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Where the West Ends

Stories from the Middle East, the Balkans, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus

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Where the West Ends

By: Michael J. Totten
Narrated by: Steven Roy Grimsley
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About this listen

Prize-winning author Michael J. Totten returns with a masterpiece of travel writing and history in this journey through 13 nations - all but two formerly communist - just beyond the edge of the West where few casual travelers venture.

His work as an independent foreign correspondent takes him deep into the field beyond the sensational headlines, from his hilariously miserable road trip with his best friend to Iraq to the Wild West of Albania, the most bizarre country in Europe; from the killing fields in Bosnia and Kosovo to a Romania haunted by the ghosts of its communist past; from the front lines in the Caucasus during Russia's invasion of Georgia to the otherworldly post-Soviet disasterscape in Ukraine. Where the West Ends is high-octane adventure writing at its finest and is Michael J. Totten's most entertaining work written to date.

©2012 Michael J. Totten (P)2013 Michael Totten Eastern Europe Middle East Travel Writing & Commentary Iran Soviet Union Africa Imperialism Russia Middle Ages Haunted
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I was hoping for some informative, descriptive, possibly even insightful stories about the countries Mr Totten travelled through. Unfortunately, the book seems to be more of a "we did this, then this, then went here" without ever really giving you a feel for the places visited - he certainly doesn't paint a vivid picture of anywhere he visits. Perhaps it feels like it was written by a journalist rather than a travel writer - the narrative doesn't really flow, even within a chapter. It's more like collected snippets.

While the story wasn't great, the narration is awful. Mr Grimsley sounds like he has a terrible cold and stresses odd syllables. His intonation is all over the place. It's a real effort to listen to him, which is the kiss of death for an audio book! If you like the sound of this, I'd probably track down a written copy.

An average story, with awful narration

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