Rod Baxter
- 7
- reviews
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- helpful votes
- 21
- ratings

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Martin Chuzzlewit
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Mark MacNamara
- Length: 31 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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"Martin Chuzzlewit" is Charles Dickens' comic masterpiece about which his biographer, Forster, noted that it marked a crucial phase in the author's development as he began to delve deeper into the "springs of character". Old Martin Chuzzlewit, tormented by the greed and selfishness of his family, effectively drives his grandson, young Martin, to undertake a voyage to America. It is a voyage which will have crucial consequences not only for young Martin, but also for his grandfather and his grandfather's servant, Mary Graham with whom young Martin is in love.
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Wordy
- By Rod Baxter on 22-04-2019
- Martin Chuzzlewit
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Mark MacNamara
Wordy
Reviewed: 22-04-2019
Not one of his best. I found at times it was a bit lengthy in getting to the point.
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Barnaby Rudge
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 23 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In a case of mistaken identification, Barnaby Rudge, a pale half-wit with long red hair who dresses all in green and carries a large raven on his back, is arrested as the leader of a mob of anti-Catholic rioters. He is condemned to death on the gallows, but an upright locksmith named Gabriel Varden comes to his aid.
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A Good Account.
- By Rod Baxter on 30-03-2019
- Barnaby Rudge
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
A Good Account.
Reviewed: 30-03-2019
The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting based on anti-Catholic feeling. They began with a massive and orderly protest in London against the Papists Act of 1778, which was intended to reduce official discrimination against British Catholics.
Dickens retells the story of these riots in a fictional account that centers itself around the life of Barnaby Rudge and others who live in and around The Maypole Inn. It tells of a romantic involvement of an upper class protestant and a working class catholic. It tells of how the two fathers conspire to end the relationship. The story gets into the feelings, the anger, the prejudices, the hatred as and the violent behavior that lead to the riots.
Barnaby Rudge, a simpleton, was coerced into taking part in these riots.The story follows Barnaby to the various sites where the violence took place.
All in all, Dickens covers the times and events, the people and the places and gives us a good account of what happened from all points of view.
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Sapiens
- By: Yuval Noah Harari
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us. We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us sapiens? In this bold and provocative audiobook, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here, and where we're going.
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Thought-provoking
- By Anonymous User on 30-08-2017
- Sapiens
- By: Yuval Noah Harari
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Informative
Reviewed: 30-03-2019
A lot of history books can be very dry, full of facts and dates and laboured and difficult to plough through. Homosapiens, is different. It gives the history in a way that is entertaining and informative. it speaks to the reader in a contemporary and often humorous way.
Considering that this is a Brief History, it is very detailed. Scientific and technical terms are used in a way that lay persons can understand. That way you can keep up and follow along easily. I was a bit hesitant about reading this initially, but after a few pages, found myself involved in the history. I became involved, a participant. Not just a distant and future observer.
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
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Surprisingly good
- By Amazon Customer on 25-09-2017
Very Impressed
Reviewed: 29-03-2019
To coin a phrase, this really is a case of the truth being stranger than fiction. Well, not necessarily strange, but more impressive. It is difficult not to be impressed with Genghis Kahn. Arguably, the greatest conqueror the world has known.
I must admit to not knowing very much about, the great Kahn. Not many of us do, or did. This History was put together over many years, by quite a few people and in some cases, at great risk. I think the story of the writing, the research, the digging up of the facts, the hardships, to get it written, is maybe as interesting, as Genghis Kahn's own story and the history of the Mongolian Empire.
while reading this book. I kept having this internal wow. This awe. Not just at the battles and conquests, impressive as they were. It was the achievements and the innovations that were set in place, to put the modern world on track, that are truly spectacular.
Without the contributions that came from the Mongolian Empire, the modern world may still be in the Middle Ages.
