The Korean War cover art

The Korean War

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Korean War

By: Max Hastings
Narrated by: Cameron Stewart
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $33.99

Buy Now for $33.99

About this listen

On 25 June, 1950, the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North launched one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last century. The seemingly limitless power of the Chinese-backed North was thrown against the ferocious firepower of the UN-backed South in a war that can be seen today as the stark prelude to Vietnam.

Max Hastings drew on first-hand accounts of those who fought on both sides to produce this vivid and incisive reassessment of the Korean War, bringing the military and human dimensions into sharp focus. Critically acclaimed on publication, The Korean War remains the best narrative history of this conflict.

©1987 Max Hastings (P)2014 Audible Studios 20th Century Asia Military Modern Korean War War China Imperial Japan Socialism Russia
All stars
Most relevant  
Hastings is a great wartime storyteller. He shows admirable balance and qualifies his opinions with cautions, and as far as I can tell, full disclosure of his preconceptions and assumptions.

The narrator is very good, with the sad exception of his Australians who all sound like intoxicated cockneys - including the diplomats.

Impressive detail and sensitivity

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of the best and most comprehensive historical warfare accounts ever written. Fantastically written and a beautiful listen.

Amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A military historian at the top of his game supplimented by the right narrator for the task .Bravo

Korea

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Hastings ability to pull together the complex threads of world history is first class. This is very good introduction to a formative event of the Cold War and essential for an understanding of what was to happen in Vietnam. My only complaint is the narrator’s use of accents. The Chinese and Korean are comical and close to racism. The Australian soldiers sound like cockneys. The Australian conservative foreign minister would have talked like an upperclass Englishman.

Great narrative history. Shame about the accents.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great for getting a clear understanding of exactly what happened. Covered at all levels highly recommended.

Great overview of Korean War

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Although this book is not new, itstill tells a very relevant story about world politics and the situation the United States found itself in during the vacuum that followed WW2. It explains a complicated and uncertain terms without indictement or bias. I found it excellent.

Tells a Story Largely Ignored

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I absolutely loved this book. If you don't much about the Korean war, you will be an expert by the end of it. Brilliantly read and expertly researched, it is a very detailed account of a War which isn't often spoken about. In my opinion, this is a better book then Max Hastings other book "Overlord", although that is very good too.

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great expose of a not well remembered conflict of the twentieth century. Max Hastings has captured the fox hole to the presidency and back again aspects of the combat and challenges of the Korean War. His discussion on MacArthurs brilliance and foibles is one of the more interesting components of the book, especially in light of Samuel Huntington’s view on the role of the soldier in politics written around the time of the war.
However the most poignant theme throughout the book is the view that Korea was a war against communism rather a war for national unity between two authoritarian states. One strong with reluctant backers the other extremely weak with the full backing of the world’s capitalist power, America. This thread throughout the book speaks to the most telling narrative of the war from the fox hole to the White House unmistakable tone of good versus subtle political evil is ever present.
It is through this thematic lens that readers/listeners should consider the war’s enduring lessons as the twenty first century shapes up for a similar ideological show down. A showdown that may mask the underlying reasons for tension and possibly conflict.

A nationalist fight viewed as a ideological war

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was my first foray into Max Hastings books. Have been listening to this over the past 2 weeks and enjoyed it immensely. I studied history at school and did a module on the Korean War. This book seems to do everything we were taught to do. write both sides of the story, acknowledge sources and note their veracity. If you want a fair well balanced overview of the Korean Conflict, I would reccomend this 100%.

Should be subtitled the Definitive History of...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent performance and excellently written history of the Korean War. Thank god MacArthur was given the boot!

History at it's best.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.