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The Profession  By  cover art

The Profession

By: Steven Pressfield
Narrated by: Toby Leonard Moore
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Publisher's summary

Author of numerous New York Times best-sellers—including the epic chronicle of the Battle of Thermopylae, Gates of Fire—Steven Pressfield delivers novels of unmatched historical accuracy. In The Profession, Pressfield taps his considerable well of military knowledge to craft a piece of speculative fiction set in 2032. With corporate and private powers wielding their own military forces, an exiled American general plans to return to the U.S. and claim the presidency for his own. Only his closest confidant stands any chance of defeating him.

©2011 Steven Pressfield (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about The Profession

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

After really enjoying listening to Killing Rommel, I was looking forward to this new book from the author. Sadly it didn't live up to my expectations and I found I didn't get immersed in the story and wasn't engaged by any of the characters.

The narrator was okay but clearly not too familiar with the military theme, mis-pronouncing a number of terms commonly used, for example pronouncing casevac as "case-vac" instead of "cas-evac". I thought he did a fairly good job of accents for the various characters, except for AD, who is South African and is said to have a Johannesburg accent, which jarred a bit. I am South African and there is not really any regional variation in the accents of English-speaking South Africans. There were only a few places where I thought this character's dialogue sounded South African but by and large this was not the case.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not every book is great.

I am a true Pressfield fan...but what happened? I have proudly given his works on creativity away as Christmas gifts...voraciously consumed all of his masterful historical fiction, several times each. In his "Do the Work" he mentions a failed book that did not pan out as he had hoped and I think this must be it. Lovers of superfluous military detail will love this book because superfluous is just the beginning...detail that means nothing, pointless characters that are flatter than paper...a story that I can't believe you had anything to do with. I am sorry Steven...I hate writing this review but you deserve every word. I have listened to and read your inspirational and tough words on creativity but you did not live by any of it by releasing this work. I finished it out of respect hoping you would redeem yourself but you left me in the middle of a vast, dry careless desert. The trip was excruciating and so impossibly short of you.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Plodding first half, ok at the end

They spent way too much time setting up the characters in the first half of the book it just got tedious. The narrator was not very good, pausing after each sentence or two it made the whole book seem choppy. Sort of like a book narrated by William Shatner.

The second half of the book was ok and moved at a decent pace. The narrator actually went three or four sentences between pauses.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Not like his other books, too much profanity

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

To start off, I am a huge fan of Pressfield's Gates of Fire and other books. But this book includes graphic descriptions of sodomy and prisoners bad experiences, that seem overly excessive. I'm no prim person, I can handle swearing ocassionally. This one swears too much, I would suggest his other works because they are the best books you will ever read!!

Has The Profession turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

How could the performance have been better?

Less swearing and less graphic descriptions of murder and sodomy. I can relate to the characters just fine with less graphic descriptions.

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

Action, lots of action & political intrigue

Any additional comments?

I love Steven Pressfield's other novels!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Underwhelmed

The story was well done, but not what I had expected. This book should be described as a political thriller only. The author uses a lot of "high speed" language to describe equipment, settings, and events that leads no where. The story contains very little action. I waited the entire book for the action to start, but it never happened. Simply stated, this book represents a hypothetical future of mercenary armies and political/economic turmoil. The main character represents a solid warrior archetype which was well done and entertaining. Overall, too much time effort was dedicated to character development, leaving all other areas lackluster.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Steven Pressfield is my new favorite writer

I have read several books now by Steven Pressfield, the characters and stories are impressively compiled into an exciting and thought provoking style. The Profession is a great addition to a collection of work that spans the history of warfare.

Adding to the quality of the book the narration is absolutely fantastic, well casted. I'll probably listen to this several times.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome I miss the main character already.

If you could sum up The Profession in three words, what would they be?

Great narrator, I was sad when it ended. I'm a Pressfield fan, the WAR OF Art really moved me and I was just as impressed by his writing in this forum.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes because of how much I came to know The main character.

What about Toby Leonard Moore’s performance did you like?

Absolutely perfect.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't know what tag line is but I'd watch it if Mr. Pressfield had control of it, otherwise I'd be truly afraid they would ruin the friend I made in the book.

Any additional comments?

I'd love a continuation; although I know it would be tough to do.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Moto

What did you love best about The Profession?

The character development and the overall gritty feel of the novel. It's written like the fantasy of every "03" i know. I'm mean it's better than a 72 in Phuket.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gen. Salter is the General we all want to serve. Sure he is Caesar reborn, but that's what is so motivating about his character. I am guessing a lot of people would find his character scary, but I have quite a few buds that find him inspirational.

Watch: LTC Randolph C. White Jr. deliver Infantry Graduation Speech on YouTube, as it sums it up best. I was a Marine, but this Soldiers say's it well.

What does Toby Leonard Moore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He mispronounced some terms, but it didn't distract from the story. I think overall, he did a good job of keeping the tempo of the story moving forward. It was like a season of 24, taken up 10 notches on the excitement scale. After my drive home, I would hide in the garage, just to finish a chapter.

Any additional comments?

If your an Infantryman in any branch of the service, for any country, this book has some special stuff for you. If not, this book still has a lot to offer and can be different things to different people.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disjointed with an anti climactic ending

Maybe it would be better to read than listen to. The jumping back and forth between current time and the past was somewhat hard to follow. The ending was super disjointed, especially the main characters ability to get around the world in what seems like a heart beat.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Story

Another great story with fantastic historical details. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this role.

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