06-23
History repeats himself
History of west and east was manipulated. Truth will come out at some point. good read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andris Racko
- 14-02-24
An excellent book and gives you good perspective. What is going to have soon .
It is a very good book and must read for everybody. Who will understand something in geopolitics and current situation in the world now.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Griffiths
- 28-04-23
Wonderfully narrated history of civilization
I loved this book, and found it really fascinating. Development of countries, the greed of nations, the divisive nature of religion and how all this shaped what we see today, a really incredible walk through time
The narration is perfect too, real depth and range in Mike's voice brings everything to life.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- RStreet
- 29-09-23
The first 2/3rds are great. Then it’s “The Road To 9/11” and little else.
The first 2/3rds of the book was enlightening and interesting, but there was way too much time spent on the Middle East and the USA dealings with Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan in the final chapters. It became “the road to 9/11” and seemed to completely skip over China’s rise to economic strength as well as lacking any analysis of the growth of India as a future economic power, and pretty much glossed over the Vietnam War and other aspects of the middle and far east in the last 70 years.
It’s clear the author had an agenda to “prove” that 9/11 was a disaster of the USA’s own creation, which I don’t necessarily dispute, but it became the focus of the book’s final chapters to the exclusion of all else.
The book also assumed a lot of knowledge, throwing in names as if they should be common knowledge without any background explanation or context.
It’s a good history book, but it left me wanting more detail in certain areas.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nyota
- 04-03-23
Not very novel, but quite entertaining
So I’ve heard most of this before, and his conclusions aged really badly given that oil and gas can hardly be called the future now.
But it’s a great overview of the silk roads, and the people that have lived along it for milennia. Really worth a listen.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- V S Bailey
- 06-06-23
User-friendly and educative
I learnt a lot from listening to the book. I found it engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will listen to it again.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- cashmere
- 02-03-24
Outstanding
A quite brilliant, cleverly crafted history of The Silk Roads. Beautifully narrated. Long and satisfying listen. Very much enjoyed learning.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lou P
- 10-06-23
Good perspective
An excellent read and well narrated. I look forward to the next book and it helps to give perspective on todays events.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Teatimes Shadow
- 04-09-23
Covers a lot but very light on detail
My initial thoughts were to abandon the book after only a few chapters. It is very light on detail which was annoying but it covers a large picture of history that is understandable that it is so light on detail. I have to raise a doubt on its coverage of the Romans and Europe. The book stated that Rome was much more focused on the East than Europe and made Europe seem like a backwater. Armies are expensive and the Romes were constantly expanding their holdings in Europe. If the East was its main focus. Why, at some point didn't Rome abandon Europe, raising and killing as they retreated and then focus all of its forces east? With the mountain to the north, only a small force would have been needed to protect this border especially if they were brutal in their retreat. The only reason I can see is either because of resources but these could have been traded or so they could reward officers with land for service. Peter Franlopan should have provided a reason for his statement that the East was the primary focus. Saying that it is a great piece of work and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 23-12-23
worth your time !
if you want to learn and witness how history tells it's stories again and again. I highly recommend. wow
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