• The Bloody White Baron

  • The Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia
  • By: James Palmer
  • Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
  • Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (152 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Bloody White Baron  By  cover art

The Bloody White Baron

By: James Palmer
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In the history of the modern world, there have been few characters more sadistic, sinister, and deeply demented as Baron Ungern-Sternberg. An anti-Semitic fanatic with a penchant for Eastern mysticism and a hatred of communists, Baron Ungern-Sternberg took over Mongolia in 1920 with a ragtag force of White Russians, Siberians, Japanese, and native Mongolians. While tormenting friend and foe alike, he dreamed of assembling a horse-borne army with which he would retake communist controlled Moscow.

In this epic saga, which ranges from Austria to the Mongolian Steppe, historian and travel writer James Palmer has brought to light the gripping life story of a madman whose actions foreshadowed the most grotesque excesses of the 20th century.

©2009 James Palmer (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] fascinating portrait of an appalling man - and of the zeitgeist that shaped him." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Bloody White Baron

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    67
  • 4 Stars
    51
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    63
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    61
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Truth is stranger than fiction

This is a fascinating book about a character I had never heard of. The story itself is so odd the while reading this book I felt like I was actually reading some strange fantasy novel instead of history. What made me realize that it was history was the fact that there were only villans in this story, there are no heroes here.

For those of us in the west who are taught nothing about this part of the world and little at all about this period of history it is truly eye opening. Palmer lays out a great deal of information to bring the background of this story to life. His own knowledge of the area helps to illuminate many parts of the book. His wit is the typically dry British style. He paints a vivid picture of Tibetan/Mongolian buddhism. His portrait is honest, painfully so with those of us only familiar with the Hollywood version.

The stories of brutality by all sides in this story is enough to make one’s hair stand on end. With the fall and the discrediting of communism it is now possible to air the truth about what happened in much of the world that suffered under its tyranny. The epilogue of the book, which covers the period of Mongolia after the communist takeover, shows the extreme brutality and cultural rape that accompanied that system.

The book is well written and the topic is fascinating. As a historian I regret that there is not more source material on this subject. This is not the fault of the author, rather it is the simple absence of much reliable original material on this subject. The only warning that I will give is that many types of brutality were committed by all sides and you will here about it.

Stefan Rudnicki does an excellent job of narrating the book. It was a lot of fun to listen to.


Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Listen in spite of the annoying accents

I found this to be an interesting book, and as one who lives and works in Outer Mongolia, it brought to light some essential history. The author did a good job on his research, and writes in a way that captivates interest in not only the main character of the book, but also a unique historical era in central Asia.
The only thing I found distracting was the way the reader of the book utilized accents. When reading direct quotes from various historical figures, the reader would take on some kind of strange sounding Germanic accent. It was a tad distracting, if not annoying during those portions.
In spite of this, however, I do recommend this for anyone with any interest in Mongolian or Central Asian history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Best Viewed As Historical Fiction

Despite the sketchy reviews, I decided to buy this book, since I am interested in the subject matter. There is precious little verifiable information about The Baron, he was one of those crazy historical figures that inspired much speculation and many stories. If one views this book as an interesting account of the possible adventures of a minor historical figure, one still might enjoy the work. Not the best narrator in the world, but the recording quality is fine. All in all, decent entertainment for those folks interested in Russia and Central Asia. Caveat, some Buddhists might find the way the author deals with Buddhism a little patronizing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Barely three stars

There is simply not enough source material available about the Baron to support a book this long. As a result, the narrative is exceedingly thin as the author works to pull disconnected references together into a coherent whole. By the end of the book we have heard everything there is to hear about the character, but we have also been subjected to long, discursive speculations about the philosophical, religious and political roots of his career. Historians are used to reading (and writing) this sort of thing. For the non-professional reader who is looking for the "story" of the man, the book is likely to prove boring and frustrating.

Ungern is a repulsive but fascinating character, and he operated in an extraordinary setting which will be largely unfamiliar to most readers. In my opinion, this writer was not up to the task of turning this rich but scanty material into a a satisfying and engaging book. I love history, but I was ready for it to be over hours before it was.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Not a scholary well researched work... Irritating

Nthing I would not have already learnt by reading "setting the east ablaze" by Peter Hopkirk... Pompous

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

an epic tail of the most unusual massmurder of the last century where insanity is given due space to blossom.

an epic tail of the most unusual massmurder of the last century where insanity is given due space to blossom

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gruesomely fascinating

This is an absolute page-turner of a book. Buy a second backup book if you use audiobooks on trips, because you’re going to rip through this one. The pacing is perfect, the author’s voice deeply charming, and the complicated subject is handled with skill.
It is a little behind on the times in some of its theories and tone, though. The idea that Estonian and Mongolian are part of the same “Altaic” language family was generally dismissed by linguists in the ‘70s. The description of Buddhist temples leans a little too hard into exoticism, giving it a bit of a Hollywoody Indiana Jones vibe: leaning into mystique rather than de-mystifying. I take those as red flags for how much I trust I place in an author speaking on a subject I’m not otherwise expert enough in to personally catch every outdated theory and historiographical misstep.
So don’t cite this book in your thesis, but do give it to every history nerd you know for their birthday.

The narrator is great, but brace yourself for the his pronouncing “Qing Dynasty” as “King Dynasty” the whole way through.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating story

Fascinating story about a truly horrific and often overlooked corner of the Russian Civil War. Well researched and well narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely amazing

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I especially liked how Palmer went into detail about the Buddhist religion and history surrounding Mongolia.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good book, bad performance

Taken for what it is, pop history, it's surprisingly good. The performance on the other hand is just bad. Mispronouncing names (The way he says Lenin is particularly bad) and reading certain passages in a fake Russian accent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!