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The Egyptian audiobook cover art

  • The Egyptian

  • By: Mika Waltari
  • Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
  • Length: 23 hrs and 19 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 291
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 271
  • Story
    4.5 out of 5 stars 270

The world of ancient Egypt springs magnificently to life in this astonishing historical novel of love, war, political intrigue, and religious revolution. Told from the first-person point of view, it is the story of Sinuhe, physician to the royal court of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his successors in the middle of the tumultuous 14th century B.C. From his exalted position, Sinuhe was able to observe and participate in some of the most intimate and important decisions that affected the powerful Egyptian kingdom of the 18th Dynasty during a very troubled period of its history.

  • 5 out of 5 stars

  • Epic tale of epic proportions with great performance

  • By Lelumikko on 12-15-15
The Roman audiobook cover art

  • The Roman

  • By: Mika Waltari
  • Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
  • Length: 27 hrs and 14 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 35
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 33
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars 34

This fascinating historical novel brings to life the ancient Roman Empire with all its decadence, vice, virtue, courage, splendor, and magnificence. Told from the first-person point of view, and closely following actual historical events and personalities, this is the story of Minutus Manilianus, a Roman knight who comes to manhood during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Skillfully recapturing the essence of the period in its vast tapestry of color, drama, beauty, and menace, Waltari weaves a masterful plot beginning in the eastern Mediterranean port city of Antioch.

  • 3 out of 5 stars

  • The Passion of the Roman

  • By Robert on 10-29-14
The Adventurer audiobook cover art

  • The Adventurer

  • By: Mika Waltari
  • Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
  • Length: 18 hrs
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars 27
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars 25
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars 24

Mika Waltari sweeps you into the early 16th century in this tale of faith, love, and tragedy. Beginning in Finland, where our hero is born, we are introduced to young Michael Furfoot, a scholar with hopes of becoming a church prelate. His dream of ordination leads him to the famed University of Paris and its intrigues. Running short of money, he is forced to abandon his studies for the life of a mercenary soldier, a decision that will bring him into contact with some of the age's greatest leaders and intellects.

The Dark Angel audiobook cover art

  • The Dark Angel

  • By: Mika Waltari
  • Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
  • Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars 25
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 23
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars 22

Ancient Constantinople, the glorious capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for over 1,000 years, and the jewel of Christendom, is the setting for this incredible historical novel. No other city in the world could compare with it in grandeur, splendor, and wealth. And when it fell to the Turks in 1453, it must have seemed like the end of the world to Christians. Famed author Mika Waltari takes us into the last months of this dying city as revealed in the diary of John Angelos, a strange man hopelessly in love with the daughter of an eminent Byzantine official.

  • 5 out of 5 stars

  • beautifully written with a top notch narration

  • By JimB on 02-21-17
River God audiobook cover art

  • River God

  • A Novel of Ancient Egypt
  • By: Wilbur Smith
  • Narrated by: Dick Hill
  • Length: 24 hrs and 39 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars 1,372
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 872
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars 876

Ancient Egypt. Land of the Pharaohs. A kingdom built on gold. A legend shattered by greed. Now the Valley of Kings lies ravaged by war, drained of its lifeblood, as weak men inherit the cherished crown. On the eve of the festival of Osiris, the loyal subjects of the Pharaoh gather in Thebes to pay tribute to their leader.

Exploding with all the passion and rage of a bygone time, River God is a masterpiece of historical writing.

  • 5 out of 5 stars

  • Highly recommended

  • By Jillian on 02-19-09
The Arabian Nights Entertainments audiobook cover art

  • The Arabian Nights Entertainments

  • By: Louis Rhead
  • Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
  • Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
  • Unabridged
  • Overall
    4.5 out of 5 stars 263
  • Performance
    4.5 out of 5 stars 245
  • Story
    4.5 out of 5 stars 244

The central core of the stories concerns a Persian king and his new bride. The king has a brother who is a vizier in faraway Samarcand, and he invites him to come to the palace for a visit. Just before his departure, the vizier is shocked to discover his wife's infidelity. Enraged, he kills her. Full of pain and grief, the vizier continues on to the court of his brother, the king. But, once arrived at his brother's palace, the vizier soon discovers the king's wife is also involved in an even more flagrant infidelity.

  • 5 out of 5 stars

  • Includes stories absent from other versions

  • By D. Fearon on 11-21-13

Publisher's Summary

The civilization of the ancient fifth century BC Mediterranean blossoms into life in Mika Waltari's outstanding historical novel of love, war, greed, and spiritual tumult.

Beginning in Ionia in 498 BC with the burning of the Lydian capital, Sardis, the story of Lars Turms sweeps across the Mediterranean to Delphi, Athens, then Sicily, before finally ending in Rome and ancient Etruria. Along the way, we encounter Greek warriors and pirates, Carthaginian merchants and princes, strange priests and priestesses, and trading centers, great and small. It is a fascinating glimpse of a world on the verge of wrenching change. Few cultures will survive unscathed.

With Greece on the cusp of war against mighty Persia in the East and wealthy Carthage in the West, the peoples of a dozen cultures hold their breath in anticipation. The old ways will not survive the probing, skeptical minds of the Greeks, and Lars Turms' destiny is to accommodate himself and his people to altering circumstances far different from anything he could have possibly anticipated.

This exciting novel plays out on the background of actual historical events and real personalities. In order to enhance your enjoyment, we urge listeners to access the included PDF map of the ancient Mediterranean and the brief historical explanation.

Download the accompanying reference guide.
©1956 Estate of Mika Waltari (P)2015 Audio Connoisseur

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • garret
  • meridian, ID, United States
  • 08-04-15

Surprised fan......

What was most disappointing about Mika Waltari’s story?

I was surprised how I felt about this book after listening to it. I loved the Roman and the Egyptian, that being said, I wasn't happy with the story line. The performance was great and as historical novels go, it was worth the credit.

Any additional comments?

As a Waltari fan it's a must listen.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful