BLACK DRAGON RIVER A Journey Down the Amur River at the Borderlands of Empires

Narrator Steve West brings eloquent English diction to this journey down the Black Dragon River, the Amur. West enthralls the listener with Ziegler's narrative, which weaves together the region's Chinese/Russian history and the author's Asian travels along the world's ninth-longest river. West's delivery is careful and distinct, a skill that is essential in an audiobook that shifts from Russian to Chinese names and terms. West's performance--and Ziegler's text--captures the rich backstories of Genghis Khan, Nicholas the First, the Decemberists, and, of course, the Chinese, who lost a great deal of territory to their neighbors to the north. This travel narrative places the listener squarely into this mysterious, biologically diverse, and immense part of the globe. A.M. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2016]