The Ottoman Empire

The Untold Story to Its Rise and Fall

By: Jack Johnson

Narrated by: Jim Johnston

The Ottoman Empire was a strong world power for over 600 years beginning in the late 13th century. How did it rise from one man who was given charge of a small parcel of land to an empire that spanned three continents? Why did it begin to lose battle after battle, eventually reaching a point where it was beaten back by its enemies? Which sultans presented the empire with the tools for success and which destroyed the unity? What contributed to its demise?

These questions and more will be answered through this book as the secrets of the Ottoman Empire are revealed. This book contains a description of the origins and basics about the population of citizens within the empire along with descriptions about each of the 36 emperors' personal rises and falls in their quest to better the empire. Additionally, the contributions the Ottomans made to their empire and beyond to other countries will be described along with the daily life of those within the palace and those without. Is there anything left today that came from the Ottoman Empire? Or did the Ottoman Empire simply disappear without a trace left to indicate it existed?

©2016 Jack Johnson (P)2016 Jack Johnson

Inaccurate historical details, worthless...

What would have made The Ottoman Empire better?

There were many inconsistencies with the historical information provided. The names of historic figures were pronounced wrongly. Difficult to understand. All the information in this book could have been easily obtained from Wikipedia and even more accurately.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jack Johnson again?

No..

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The dateline follows the actual successions.

An 8th Grader's History Report

What would have made The Ottoman Empire better?

Detail, depth, an author with better storytelling chops.

What could Jack Johnson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

You just can't tell a compelling history of an empire spanning 600 years in a 3 1/2 hour recitation of who the leaders were. Additionally, facts were simply wrong - as another reviewer mentioned, in the first chapter Johnson asserts that the Ottoman Turks BUILT the Hagia Sophia -- yeah, that's why the name is so Greek sounding right?

What didn’t you like about Jim Johnston’s performance?

I can't really criticize the narrator too much when the material is this bad, but he did sound like he was reading a middle schooler history report.

Any additional comments?

I hope someone with better academic and storytelling credentials will put together an audio history of the Ottoman Empire along the lines of The Great Courses or The Modern Scholar series.