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The Great Game
- The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
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Publisher's Summary
The Great Game between Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia was fought across desolate terrain from the Caucasus to China, over the lonely passes of the Parmirs and Karakorams, in the blazing Kerman and Helmund deserts, and through the caravan towns of the old Silk Road - both powers scrambling to control access to the riches of India and the East. When play first began, the frontiers of Russia and British India lay 2000 miles apart; by the end, this distance had shrunk to 20 miles at some points. Now, in the vacuum left by the disintegration of the Soviet Union, there is once again talk of Russian soldiers "dipping their toes in the Indian Ocean."
The Washington Post has said that "every story Peter Hopkirk touches is totally engrossing." In this gripping narrative he recounts a breathtaking tale of espionage and treachery through the actual experiences of its colorful characters. Based on meticulous scholarship and on-the-spot research, this is the history at the core of today's geopolitics.
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ann
- 12-22-17
Desperately Needs a PDF Map of Region at the Time
Very interesting account of the history of Central Asia during the period of the struggle for influence and dominance by Great Britain and Russia, but almost impossible to visualize the many campaigns and treks without the help of a map! Been using Google Maps, but some of the landmark names have changed over the years, so it remains difficult to follow. Ideally there should be a few maps; both large and small scale, covering the regions of interest. Otherwise quite pleased with the book.
13 people found this helpful
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- Kay
- 09-14-17
Epic History
Truly astonishing examples of human courage and cruelty. Peter Hopkirk's writing brings the past vividly to life. The narration is top notch too.
10 people found this helpful
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- sayNOtoMOMjeans
- 04-22-18
great history of the british and Russian conflict
great history of the british and Russian conflict throughout central asia in the 19th century. entertaining and informative. helpful to have Google maps pulled up while listening as knowledge of the regions geography helps the listener better understand the challenges faced by the two militaries.
4 people found this helpful
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- Daniel P. Fradl
- 01-04-18
history that reads like a novel
What did you love best about The Great Game?
The telling of the history in such an engaging way, by focusing on individuals and their roles
Who was your favorite character and why?
too many to mention. There's a succession of British explorers, tribal chieftains, Russians, all looking to win, basically, the game of thrones in central asia
What does Alex Wyndham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Wyndham was masterful in his telling. I felt like I was listening to an actual observer, somehow watching all from above. Voice, inflection, pauses & emphasis all perfect.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When 16,000 folks fled Kandahar for Jalalabad in winter. And only one, literally one, reached that fort.
8 people found this helpful
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- horoscopy
- 09-24-17
By FAR the best book on this topic on Audbile
Would you listen to The Great Game again? Why?
yes, I plan to. very good narration and not only that very well written. I have listened to or tried to listen to other books on this topic, "Games without rules" mainly...and it is just not as well written and narration is nowhere as good as this one.
Any additional comments?
try this one first and foremost If interested in British attempts on domination of Afghanistan
8 people found this helpful
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- Theresa D
- 01-23-19
A great history, and one seldom learned about
I really enjoyed this history of Russian and British political and military intrigues in Central Asia during the 1800s. it captures your attention and holds it throughout with the various intrigues. this part of the world and this time period or something you don't often learn about in school, so expanding my horizons with this book was well worth it. it also makes me curious about greater perspective on what those native citizens and countries involved thought how about the machinations going on around them.
3 people found this helpful
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- kucherv
- 10-13-17
A bit biased against Russia.
Great brain was the more of a bully in the great game. Nevertheless this book was very well written researched and narrated.
12 people found this helpful
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- Jane D
- 06-03-21
Great story, writing, poor reading
The story and writing are great, and this is a key work on the subject and continuing best seller. But the reading is rhythmically boring, actually annoying,, with a drop on the last word of every sentence, which may be the key word and certainly belies the varying sentence structures. Sorry Audible, will read the book.
2 people found this helpful
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- xsxcxzc
- 09-26-21
Not a fan of the performance
Not a fan of the performance. Would recommend reading this one instead of trying to listen.
1 person found this helpful
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- Rory
- 07-24-20
Treachery everywhere
The lead-up to first Afghan war is very well-done. Hopkirk does a wonderful job of making the intrigues and maneuvers of the British and Russians in Central Asia exciting. Most history books gloss over it as meaningless as "nothing really happened" but at least 3 wars, several raids, small battles and artful diplomacy kept a major war breaking out between Russia and Britain over Central Asia that would have made the Crimean war seem even smaller. He doesn't get into China too much (other books?) but you can learn quite a bit about Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Punjab, and Kazakhstan's 19th century roots that are played out today. Even helps you understand from today's headlines how Muslim Xinjiang became part of China, or the roots of the conflicts over Kashmir and China's claim to Ladakh.
Alex Wyndham does a great job narrating with just the right emphasis to keep some of the inevitable slower parts of the narrative from dragging.
1 person found this helpful