Ibn Saud

The Desert Warrior Who Created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

By: Michael Darlow, Barbara Bray

Narrated by: 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.

Critic reviews

“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.

I Appreciate This Book

The topic of this book is one that eludes Western audiences a lot, so I appreciate this book for giving me an opportunity to understand Saudi Arabia not just as a rich, theocratic, brutal oil producer in the middle east. There are nuances in every geopolitical entities, and I am thankful that I get to know more of them.

Great story, bad narration

Whoever narrated this was obviously looking to wrap it up quickly.
For the first time ever, I had to slow the narration speed just to catch his words.
It was also very monotone, with no feeling, and frankly could’ve been a robot.
Despite all that, I loved the story. Very fair and informative portrayal of Ibn Saud.
The author does an excellent job describing the context of the world in which Ibn Saud operated, something which is very important in attempting to understand his motivations.

Awesome book.

Killing in the name of religion and peace. The struggle of humanity to survive and thrive. Wow.

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.

Excellent historical background for insight.

Excellent historical background for insight into today's (2019) Saudi Arabian culture and challenges. Worth your time.