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The River War
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
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The River War
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Summary
The northeastern quarter of the continent of Africa is drained and watered by the Nile. Among and about the headstreams and tributaries of this mighty river lie the wide and fertile provinces of the Egyptian Soudan. Situated in the very centre of the land, these remote regions are on every side divided from the seas by 500 miles of mountain, swamp, or desert.
The great river is their only means of growth, their only channel of progress. It is by the Nile alone that their commerce can reach the outer markets or European civilisation can penetrate the inner darkness. The Soudan is joined to Egypt by the Nile as a diver is connected with the surface by his air pipe. Without it there is only suffocation. Aut Nilus, aut nihil!
The town of Khartoum, at the confluence of the Blue and White Niles, is the point on which the trade of the south must inevitably converge. It is the great spout through which the merchandise collected from a wide area streams northwards to the Mediterranean shore. It marks the extreme northern limit of the fertile Soudan. Between Khartoum and Assuan the river flows for 1,200 miles through deserts of surpassing desolation.
At last the wilderness recedes, and the living world broadens out again into Egypt and the Delta. It is with events that have occurred in the intervening waste that this audiobook is concerned. The real Soudan, known to the statesman and the explorer, lies far to the south - moist, undulating, and exuberant.But there is another Soudan, which some mistake for the true, whose solitudes oppress the Nile from the Egyptian frontier to Omdurman. This is the Soudan of the soldier. Destitute of wealth or future, it is rich in history. The names of its squalid villages are familiar to distant and enlightened peoples. The barrenness of its scenery has been drawn by skilful pen and pencil. Its ample deserts have tasted the blood of brave men. Its hot, black rocks have witnessed famous tragedies. It is the scene of the war.
What listeners say about The River War
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chris I
- 08-08-22
Eloquently written, detailed account of a mostly forgotten war
Winston Churchill is a brilliant writer. He provides a very detailed account of a complex and protracted war. He makes no apology for his opinions about the conduct and values associated with this campaign. The events described are frequently brutal and involve unevenly matched adversaries. The narration is excellent. I recommend to anyone who has an interest in military history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- LMC
- 09-03-23
Gripping account of the last pre-modern war
Sometimes considered Churchill's masterpiece, The River War recounts the last significant conflict to precede the First World War. Churchill's prose crackles, especially when his is contributing his own memories of the events. This audio version, admirably narrated, is excellent, though some more technical details can be hard to grasp without reference to a printed edition. Highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-12-21
Churchill's River War
Winston Churchill's historical works are not given nearly as much credit as they deserve, as can be seen by works such as The History of the English Speaking Peoples, Marlborough: His Life & Times and his accounts of the world wars. The River War is yet more proof of his power as a writer and historian, taking an obscure war of reconquest in the Sudan, never mentioned in British education, and bringing it to life with magnificent prose on subjects as varied as the dependence upon the Nile by local African tribes to Gordon's last stand at Khartoum and the Khalifa's rise and death at Umm Diwaykarat. An enthralling account of late 19th century colonial warfare by a titan of the 20th century.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- G. Roberts
- 29-03-20
History clearly set out and read very well
A well written and read account of the events leading to the conquest of the Sudan. Churchill's descriptions of events, the people and the lands are excellent. accounts of the battles are animated and full of relevant detail. I had maps to hand which really helped. Looking for this in book form now.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JB
- 08-01-23
Excellent historical account sadly forgotten.
The narration and account of Churchill’s time in sub-Saharan Africa is excellent. One clear aspect of the man showed through, he knew his enemy. He understood what drove them and equally how to defeat them. The Dervish movement were another group simply following the Jihadi modus operandi. We have seen similar groups to the Dervish’s today; ISIS in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Despite over 100 years apart, nothing has changed. Somalia is very much still a basket case today and development virtually impossible for all the same reasons as when Churchill served there.
Perhaps our political leaders should listen to this book?
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- #earlyeditor🤓📚
- 06-12-21
Insight into mordern Warfare 🇬🇧💂🏻♂️
Qwight insightful into the the way the calvery used to be used.
Also the situation Sudan- whats changed??
Also the Lives lost for queen and country that many peaple know nothing about.💮
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 17-08-22
Clear but unaffected reading feels a bit dull.
Leaving aside for a moment the ..erm.. dated attitudes to Empire that Churchills writing exhibits, this is a fairly interesting audiobook.
The reading is…ok…it is well paced and clear, but is a trifle bland and lacking any major affect or feeling, which makes it difficult to give the book attention, and reduces the listeners interest in the subject. The narrator occasionally makes an effort, but overall it needs more life breathed into it to really shine.
As a result, I would classify this as an ok audiobook with no horrible flaws but no major pluses either.
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