Armageddon

A Novel of Berlin

By: Leon Uris

Narrated by: Graham Rowat

Length: 24 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

At the end of World War II, American army officer Captain Sean O’Sullivan is commissioned with rebuilding Berlin. Reeling from the death of his brothers at German hands and faced with the direct horrors of the Holocaust, O’Sullivan struggles against his animosity towards the nation he is helping restore. Meanwhile, Soviet forces blockade Germany in a bid for power, and the Western Allies must unite to prevent a communist takeover. When the airlift begins, the Allies find their deepest convictions tested as they fight against a threat even more dangerous than Hitler.

Meticulously researched, this New York Times bestselling novel gives a historically accurate account of the early days of the Cold War and the fight for German redemption.

“Magnificent. The great drama of the Berlin airlift...” -The Columbus Dispatch

“A vast panorama of people and places...dramatic moment after dramatic moment in a throbbing tempo.” -New York Herald Tribune

©1963 Leon M. Uris (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Legendary author

Can a completely hackneyed narrator ruin a potentially OR probable good book? The answer lies within. Was it intended to sound like a News reel from the 1940s. UNlistenable. Have to parachute out after a few chapters.

Uris documented Berlin bringing it alive

The story is long. The capture ratio is about a 9. You have to take care to list the characters because, like other Uris works, there are lots. Many are intertwined and that makes the story even greater. Too bad that Uris didn't live to write a follow up after the wall was built and came down. Europe post 1945 was a shambles and the Marshall Plan bailed out free society. Without that who knows how wide communism would have spread.

Excellant!

Read this book in the 1969's and loved it but this time around enjoyed it even more.
Navy1955

Loved This Magnificent Book

Leon Uris has to be one of the best novelists that has ever lived. This novel like many of his others is a testament to his ability, is amazing insight into Human Nature, his understanding of History, and his love of the humankind. I really enjoyed this book and recommended highly to anyone who loves historical fiction.

Excellent!

Read this in high-school. Now 40 years later was just as reviting and relevant. Excellent narration by Graham Rowat.

Perhaps better read than listened to

I've read the book about twenty-five years ago and really liked it, so I was looking forward to revisiting it as an audiobook. However, I'd have to say the narrator (Graham Rowat) is not the best - it is very difficult to understand who is speaking with the way he voices different characters. And when he narrates the story, he sounds quite pompous (I challenge listeners to listen through one of the very long lists of nazis early in the story, I had to fast forward through it myself). He is not the worst narrator I've heard, so I'd recommend listening to the sample to see if you'd like to listen to the story for 25 hours.

An important story.

This is such an important story. I am surprised that a book of such importance was performed with so many pronunciation errors. I am also surprised that there is no editing or research done in proper pronunciation of the names af important cities like Wiesbaden (Veesbaden) and Rhein Main (pronounced Mine). I am an army dependent who graduated from Wiesbaden High School, which was named fur General H.H, Arnold, who was the founder of the Army Air Corps. My father was a tanker who served the U.S, for 24 years and fought in 2 wars. I am proud of my heritage and I cringed every time the city’s name was pronounced Vicebaden. It would have been acceptable or more easily overlooked if the name was only used once, but it was such an important part of the story and greater care should’ve been taken to ensure accuracy of the pronunciation. Disappointed.

Story done well if you can make it through Part 1

Almost gave up on the book bc for me the performance was overbearing and sometimes silly, but I can't back to it and glad I did.

Absolutely Fantastic Book

This book is very long with loads of details about post war Berlin. It should be required reading for anyone who has doubts of how badly the post war division of Germany between the 3 Ali’s went and how badly the US allowed the divisions to go. And, most importantly, how the US, English and French allowed the Russians to get away with the crap they imposed on Berlin and the Ali’s who were trying desperately to build a solid country in West Germany.
I have fact checked many parts of it and true to Leon Uris Style it is very historically accurate.
Can’t wait for my next Uris novel!!

Good book after slow start

Slow start but get really interested after. Not quite as good as exodus, etc but worth a read and great history about how berlin came to be divided

Outstanding

Exceptional story of post war Germany and Berlin in particular. Also relevant is the accurate depiction of the Russian psyche - still very relevant.

Borderline racist and deeply boring

“What is wrong with The German People that they could do Such Dreadful Things?” This is such a wrong headed way of looking at social phenomena that I can’t even begin to parse it. Attributing the crimes of the Nazi era to some immutable facet of the German national character misses the genuinely interesting and useful insight that can be gleaned from studying history, society, culture… people.

Also unless you’re super interested in aircraft specifications this book will draaaaaag.