Reviews
via Podcasts
Great podcast
If you like ancient history, this podcast is excellent. The host is very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and humorous as well. I enjoy it a great deal.
Buddha_3000
Timir broadcast
Refreshing look at a period of time few people know about. Entertaining, humorous, knowledgeable it is very engaging
Fun broadcast
Well Researched!
About to binge season 1. The Life, times, and world of Tamerlane and his Timur Empire was a brutal time to be alive. A world that molded men into strategic geniuses and turned their souls to even greater evils.
I can tell James drops an amazing amount of research and planning into each and every episode. I hope he continues… WELCOME BACK.
“It was a day of blackest deed
When Delhi street of fame
Did glitter well by cursed greed
Oh harsh Timoor the lame.”
Read more
Frank Schumpert
Love it
Really loving the show so far. Thanks for helping to educate me on a time a place I know next to nothing about. I didn’t even know Timur and Tamerlane were the same person. Looking forward to more.
Randy IV
The King (or Emir) is Back!
James returns!! This was one of my absolute favorite new podcasts of recent years and I was saddened when it went radio silent in 2021. But at long last the steadfast are rewarded and in 2023 James has returned! Looking so forward to all the upcoming episodes both for the life of Timur and to grow as a community to recognize this amazing podcast and podcaster.
Šuppiluliuma
Amazing history podcast
This is a wonderful history podcast about one of the world’s most ferocious conquerers. It follows the story of Timur the Lame, aka Tamerlane, but starts far before his birth with almost 14 EPs about the history of the Mongols. It is quite a feat to put together a show like this, and slightly annoying that people with passion projects, who likely don’t get paid very much for their effort, have such a hard time being discovered on the various apps that are out there. This is right up there with Dan Carlin’s History of the Mongols series (the one he did on Hard Core History) and if you’re looking for a deep dive history series on something that you probably don’t know much about, definitely tune in to this one.
On a related note, I do hope James continues to put out EPs in the future, but it looks like it’s been a year or so since he did the last one, so who knows if he will take up the mic again.
My only complaint is that James often talks about his sound quality issues while recording—ie neighbors stomping around upstairs, or birds outside his window that won’t shut up etc—but I can almost never hear what he’s talking about. The sound quality is great.
Read more
Gekogekogeko
Wonderful Listen
Stumbled across this podcast and can’t wait for the end of season 2. Really enjoy the delivery of the narrator and simple everyday man feel to it. Keep up the great work.
Eli1017
Great depth!
Think of this as the Forgotten Wars Podcast meets one person and focuses on that one fascinating person for scores of episodes. The Timur Podcast is well worth your time!
Mr. Buster!
Great podcast!
Found via History of Byzantium, James is terrific!
K why complicated usernames
Excellent podcast
Can’t wait to hear the rest of season 2
edlowe0
Outstanding podcast
I found this podcast by accident and I’m so glad that I did. It is extremely well researched, and the delivery is excellent. Each episode is fun to listen to and I’ve listened to the first season a few times. I am absolutely on board for the duration of Timur’s story.
FutiousC
Good but a little repetitive
I’m enjoying this and looking forward to getting into Timur properly but I have to acknowledge that James has a semi-frustrating tendency to repeat a lot of the last episode(s) in the new ones. This might be a product of the time between recordings but, listening now, back-to-back, it’s unnecessary to review so much!
I’m also frustrated by the sheer number of what I can only call disclaimers? He’ll mention that X group was mostly Muslim so they allied with this other Muslim-majority group… and then go on a looong diversion about how ‘of course not everyone was Muslim and I understand that but we’re drawing large-scale comparisons’ etc etc etc. As he starts on these sidebars I find myself skipping ahead to get back to the content I’m actually here for!
Oh, and I can’t hear your neighbors AT ALL, so stop worrying/commenting about it
Read more
LittleELK27
Great storytelling
James has a real talent for making you feel like you’re on the ground with Timur et al. I bet he’d be great at pitching tv shows.
DRo8000
So much passion!
James has a very different style than most podcasters, but that’s good! He tells you a story as if you’re talking over beers, complete with unedited gaffs and unabashed passion!
jmaggio14
Season 2 is Great
Feel like the opening episode of S.2 has taken the show to new heights.
RLVar03
Timer and James are Great!
Lots of info about Medieval Central Asia with an entertaining delivery
Elmer TG
Great
There could not be a better history podcast.
pope boniface
Great show
Fun podcast about a difficult topic to be fun with, can’t wait for the show to keep moving forward!
War Eagle Beagle
Trust me — Just listen to it
If you grew up in most Western educational systems, you probably don’t know much about Timur aka Tamerlane and how he affected the world. I certainly didn’t.
