Chris MacDonnell has narrated 38 audiobooks on Listento.it by 33 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.3★ across 50 ratings. The most-rated is Beauty.
The Prophet
Summary
The Prophet is perhaps the most cherished inspirational and enlightening work in the world. Almustafa, the chosen and beloved, must leave the port of Orphalese upon the ship he has waited upon for 12 years. As he descends to the waterfront, the people of Orphalese gather to question him and hear his wisdom on important topics of their daily lives. Kahlil Gibran's masterpiece is a series of enlightening, philosophical answers to those questions. The inspirational and spiritual words of The Prophet, written in an almost Biblical, poetic style, reveal deep insights into each of the subjects in question. There are philosophies on love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, housing, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death. For many, this work provides a positive philosophy and a calm refuge andfor living life in today's harsh world.
Public Domain (P)2018 Chris MacDonnell
The Nazi Hunters
Summary
The gripping "untold story" (Daily Mail) of the Secret Hunters, deep-cover British special forces who pursued Nazi fugitives from justice after World War II. In the late summer of 1944, 80 British Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers undertook a covert commando raid, parachuting behind enemy lines into the Vosges Mountains in occupied France to sabotage Nazi-held roads, railways, and ammo dumps, and assassinate high-ranking German officers, undermining the final stand of Hitler's Third Reich. Despite their successes, more than half the men were captured, tortured, and executed. Although the SAS was officially dissolved when the war ended, a top-secret black ops unit was formed, under Churchill's personal command, to hunt down the SS commanders who had murdered their special forces comrades, as well as war criminals from concentration camps who had eluded the Nuremberg trials. Under the cover of full deniability, “The Secret Hunters” waged a covert war of justice and retribution - uncovering the full horror of Hitler's regime as well as dark secrets of Stalin's Russia and the growing threat of what would become the Cold War.
©2015 Damien Lewis (P)2019 Tantor
Beauty
Summary
Beauty can be consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane; it can be exhilarating, appealing, inspiring, chilling. It can affect us in an unlimited variety of ways. Yet it is never viewed with indifference. In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, the renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explores the concept of beauty, asking what makes an object - either in art, in nature, or the human form - beautiful and examining how we can compare differing judgments of beauty when it is evident all around us that our tastes vary so widely. Is there a right judgment to be made about beauty? Is it right to say there is more beauty in a classical temple than a concrete office block, more in a Rembrandt than in an Andy Warhol Campbell's Soup Cans? Forthright and thought-provoking and as accessible as it is intellectually rigorous, this introduction to the philosophy of beauty draws conclusions that some may find controversial but, as Scruton shows, help us to find greater sense of meaning in the beautiful objects that fill our lives.
©2011 Horsell's Farm Enterprises Limited (P)2019 Tantor
Carrier Pilot
Summary
In 1942, Norman Hanson learned to fly the Royal Navy's newest fighter: the US-built Chance Vought Corsair. Fast, rugged, and demanding to fly, it was an intimidating machine. But in the hands of its young Fleet Air Arm pilots, it also proved to be a lethal weapon. Posted to the South Pacific aboard HMS Illustrious, Hanson and his squadron took the fight to the Japanese. Facing a desperate and determined enemy, Kamikaze attacks, and the ever-present dangers of flying off a pitching carrier deck, death was never far away. Brought to life in vivid, visceral detail, Carrier Pilot is one of the finest aviators' memoirs of the war; an awe-inspiring, thrilling, sometimes terrifying, account of war in the air.
©2016 Norman Hanson (P)2017 Tantor
Alaric the Goth
Summary
Denied citizenship by the Roman Empire, a soldier named Alaric changed history by unleashing a surprise attack on the capital city of an unjust empire. Stigmatized and relegated to the margins of Roman society, the Goths were violent "barbarians" who destroyed "civilization," at least in the conventional story of Rome's collapse. But a slight shift of perspective brings their history, and ours, shockingly alive. Alaric grew up near the river border that separated Gothic territory from Roman. He survived a border policy that separated migrant children from their parents, and he was denied benefits he likely expected from military service. In stark contrast to the rising bigotry, intolerance, and zealotry among Romans during Alaric's lifetime, the Goths, as practicing Christians, valued religious pluralism and tolerance. The marginalized Goths preserved virtues of the ancient world that we take for granted. The three nights of riots Alaric and the Goths brought to the capital struck fear into the hearts of the powerful, but the riots were not without cause. Combining vivid storytelling and historical analysis, Douglas Boin reveals the Goths' complex and fascinating legacy in shaping our world.
