A great book in need of much better presentation

I usually tend to not write reviews at all because I think that they are quite subjective but this time, I felt I had to because this particular audio book irked me way more than it should have.

I got interested in Mikhail Zygar by reading his later most recent book on the collapse of tsarist Russia. I couldn't put it down! Zygar has a writing style that just draws you in - you really feel the worlds and environments he creates as if you are part of it. While I read that there are sometimes omissions and simplifications in his writings - he admits as much himself, stating that he is foremost a journalist, not a historian - I feel, that the overall picture he paints is one that is more or less accurate. It still gives you a much needed insight into a russian world that to western eyes and ears sometimes is even stranger than that of the far east.

And now to the HUGE but:
The speaker and the presentation. What the hell went through peoples mind when deciding on that? It already starts on a worrying note when the audiobook starts with ominous stereotypical russian orchestral music. While Zygar is able to sometimes conjure the atmosphere of a polit-thriller, this book is still journalism and not fiction. Going in with this sensationalist opening statement just makes one feel uncomfortable. The speaker himself doesn't offer much reprieve either: Dan Woren does not seem to have prepared much for this book in particular - He seems to have no feeling for Russian or indeed any non-English words whatsoever. With nearly every name and word he makes the decision to pronounce it in what probably only he thinks is the right way. Also, he has the habit of trying to read the numerous quotes in thickly accented Russian English. He never seems to have met any Russians. And even if he had, this choice feels horribly out of place in this kind of text, more fitting to a cartoon. And again, one can't shake of the feeling that he in no way prepared for this book - none of the people he impersonates sounds anything like it. It's not just the Russians either: He tries to inflict his dubious vocal talents upon every international charakter in the book - Bush jr., Clinton, Blair, Schröder - showcasing two points: 1. that this practice is horribly out of place here and 2. that he has no idea what these people sound like either. It's a mess.

Summing up: If you are interested in modern Russia by all means, buy the book or even audio book. But if you value the presentation of an audio book then think twice before buying the audio book. I'm by no means a picky listener but this was too much for my ears.

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