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.