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  • Powers and Thrones

  • A New History of the Middle Ages
  • By: Dan Jones
  • Narrated by: Dan Jones
  • Length: 24 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (153 ratings)

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Powers and Thrones

By: Dan Jones
Narrated by: Dan Jones
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Publisher's Summary

From the best-selling author of The Templars, Dan Jones' epic new history tells nothing less than the story of how the world we know today came to be built.

Across 16 chapters, blending Dan Jones' trademark gripping narrative style with authoritative analysis, Powers and Thrones shows how, at each stage in this story, successive Western powers thrived by attracting - or stealing - the most valuable resources, ideas and people from the rest of the world. It casts new light on iconic locations - Rome, Paris, Venice, Constantinople - and it features some of history's most famous and notorious men and women. 

This is a book written about - and for - an age of profound change, and it asks the biggest questions about the West both then and now. Where did we come from? What made us? Where do we go from here? 

©2021 Dan Jones (P)2021 W F Howes
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Powers and Thrones

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Loved it

Comprehensive, good to know more about the world outside of Europe. Easy to listen to.

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Great overview of the Middle Ages.

Thoroughly enjoyed this sweeping history of the Medieval Era. The only flat spot I found to be were the chapter regarding the construction of buildings and castles. Overall a great narrative history.

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Great sweep through Middle Ages

This is a very big-picture survey of the Middle Ages: there isn’t room for a lot of detail. I’m not a historian, so while I’d picked up bits here and there over the years, they were just isolated details. As a sweeping narrative weaving together many strands, this book brings organisation to my random facts. I loved it!

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Comprehensive and digestible

This book skilfully weaves together various influences of the Middle Ages and highlights different perspectives from war, disease to religions.
A lot of content is covered but is digestible and, throughout the entire book, remains entertaining.
Despite it being long, if you are interested in better understanding the Middle Ages (and today) I recommend listening until the end.

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Masterful yet compelling

An authoritative and well researched book that added to my understanding of the issues and period of history immensely. Dan Jones manages to make what could be dry and factual history into an engaging narrative, and it is so refreshing to have the author as narrator. A must read/listen for those seriously interested in history, but if you prefer to listen to the latest Jack Reacher American Hero novel maybe give this a miss.

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Enjoyed it so much!!

Very interesting and Dan Jones does as always a great job as narrator. Recommend this book highly.

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Quite astonishing

Half way through the book, I remember thinking, I must write that as the review. So here it is, “I felt like a dog sticking his head out a car window.” Maybe that makes sense to you…

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8 people found this helpful

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Exceptional Research

I highly recommend this book for those who like factual details rather an entertaining read.
I really enjoyed hearing how the European world fared in the Medieval times, as I have studied Britain in detail over the decades.
I gave 5 stars overall for the excellent facts and the narration was pleasant to the ear.
Well done Dan Jones

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2 people found this helpful

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A Tour de Force

Factual, entertaining and leaving the listener wanting more! Thank you Dan... just brilliant and I cannot wait for your next book!

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Fantastic

Fantastic way to absorb and make sense of this historical time. I loved it a lot.

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