©2020 Douglas Boin (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Le Morte D'Arthur
Summary
To the modern eye, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have many similarities to our own contemporary super-heroes. Equipped with magical powers, enchanted swords, super-strength, and countless villains to take on, they protect the weak and innocent and adhere to their own code of honor. Comparing Batman, Superman, and Captain America to Sir Launcelot, Sir Tristram, and Sir Galahad isn't a huge leap of the imagination. Perhaps, for the 15th century reader, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were the equivalent of our modern day Justice League or Avengers. This audiobook gets to the heart of the narrative, telling the exciting legends of the supernatural, magic, dragons, beasts, battles, and chivalry contained in Sir Thomas Malory's epic in a contemporary and unaffected style. First published by William Caxton in 1485, this version is a faithfully unabridged narration of the complete Malory text (excluding the introduction). It includes the chapter numbers and descriptions used in the original manuscript.
Public Domain (P)2016 Chris MacDonnell
The Worm Ouroboros
Summary
E.R. Edison’s The Worm Ouroboros inspired the epic-fantasy writers that followed him. This production is of the first edition (1922). The Lords of Demonland are celebrating Lord Juss's birthday when an envoy arrives from Witchland. He brings demands from King Gorice XI of Witchland that the Lords of Demonland "kiss his toe, and acknowledge him to be their King and they, his ill-conditioned, disobedient children". The Lords of Demonland reject this utterly and, to settle the matter, they challenge King Gorice to a wrestling match against their champion, Lord Goldry Bluszco. But the situation is worsened by the result of that match and ultimately, war is declared. A war that includes dark magic, sorcery, quests, mystical lands, and heroic high-adventure. Ursula K. Le Guin called it "An eccentric masterpiece", C. S. Lewis said it represented "A new climate of the imagination", Orville Prescott said it was "A literary event of the first order." Critics compared Tolkien’s writing to it when he first published The Lord of the Rings and he freely acknowledged its influence. Eddison writes his narrative in a lyrical, medieval style and in the tradition of Norse mythology, Arthurian myths, and Greek tragedy. In his short dedication he says, "It is neither allegory nor fable but a story to be read for its own sake", however, the theme of repetition (the cyclical nature of life, history, and war), is undeniable. The "worm (serpent or dragon) Ouroboros" is, after all, “The serpent which eats its own tail”.
Public Domain (P)2018 Chris MacDonnell
The Regency Years
Summary
The Victorians are often credited with ushering in our current era, yet the seeds of change were planted in the years before. The Regency (1811-1820) began when the profligate Prince of Wales - the future King George IV - replaced his insane father, George III, as Britain's ruler. Around the regent surged a society steeped in contrasts: evangelicalism and hedonism, elegance and brutality, exuberance and despair. The arts flourished at this time with a showcase of extraordinary writers and painters such as Jane Austen, Lord Byron, the Shelleys, John Constable, and J. M. W. Turner. Science burgeoned during this decade, too, giving us the steam locomotive and the blueprint for the modern computer. Yet the dark side of the era was visible in poverty, slavery, pornography, opium, and the gothic imaginings that birthed the novel Frankenstein. With the British military in foreign lands, fighting the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and the War of 1812 in the United States, the desire for empire and an expanding colonial enterprise gained unstoppable momentum. Exploring these crosscurrents, Robert Morrison illuminates the profound ways this period shaped and indelibly marked the modern world.
©2019 Robert Morrison (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Daughter of Moth
Summary
I am broken. I am lost.
Our world has fallen still. One half lies drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless night. Our people are divided, some living under the sun, the others hidden in shadow. All is light or darkness. All is the sun or the moon.
All but me.
My father was born in the never-ending sunlight of the West. My mother is a daughter of darkness. I am split in two. Like the moth of our forests, one wing white and the other black, I am torn.
