Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Comanche Empire  By  cover art

The Comanche Empire

By: Pekka Hamalainen
Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.34

Buy for $19.34

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, a Native American empire rose to dominate the fiercely contested lands of the American Southwest, the southern Great Plains, and northern Mexico. This powerful empire, built by the Comanche Indians, eclipsed its various European rivals in military prowess, political prestige, economic power, commercial reach, and cultural influence. Yet, until now, the Comanche empire has gone unrecognized in American history.

This compelling and original book uncovers the lost story of the Comanches. It is a story that challenges the idea of indigenous peoples as victims of European expansion and offers a new model for the history of colonial expansion, colonial frontiers, and Native-European relations in North America and elsewhere. Pekka Hämäläinen shows in vivid detail how the Comanches built their unique empire and resisted European colonization, and why they fell to defeat in 1875. With extensive knowledge and deep insight, the author brings into clear relief the Comanches' remarkable impact on the trajectory of history.

©2008 Yale University (P)2016 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"A fascinatingly informative volume." ( Booklist)

What listeners say about The Comanche Empire

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    170
  • 4 Stars
    62
  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    11
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    144
  • 4 Stars
    51
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    18
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    159
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    11

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • A
  • 02-28-18

A comprehensive evaluation

I have to chuckle at the review of this book that read “The most boring book ever.” I am certain that for many this would be true. However I thoroughly enjoyed it. For sure it is a comprehensive study and evaluation of the Comanche nation dealing with the forces of nature, society and economy that drove the development, existence and failure of Comanche life. I learned so much more about Native American culture that other wonderful books don’t have time to delve into. I cannot give it five stars overall as it was difficult to hang with and needed to take it in stages. I have to wonder if it has been used as a textbook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

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

Wow, the worst book ever

I am an avid reader and an avid audio book listener, nearly 700 audio books and I have never listened to a worse book. Both the book itself which is tedious and laboriously written and one of the most terrible narrators I have ever cringed through.

The book is like a doctoral thesis in which the author quotes a source, states a date and then goes on to another source and quotes a date... I kept waiting for it to get better, but it NEVER did. I do sympathize with the narrator a bit, as reading something like this would be mind numbing, but she flawlessly pronounces Spanish and French names while mispronouncing the english words, and her diction is awful.

I was hoping for a book about the Comanche culture, their history, their struggles, their triumphs... but what I got was the authors socio-political ramblings hour after hour. I don't know who the people are who rated this book highly, I can't imagine. This is not only not entertainment, it isn't interesting in the least... I tried. There are much better books about the Comanche "Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History" is superb. Spend your credits on that book, not this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

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

Can I make money off my thesis?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This was a struggle. If is was 50 to 60 percent shorter it would have been worthwhile. This was like somebody reading their thesis.

Would you be willing to try another book from Pekka Hamalainen? Why or why not?

Probably not. This read like a thesis, saying the same thing over and over in a slightly different way. I found my mind wandering frequently. I kept thinking about stopping but overall it is a topic I am interested in. It was a painful listen.

Did Carla Mercer-Meyer do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The pronunciation of many words was confusing since they were not being pronounced the way I am used to hearing them. Once I figured out what she was trying to say I understood, but why?

Could you see The Comanche Empire being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

If I think of The Comanche Empire being made into a move, all I think of is Heaven's Gate.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • BW
  • 03-10-18

Incredibly thorough

it's like a technical manual for the Comanche Empire. its definitely not a light listen..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

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

outstanding

simply brilliant. This will change your perspective on many subjects. it is well worth the read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Oz
  • 05-02-22

Author tries way too hard to over complicate the story

The language used by the author is is purposely over complicated and takes away from the story and tons of modern political buzzwords are sprinkled all over the place. It feels like a mix between a high school history paper, where the kid is using too many big words in an attempt to sound smart, and a blend of MSNBC and FOX news program.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

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

Use 1/3 of the adjectives

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

jumps all over the place

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

cry

Any additional comments?

I am not impressed with how many words she knows. I am dissatisfied with how much of my time she wasted telling a great history of the south west.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

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

Fantastic piece of scholarly work!

Terrific insight on an overlooked indigenous empire and culture, how it came to be, why it thrived, and the causes if its collapse.

This is a crucial addition to indigenous studies; I highly recommend it! Redefines empire and colonial relations in North America.

The narration is heavy at times. This questionable fluidity can lead to minor misunderstandings of certain phrases, blurring their meaning.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

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

Technically boring.

The reader needs to research the correct pronunciation of names and places, even some common words like cholera.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Wow a real perspective on this area of the US.

Excellent book!!! informative and sheds new life to the history of the southwest that I call home.
people in this area that state that this country belonged to Spain and then Mexico and that it was stolen from them and native Americans by the Euro-Americans will gain a new perspective. This area belonged to the Comanches for centuries!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful