Ibn Saud

The Desert Warrior Who Created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

De: Michael Darlow, Barbara Bray

Narrado por: Brian Bascle

Ibn Saud grew to manhood living the harsh traditional life of the desert nomad, a life that had changed little since the days of Abraham. Equipped with immense physical courage, he fought and won, often with weapons and tactics not unlike those employed by the ancient Assyrians, a series of astonishing military victories over a succession of enemies much more powerful than himself. Over the same period, he transformed himself from a minor sheikh into a revered king and elder statesman, courted by world leaders such as Churchill and Roosevelt. A passionate lover of women, Ibn Saud took many wives, had numerous concubines, and fathered almost one hundred children. Yet he remained an unswerving and devout Muslim, described by one who knew him well at the time of his death in 1953 as “probably the greatest Arab since the Prophet Muhammad.” Saudi Arabia, the country Ibn Saud created, is a staunch ally of the West, but it is also the birthplace of Osama bin Laden and 15 of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. Saud’s kingdom, as it now stands, has survived the vicissitudes of time and become an invaluable player on the world’s political stage.

©2010, 2012 Michael Darlow and Barbara Bray. First published in the UK by Quartet Ltd. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“An entertainingly exhaustive, though imperfect, biography of an inscrutable monarch.” ( Kirkus Review)

“ Darlow and Bray convey the essence of the man as well as the stark, unforgiving landscape that he mastered while forging a nation.” (Jay Freeman, Booklist)

“All in all a successful narrative, though overlong on military exploits and personal vignettes and short on analysis of the massive changes in Arabian society.” ( Publishers Weekly)

This is what I feel Biographies should be like

This is an excellent book I've always lacked knowledge about Saudi Arabia and this book has really taken it to the next level. the stories are excellent and very engaging. information about the kingdom seems quite unbiased and well presented.

The narration is also really spot on, with Arabic sounding westernized but not completely unnatural.


if you like historical biographies I would say this is a must read.

Recommended book

Wellwritten and wellresearched. The reading performance and soundwas really bad. Monotone and robot-like performance and please let someone read who can pronounce arabic names.

Shakespeare?

Can anybody tell me is they call Gertrude Bell in this book “ Shakespeare “??? Why would that be so

A Review

Avery interesting to read and learn about the recent history of Saudi Arabia. I had a problem understanding the pronunciation of the Arabic words and names of places. This made hard for an arabic speaking person to relate them to his knowledge of saudi history.

Fascinating history of the Saud family

A sympathetic, yet critical history of the formation of Saudi Arabia, and particularly Ibn Saud, its founder. Though I have a good background with Arabs, I learned a lot about bedouin culture and history through listening to this well told narrative.

El Saudis

A charming historical narrative.
Al ibn Saud crosses the sands of time. Felix Arabia ?

Good book annoying narrator

Information dense without being plodding or tedious. Narrator mispronounces lots of word. The editors did a very bad job policing this.

Enjoyable and eye-opening.

I found this book to be eye-opening to a history that I have never been exposed to. Even though I served over in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm and Shield.

Very exciting story, decent narrator performance

I really enjoyed the extensive background information provided, the many small details that made the story feel real. This book has given me a much more whole understanding of what Saudi Arabia was and is. The only issue is the quality of the narrator’s work - he often accentuated the wrong words in sentences, making them sounds awkward and confusing, and overall he did not seem in touch with what he was reading.

A Captivating Portrait of the Man and His Times

What did you love best about Ibn Saud?

This work feels like it was meant for Audible. During the several days it took me to finish listening, I never felt bogged-down by names, dates or factoids. Instead, the author gives us almost lyrical descriptions of the Arabian landscape and paints a living portrait of Ibn Saud as well as figures instrumental in his rise to power. The book is filled with entertaining anecdotes and personal details that help the reader/listener become emotionally invested in the narrative.

What did you like best about this story?

I was impressed by how accessible and easy to follow the narrative Was considering the vast scope of the work. Beyond covering the life of Ibn Saud, this work goes into great detail on Bedouin customs, the formation of Islam and the geopolitical climate of the era. Even though they wern't central to the story, I felt like I better understood the importance of figures such as T.E. Lawrence, Churchill and the Hashemite kings in shaping the modern Middle East after finishing this work.

Which character – as performed by Brian Bascle – was your favorite?

This wasn't that kind of book, but if I had to pick a favorite person portrayed in the narrative it would be Captain William Shakspear. He seemed worthy of the veneration that figures such as T.E. Lawrence were later to inspire more through publicity than by actual exploits.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it was that good.

Any additional comments?

Certain passages of this work, especially of those related to Ibn Saud's personal religious beliefs and his control (or lack therof) on some of the more fanatical Wahabis in his service seemed a bit biased. But no book is perfect.