Bryan MacKinnon

Entertaining but not always accurate

Revisado: 03-23-25

On one level, this a fun listen. But on another, it is not always accurate. The author too often cites one historical incident that if it did not happen, claims it may have entirely changed the course of history. I could have looked past that but the thing that disappointed me the most was that historical events did not always play out the way the author claimed. For example, during the battle for Singapore in 1942 between the Japanese and British led overseas forces, the author makes the not uncommon mistake of claiming that British did not anticipate that an attack could come from the north and that their large land-based artillery could not fire north into Malaya. The British did anticipate this and their large guns could and did fire northward. This misconception started shortly after the British lost Singapore but has long since been disproven.

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It changed my understanding of the Aztecs

Revisado: 03-15-25

An extraordinary overview of the Mexica/Aztecs. It changed my understanding of them as well as the Spanish who eventually came to govern them. The Aztecs were not the one dimensional human sacrificers that is often portrayed in the one sided histories written by Europeans nor did they view the Spanish as some sort of gods. And most surprisingly to me, the last leader of the Aztecs, Montezuma, was not the incompetent king that many believe him to be.

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Enthralling recent history of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the impact of political religion.

Revisado: 02-11-25

Excellent account of the Middle East and how it came to be what it is today.

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Engaging telling of a most critical time in Japan’s history.

Revisado: 06-18-24

I very much enjoyed the author’s telling of one of the most interesting times in Japanese history. She made the case for why the protagonist could be considered the most important Samurai in a lively and enjoyable fashion.

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Very good except for one erratum

Revisado: 06-07-23

Very much enjoyed this history of a key period of western civilisation through the lens of the Medici. My only quibble is that in the chapter on Galileo where he was proven correct during the Apollo moon landings where an astronaut dropped a hammer and feather onto the moon’s surface and they landed at the same time. It was not Neil Armstrong in 1969 that did this experiment as the author writes but by Dave Scott on Apollo 15 in 1971. A minor point and hopefully the only erratum in the book.

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Recommended for anyone with an interest in Japan

Revisado: 01-07-23

I very much enjoyed this audiobook. I recommend it for anyone who has an interest in Japan, its history, especially the late Feudal period.

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Excellent, balanced, and well researched

Revisado: 03-10-21

I very much enjoyed the audio book. I’m an American who is an avid student of Japanese history and have lived in Japan for many years. For me, Japanese history is most interesting when it interacts, or in this case collides, with foreigners and other nations. The few months around the end of WWII are obviously one of those times. It also highlights the folly of war when mortal enemies can, within a few days or even hours, suddenly stop the killing and develop cooperation, respect, and even friendship. Some reviewers have commented that this book is too sympathetic or pro Japanese. I don’t find that to be the case. Rather the author dives deeply into the motivations of the Japanese officials and combatants (and their families) which I find to be one of the unique strengths of this book.

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Great story but just a minor issue with the narration

Revisado: 05-03-20

I liked this audiobook and learned a lot from it. I recommend it. My only complaint was the Narrator’s pronunciation of Japanese names. This may only bother someone like me but I found it distracting his incorrect pronunciation of names like Yamamoto who are key to the story.

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Very good but as much a warning as a wonder

Revisado: 05-03-20

Very informative and well narrated. I recommend it. I learned a lot about a resource that is all around us and has changed the world in so many ways yet we are running out of it. My only disappointment is the story is a focus more on the warning verses the wonder of it all. But that is probably the author’s point.

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DON’T PANIC

Revisado: 08-01-18

Don’t panic is the lesson I took from this. We have been through worse before in our history.

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