This podcast is a great way to make up for that deficit. Our host, James, is informative, funny and a really wonderful storyteller. Easy and enjoyable to listen to, plus you’ll learn a lot.
ghoetker
Timur Podcast
Great podcast! I recommend it for anyone interested in Mongol history or the history of conquest.
1969louis
Timur
This is a great podcast
fred the german
I love this podcast! James is a joy to listen to.
5 stars yo!
JimmyLoSanto
Great Story Telling and Pacing!
James does a great job of breaking down the complicated history of Tamerlane, and makes it very enjoyable at the same time! Great pacing, occasional humor, and tells a very interesting story about a 14th century warlord.
Bulgarz
Music
What is the name of the music you play beginning of the each episode?
120Pearl
Strange man yells in his closet about Mongols
James does a great job, from his closet or no and he’s usually not yelling. This is a period of history largely ignored by western education and the narrative podcasting style harkens back to some of the greats like Mike Duncan. It’ll leave you coming back for more.
MadCowFarm57
Great podcast about an uncommon subject in English
One of my favorite podcasts! The subject is something you rarely hear about in English and definitely deserved to be done. The podcast’s light level of informality to me is endearing, as it’s very human and gives the atmosphere of just sitting in a room and listening about history from a friend, while still feeling polished enough to have a profesional side. Further more he doesn’t hesitate to admit when he gets something wrong, which in my opinion is one of the important qualities of a history podcaster- mistakes happen. I for one can’t wait to be lied to some more haha.
Read more
Feral_Nuggets
Needs an editor
Wanted to love this and gave it a serious go, but it is just too poorly written. (And that’s when the narrator sticks to his script...) A little more time editing the writing, and the final audio product would go a long way.
Luhmann
Fascinating Story
An important person who is almost unknown in the West. Told by an enthusiastic, relatable, amateur historian.
WilsonGirl1977
Great Podcast!
Love the podcast. Only critique - you don’t need to mention their is background noise every 5 minutes, listeners can’t even hear it.
Zach Burroughs
Excellent storytelling, good history!
This is a very good podcast. James does a fabulous job. He has an engaging voice and writing style that makes this an excellent listen.
Timur’s story is fascinating. This podcast, by itself has fleshed out a huge chunk of Asian history and geography for me.
His production is not as refined as some podcasts. This is clearly a labor of love, but even watching him sort out his style and technique in the early episodes doesn’t take away from this great pod!
Read more
Neurowheat
Good History, Easy Listen
Timur’s story wasn’t part of any of my history classes save for a few vague references. James delivers this rare and interesting content with a light conversational feel. I am looking forward to a lot more.
TruempyD
History Adventure
Perfect history listen for quarantine times. on the edge of my seat waiting for each episode
Daniel meirom
Timor is too interesting not to learn about
Very well done podcast.
Matt NJ1977
Excellent history podcast!
This is a wonderfully researched and thoughtfully made show. I went into this knowing nothing about Timur. I’m learning so much about the insane saga that was his life, and the complicated historical context into which he was born. The host’s passion for making this really shines through. Thanks, James!
DejaBrew12
“Before we get to Timur...”
Took almost three months to get to actually talking about Timur. Great episodes, though. :)
ohheyjohn
Wow!
This has instantly risen in the pantheon of my favorite history podcasts. It is now on a level with Robin Pierson’s History of Byzantium, David Crowther’s History of England and Mike Duncan’s History of Rome. Great job James! I’m hooked.
Baggathrom
Well done
I like James’ delivery style, which is witty and well-researched.
Groundhog55
Top Quality History Pod!
This is a top quality podcast in the history genre! It is a thoroughly engaging journey through a fascinating and complex period of history that is rarely covered in either education or mainstream history podcasting.
Encompassing not only the life of Timur but the whole sweep of Mongol/Turkic/step-empire history, it’s a must listen. I was particularly blown away by the high audio quality right and James’ confident narration style that so often is lacking in the early episodes of history podcasts.
10 out of 10!
—George
Read more
George Owen
One of My Favorites!
This podcast is an excellent addition to the historical genre of podcasts! James is a wonderful host and I look forward to every new episode! Well worth a listen!
HistoryDude1492
Fantastic
Good style, good pace, great content. 2 episodes in and I am hooked.
Stu Nims
An Outstanding Historical Podcast!
This podcast is truly excellent. The host clearly has both a knowledge and passion for history which makes listening to the podcast a real treat. I highly recommend this podcast and look forward to many more episodes!
WI Appraiser
Can't wait to hear more!
Diving into the story of Timur I'm excited to see where this goes! Here's a history I know little about and I'm genuinely excited to keep the story going. Check it out!
Cutting Class Podcast