I am a child of dusk, a stranger in both day and night. I am alone. This is my story.
©2014 Daniel Arenson (P)2015 Daniel Arenson
Shadows of Moth
Summary
Our world burns with war. In the west, the people of eternal sunlight invade the darkness, armed with swords, arrows, and torches. In the east, the children of endless night fight from the shadows. Soldiers of sunlight and dwellers of darkness. Their war flares across the world of Moth. And I am torn between them. My father was born in the sunlight. My mother is a daughter of the night. I am a child of dusk, a stranger to both camps. As fires burn and blood spills, I must heal this shattering world. Yet how can I stop a war between day and night when a separate war rages within me - a clash between my sunlit and moonlit halves?
©2014 Daniel Arenson (P)2016 Daniel Arenson
Legacy of Moth
Summary
Our song fades. Our children perish. Our world, a land torn between day and night, runs red with blood. For countless years, Moth has been frozen still, one half drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless night. For countless years, the soldiers of sunlight and the dwellers of darkness have lived in isolation. Now we kill. Now we die. We are the children of Moth. We were born in sunlight or in shadow. We can stop the fire, or we can watch our world burn. This is our story.
©2014 Daniel Arenson (P)2017 Daniel Arenson
War on the Eastern Front
Summary
Dawn on Sunday, June 22, 1941 saw the opening onslaughts of Operation Barbarossa as German forces stormed forward into the Soviet Union. Few of them were to survive the five long years of bitter struggle. A posting to the Eastern Front during the Second World War was rightly regarded with dread by the German soldiers. They were faced by the unremitting hostility of the climate, the people and even, at times, their own leadership. They saw epic battles such as Stalingrad and Kursk, and yet it was a daily war of attrition which ultimately proved fatal for Hitler's ambition and the German military machine. In this classic account leading military historian James Lucas examines different aspects of the fighting, from war in the trenches to a bicycle-mounted antitank unit fighting against the oncoming Russian hordes. Told through the experiences of the German soldiers who endured these nightmarish years of warfare, War on the Eastern Front is a unique record of this cataclysmic campaign.
©1979 Cooper and Lucas Ltd (P)2020 Tantor
Secrets of Moth
Summary
Our world is broken. Our people are torn. The sun no longer rises. Evening no longer falls. In the lands of endless sunlight, we fear the darkness, we forge swords, we march to war. In the shadows of eternal night, we hide, we pray, we die. Soldiers of sunlight and children of darkness - we were once one. We were torn apart. We must be one again. We are the people of Moth. Our world must once more turn.
©2014 Daniel Arenson (P)2015 Daniel Arenson
The Germans in Normandy
Summary
An account of the D-Day invasion - from the German point of view. The Allied invasion of Northern France was the greatest combined operation in the history of warfare. Up until now, it has been recorded from the attackers' point of view - whereas the defenders' angle has been largely ignored. While the Germans knew an invasion was inevitable, no one knew where or when it would fall. Those manning Hitler's mighty Atlantic Wall may have felt secure in their bunkers, but they had no conception of the fury and fire that was about to break. After the initial assaults of June established an Allied bridgehead, a state of stalemate prevailed. The Germans fought with great courage - hindered by lack of supplies and overwhelming Allied control of the air. This book describes the catastrophe that followed, in a unique look at the war from the losing side.
©2006, 2019 Richard Hargreaves (P)2019 Tantor
Operation Sealion
Summary
During the summer of 1940, Hitler's Germany appeared unstoppable. The Nazis were masters of mainland Europe, in alliance with Stalin's Russia, and only the English Channel prevented an immediate invasion. Britain stood alone. The BEF had been routed, but due to the "Dunkirk miracle", most of her manpower had returned, albeit without their transport and heavy equipment and guns. There was no doubt that the Nazis planned to invade - all intelligence pointed that way. However, it never materialized, thanks to the outcome of the Battle of Britain and Hitler's decision to invade Russia. Operation Sealion examines just how realistic the German threat of invasion was. The author studies the plans, the available capability and resources, and the Germans' record in Norway and, later, Crete. The author weighs these against the state of Britain's defenses and the relative strengths of the land, air, and naval forces. The result is a fascinating study of what might or might not have been.
