The 13th Apostle

A Novel of a Dublin Family, Michael Collins, and the Irish Uprising

By: Dermot McEvoy

Narrated by: John Keating

The story - both romantic and terrifying - of how a handful of men, armed with nothing more than handguns and guts, forced the greatest nation in the world from their shores.

On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, the first great revolution of the twentieth century began as working-class men and women occupied buildings throughout Dublin, Ireland, including the general post office on O’Connell Street. Among the commoners in the GPO was a young staff captain of the Irish Volunteers named Michael Collins. He was joined a day later by a fourteen-year-old messenger boy, Eoin Kavanagh. Four days later they would all surrender, but they had struck the match that would burn Great Britain out of Ireland for the first time in seven hundred years.

The 13th Apostle is the reimagined story of how Michael Collins, along with his young acolyte Eoin, transformed Ireland from a colony into a nation. Collins’s secret weapon was his intelligence system and his assassination squad, nicknamed “The Twelve Apostles.” On November 21, 1920, the squad - with its thirteenth member, young Eoin - assassinated the entire British Secret Service in Dublin. Twelve months and sixteen days later, Collins signed the Treaty at 10 Downing Street, which brought into being what is, today, the Republic of Ireland.

An epic novel in the tradition of Thomas Flanagan’s The Year of the French and Leon Uris’s Trinity, The 13th Apostle is a story that will capture the imagination and hearts of freedom-loving readers everywhere.

©2014 Dermot McEvoy (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Fabulous historical fiction!

What a great way to learn history. McEvoy takes you through the twists and turns of the turbulent birth of a nation with ease, strong personalization and rich historical details. It's a long 'read/listen' but well worth immersing yourself in to live history through the lives of those who made it. Young Owen may be the fictitious springboard but he lives along side the reader making you feel as if you are a brother/sister in arms.

Let me know when it's 1919 again

As other reviewers mentioned, the historical element of the book (which is happily the vast majority of it) is great--exciting, accurate as far as I could tell, and with interesting personalities. But I found Johnny and Diane, our modern day narrators, to be insufferable--when not making bizarre non-sequitur sexual innuendos, they're over-explaining what was just read as if it were a Wishbone episode, with inane questions from Diane and smug responses from Johnny.
However, the historical narrative is compelling enough and the reader is engaging enough that I did like it, overall. I knew very little about Ireland's journey from rising to civil war before, and now I feel as if I had been there, which is in the end all I want from a historical fiction novel!

Terrific Historical Fiction

What made the experience of listening to The 13th Apostle the most enjoyable?

Learning about the Irish Revolution in more detail. Yes, it's historical fiction but the characters and events are very real.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The 13th Apostle?

The death of Michael Collins

Which scene was your favorite?

No particular scene was my favorite, but I particularly liked the maturation of Eoin Kavanaugh

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There's not a lot to laugh about, but there is a lot to cry about when it comes to Ireland

Any additional comments?

Arguably the best I've listened to in years!

entertaining and informative

The story is fun and engaging. It also describes a very interesting period in Irish history. The narrator does an excellent job.

Brilliant

A brilliant book in style, storyline and performance. A great listen and entertainment on a historical time.

Jaysus Mic...

Excellent audio book for those interested in Irish history. A lot of playful bedroom moments done tastefully. Informative as well as entertaining.

Wonderful historical fiction

I loved this story so much that listened to it twice back to back. I got even more details the second listen through. If you are interested in those interesting times of Ireland's history, I highly recommend this. It is certainly a keeper. PS. John Keating's reading is absolutely wonderful. The story was made even more intriguing because of his story telling savvy.

Loved the historic references.

Loved both the historical and the geographic references. It kept me interested and drive me to keep reading. The narration was great and the collins accent was very endearing.

Thoroughly entertaining and sad history lesson.

The painful birth of the Irish nation, seen through the eyes of Michael Collins' loyal friend and bodyguard. Adds some perspective to a history that until now has been very confusing.

A Must read

Would you consider the audio edition of The 13th Apostle to be better than the print version?

With this narrator definitely.

What does John Keating bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, both.

Any additional comments?

If you're interested in Michael Collins and the uprising, this is the book to read.