The Etruscan

By: Mika Waltari

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The civilization of the ancient fifth century BC Mediterranean blossoms into life in Mika Waltari's outstanding historical novel of love, war, greed, and spiritual tumult.

Beginning in Ionia in 498 BC with the burning of the Lydian capital, Sardis, the story of Lars Turms sweeps across the Mediterranean to Delphi, Athens, then Sicily, before finally ending in Rome and ancient Etruria. Along the way, we encounter Greek warriors and pirates, Carthaginian merchants and princes, strange priests and priestesses, and trading centers, great and small. It is a fascinating glimpse of a world on the verge of wrenching change. Few cultures will survive unscathed.

With Greece on the cusp of war against mighty Persia in the East and wealthy Carthage in the West, the peoples of a dozen cultures hold their breath in anticipation. The old ways will not survive the probing, skeptical minds of the Greeks, and Lars Turms' destiny is to accommodate himself and his people to altering circumstances far different from anything he could have possibly anticipated.

This exciting novel plays out on the background of actual historical events and real personalities. In order to enhance your enjoyment, we urge listeners to access the included PDF map of the ancient Mediterranean and the brief historical explanation.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1956 Estate of Mika Waltari (P)2015 Audio Connoisseur

Surprised fan......

What was most disappointing about Mika Waltari’s story?

I was surprised how I felt about this book after listening to it. I loved the Roman and the Egyptian, that being said, I wasn't happy with the story line. The performance was great and as historical novels go, it was worth the credit.

Any additional comments?

As a Waltari fan it's a must listen.

History Class with psich, antropology, politcs etc

I really Love Waltary books and wish all people could know that autor. Charlson Gruffin does a good job playing that character. We are at the old history Mediteranean.. have a good travel!

An excellent story set in ancient history

It's nI just finished listening to the audible book which is 19 hours and 49 minutes. It's long but very worth listening to. It paints the ancient world (before Rome had completely dominated the area) through the eyes of a protagonist as he continues his journey through life and self-discovery. We get to experience his life as a pirate and the various conflicts that were happening at the time. He's also a bit of a supernatural character (well as seen in the ancient world during the time of the Etruscans) which gave it an interesting flavor because it was an ability that flowed seamlessly with the natural world around him. I won't ruin it, but he faces quite a few obstacles before discovering himself all while showing us, the listeners, what life was like for him during that time period. I absolutely love fictional stories set in ancient historical periods and it's stories like this one that inspire me to go and look up information on ancient cultures such as the Etruscans.
narrated by Mr. Charlton Griffin whose sonorous, even flowing, fluid voice both relaxes and invites one in to listen to the story. The chapters are a bit over an hour each, so it actually does take a few days at the very least to finish it and it's not modernly action-packed in the way most of us are probably used to, but for those of us who enjoy a great story set in an ancient historical setting told by an excellent storyteller, it's worth it.

I am rather easy to please, so to me this was 5 stars across the board.