©2018 David Wragg (P)2019 Tantor
War Beneath the Sea
Summary
Sweeping from the frigid waters of the North Atlantic to the steaming South Pacific, this riveting chronicle of submarine warfare is the first to cover all the major submarine campaigns of the war, describing, in detail, the operations of the British, American, Japanese, Italian, and German submarine and anti-submarine forces. Beginning with a vivid re-creation of the sinking of the passenger liner Athenia by a German U-boat in September 1939, critically acclaimed military historian Peter Padfield's compelling narrative casts an unflinching eye on the devastating consequences of maritime warfare. The often harrowing encounters unfold with urgency and power, balanced by his keen sense of objectivity and perspective. Exploring the full spectrum of the submarine and anti-submarine warfare experience, this brilliantly detailed account pulls no punches. Facts and figures that stagger the imagination are revealed in starkly human terms, and disturbing questions abound. Padfield addresses the controversial issues raised with candor and insight, and the result is not only an impressive achievement but a milestone work in the history of the 20th century.
©2008 Peter Padfield (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC
Empires of Moth
Summary
We are in darkness. We are alone. They came from the lands of light. They came with torches, with lanterns, with the banners of the sun. The children of endless day - they came to banish the darkness. And they came to kill. We are the children of never-ending night. We are the dwellers of shadow. In the light of our enemy, we are dying. We were born in darkness. We must cast out the light. This is our story.
©2013 Daniel Arenson (P)2014 Daniel Arenson
Sacrament
Summary
Will Rabjohns, perhaps the most famous wildlife photographer in the world, has made his reputation chronicling the fates of endangered species. But after a terrible accident, Will is left in a coma. And in its depths, he revisits the wildernesses of his youth and relives his life with a mysterious couple who have influenced his life as an artist and a man. When Will awakens, he sets out on a journey of self-discovery - one where he will penetrate the ultimate mystery and finally unlock the secret of his destiny. Soaring, provocative and passionate, Sacrament is a masterwork from the pen of one of today's most acclaimed authors.
©1996 Clive Barker, Ink (P)2014 David N. Wilson
Wicca for One
Summary
The practice of Wicca is more popular than ever. While some Wiccans are unable to find a coven, others simply prefer to practice alone. Either way, solitary practice is a wholly authentic choice, steeped in traditions even older than those of organized covens. Known as the Father of American Wicca, Raymond Buckland provides this indispensable, comprehensive guide to the solitary practice of Wicca through every season of life. From becoming a witch to improving your life through magic to mastering spells, rites, traditions, and celebrations, this thoroughly modern handbook includes information on: The advantages and drawbacks of practicing solitary Wicca Constructing the tools and sacred space needed to create magic every day Using dreamwork, tarot cards, crystal balls, astrology, and other divinations Maintaining ethics without the guidance of a coven Developing the power to heal and to ward off negativity Let Wicca for One be your guidebook and inspiration as you travel the time-honored path of the solitary practitioner.
©2004 Raymond Buckland (P)2018 Tantor
Creating Christ
Summary
This explosive work of history unearths clues that finally demonstrate the truth about one of the world's great religions: that it was born out of the conflict between the Romans and messianic Jews who fought a bitter war with each other during the first century. The Romans employed a tactic they routinely used to conquer and absorb other nations: they grafted their imperial rule onto the religion of the conquered. After 30 years of research, authors James S. Valliant and C.W. Fahy present irrefutable archaeological and textual evidence that proves Christianity was created by Roman Caesars in this book that breaks new ground in Christian scholarship and is destined to change the way the world looks at ancient religions forever. Inherited from a long-past era of tyranny, war and deliberate religious fraud, could Christianity have been created for an entirely different purpose than we have been lead to believe? Praised by scholars like Dead Sea Scrolls translator Robert Eisenman (James the Brother of Jesus), this exhaustive synthesis of historical detective work integrates all of the ancient sources about the earliest Christians and reveals new archaeological evidence for the first time. And, despite the fable presented in current best sellers like Bill O'Reilly's Killing Jesus, the evidence presented in Creating Christ is irrefutable: Christianity was invented by Roman Emperors.
©2016 James S. Valliant & C. W. Fahy (P)2016 David N. Wilson