The Ghost of Freedom

A History of the Caucasus

By: Charles King

Narrated by: Michael Page

The Caucasus mountains rise at the intersection of Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. A land of astonishing natural beauty and a dizzying array of ancient cultures, the Caucasus for most of the 20th century lay inside the Soviet Union, before movements of national liberation created newly independent countries and sparked the devastating war in Chechnya.

Charles King reveals how tsars, highlanders, revolutionaries, and adventurers have contributed to the fascinating history of this borderland, providing an indispensable guide to the complicated histories, politics, and cultures of this intriguing frontier. Based on new research in multiple languages, the book shows how the struggle for freedom in the mountains, hills, and plains of the Caucasus has been a perennial theme over the last 200 years - a struggle which has led to liberation as well as to new forms of captivity.

The book sheds valuable light on the origins of modern disputes, including the ongoing war in Chechnya, conflicts in Georgia and Azerbaijan, and debates over oil from the Caspian Sea and its impact on world markets.

©2008 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2017 Tantor

Informative & great summary

Great summary of the history of the Caucasus region that is both informative & enjoyable to listen to.

An excellent summary of Caucasus History

The book did a phenomenal job of introducing a total stranger to the Caucasus the geography, ethnography, religious makeup, and history of the the Caucasus. It had a balanced approach to understanding Russia’s influence and did not rely on generalities to try to easily explain complex issues. Instead, it presented complex topics like the Russification of the Caucasus and the role of Islam with nuance. Really an excellent work.

Ghost of the southern tip of Russia

The culture of long serving history of capible forces before it fell to the radicall element.

fascinating story of a messy region

I had no prior knowledge or even interest in the Caucasus and really just decided to branch out to learn something new. I am glad that I did. The content is so interesting and really walks you through the history of this whimsical region. I ended up buying the print version also because it was so interesting and I wanted to have it for reference. This book also opened me up to further topics of interest that I newly discovered while listening to tumultuous history of this land.

Good book - not as organized as I would have liked

Good overview of the Caucasus, including Chechnya and Dagestan. However, I felt that the book jumped around in a less organized fashion than I would have liked. I would have liked more coverage of the Soviet period. Offers good coverage if the post Soviet period and the wars in Chechnya. I learned a lot. Great narrator.

What a part of the world!

So much going on there. Many different peoples, cultures and religions. Russia, both Tsarist and current, couldn’t and can’t leave it alone. The author compares it to the US West, but it is much wilder.

Reviewer "M.W."

I'm not sure if the previous reviewer who criticized the English pronunciation of the narrator is a troll, an idiot, English isn't their first language, or all of the above.

The book is not perfect (it's definitely a soporific and i can't recommend it while driving, not sure if it's the narrator's voice or the subject matter), but i eventually grew to appreciate it as i have been traveling through the region for the past 3-4 weeks. Not only is the narrator's English fine, but he does a good job with the regional terms and names, as i discovered during my travels. The book was highly informative, albeit sometimes requiring frequent rewinding/relistening, due to confusion with numerous "foreign" names and locations. I think it picks up steam in the later chapters, i.e. 20th & 21st century. I also appreciated the author giving some honest criticisms of people, nations, and sometimes cultures (even the Western European powers take a few hits but most surprisingly was some Armenia comments, albeit true), which makes me think this is the source of "M.W."s true consternation, i.e. the author had something to say the reviewer didn't like. But, the author does not pull punches with any nationality, culture, or region; and it's a minor component of the book. If it could be broken up into smaller chapters, it would help make it more digestible.

good, but academic

liked the second half best, except one can skip the conclusion as it's about Europe and philosophical.

Informative but boring and redundant

Had a lot of key information, however different parts are brought up again and again throughout the narrative. The voice actor mispronounces English words so it’s even harder to understand the complex ideas and words as they are and then to have high-level vocabulary in English pronounced incorrectly on top of it. Had to force myself to just keep listening. Writer does not have a way of tying it together to very valid and relevant points. The lack of pauses for emphasis and vocal inflection Make the listening monotonous and tedious. It basically needs a good editor and a better reader and it could be an excellent book with an updated note because in the 12 years since it was written even more significance has happened in that region with Russia

Do you want the story of the Caucasus or Charles King’s Pithy commentary?

If you want to hear Charles King’s editorialization of what happened in the Caucasus, then this is the book for you. If you want to learn the story of what happened in the Caucasus, you’re going to be disappointed.