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The Changeling Murders
- The Thief Taker Series, Book 4
- By: C. S. Quinn
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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London, 1667: In the wake of the Great Fire, a new city has emerged from the flames. The King has reopened the capital’s theatres, and the royal court is hell-bent on debauched entertainment. But amid the raucous festivities, an actress shows up dead, dressed in the clothes of a missing girl. It’s a time of great change for thief taker Charlie Tuesday too: his old flame, Maria, is on the cusp of marrying someone else. But when she is abducted on the way to her wedding, Charlie realises her disappearance is linked to the murder.
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Totally Engrossing
- By Rod Baxter on 06-07-2018
- The Changeling Murders
- The Thief Taker Series, Book 4
- By: C. S. Quinn
- Narrated by: Steve West
Totally Engrossing
Reviewed: 06-07-2018
The 4th installment of The Thief Taker series has lived up to the standard set by the 1st 3 books in the series. What politically, socially and morally explosive times the Jacobin era must have been. Tyrannical rule, Gunpowder plots, feverish religious extremism, social and political unrest, cruel living standards, for the commoners, set against the excesses of the ruling classes and you have the basis for a powerful engaging series of novels. Consider, also, Cromwell's Republican civil war, add to that the backdrop of the worst plague, in living memory, to be shortly followed by a fire that devastated London. I doubt C.S.Quinn could have imagined a better setting for these novels.
We get a guided tour of the times and places as seen through the eyes of the Thief taker, Charlie Tuesday. What an adventure it is. Charlie races through London, finding clues, avoiding villains, avoiding plague and fire, putting the puzzles together. All the time, against the clock.
The plot is exceptionally well put together. There is nothing left unexplained. There are no gaping holes. The Characters are multi dimensional. Even the historical figures seem to be true representations. I found myself doing a lot of research, during and after reading. So enthralling was this story. Steve West must take some of the credit for his brilliant performance of this tale.
I suspect there will be further volumes of this series. I hope so, anyhow.
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Quintana of Charyn
- The Lumatere Chronicles, Book 3
- By: Melina Marchetta
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi must travel through Charyn to search for Quintana, the mother of Charyn's unborn king, and protect her against those who will do anything to gain power. But what happens when loyalty to family and country conflict? When the forces marshalled in Charyn's war gather and threaten to involve the whole of the land, including Lumatere, only Froi can set things right, with the help of those he loves.
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Thoroughly Enjoyable.
- By Rod Baxter on 30-07-2017
- Quintana of Charyn
- The Lumatere Chronicles, Book 3
- By: Melina Marchetta
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
Thoroughly Enjoyable.
Reviewed: 30-07-2017
The Lumatere Chronicles, are right up there with some of the best books that I have read. Marchetta's characters are three dimensional, distinctive, diverse and believable. Her narrative is entertaining and her plot exceptional. This is a totally entertaining story, from start to finish.
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Assassin's Fate
- Fitz and the Fool, Book 3
- By: Robin Hobb
- Narrated by: Avita Jay, David Thorpe
- Length: 45 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Prince FitzChivalry Farseer's daughter, Bee, was violently abducted from Withywoods by Servants of the Four in their search for the Unexpected Son, foretold to wield great power. With Fitz in pursuit, the Servants fled through a Skill-pillar, leaving no trace. It seems certain that they and their young hostage have perished in the Skill-river. Clerres, where White Prophets were trained by the Servants to set the world on a better path, has been corrupted by greed. Fitz is determined to reach the city and take vengeance on the Four.
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Annoying Performance
- By Anonymous User on 07-08-2017
- Assassin's Fate
- Fitz and the Fool, Book 3
- By: Robin Hobb
- Narrated by: Avita Jay, David Thorpe
Colossal, Epic Story.
Reviewed: 01-06-2017
Assassin's Fate is a truly wonderfully writen tale that started 9 books ago. A story of a bastard prince, a prescient jester and a wolf, who go on, to put the world on a better path.
This final installment lived up to all expectations. As far as conclusions go, this one was excellent. I was more than happy to see many characters make appearances and a lot of loose ends tied up, as Hobbs managed to combine and weave together some of her other tales.