The End of Empire

Attila the Hun & the Fall of Rome

De: Christopher Kelly

Narrado por: Michael Page

History remembers Attila, the leader of the Huns, as the Romans perceived him: a savage barbarian brutally inflicting terror on whoever crossed his path. Following Attila and the Huns from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the court of Constantinople, Christopher Kelly portrays Attila in a compelling new light, uncovering an unlikely marriage proposal, a long-standing relationship with a treacherous Roman general, and a thwarted assassination plot.

We see Attila as both a master warrior and an astute strategist whose rule was threatening but whose sudden loss of power was even more so. The End of Empire is an original exploration of the clash between empire and barbarity in the ancient world, full of contemporary resonance.

©2009 Christopher Kelly (P)2020 Tantor

Great perspective

I hadn’t heard many of these stories, and they were told at a good pace. Very interesting

Know your names in history before listening!

This was a good story with excellent information. The narrator was very good. My one negative would be that, being somewhat unfamiliar with many of the names in the history, it was difficult to follow as the storyline bounced back and forth thru the years and was not necessarily chronological. Perhaps it would have been easier to follow in book form, but still I would give it a favorable overall rating.

A very entertaining listen

Really enjoyed the fresh perspective on Atilla and the Roman Empire. The narrator has an excellent voice for audio books and the book does a good job juggling the vast amount of characters and never losing the reader.

Good narrative history

Fans of ancient history will find this a gripping account of the last days of the Roman empire. Lots of information about the the Huns, a fascinating people. I enjoy Michael Pages's narration; dramatic telling of dramatic events.

Demystifying Attila

Much like Barry Strauss’s “The Trojan War”, there is limited historical record to truly do justice to the man Attila. Regardless I found the book to be eye opening with the information available and Attila as the “big bad” is more myth and propaganda than rooted in fact. I think the author said it best calling the Hunnic empire parasitic and how the author highlighted the problems with the sprawling Roman Empire was also an interesting correlation.