Whirlwind cover art

Whirlwind

The Asian Saga, Book 6

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Whirlwind

By: James Clavell
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

The gripping epic novel of the 1979 Iranian Revolution by the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell

Tehran, Iran 1979: Simmering religious tensions finally explode, and the Iranian people rise up against the Shah. The country, once secular, is now thrown back into an orthodoxy that threatens to tear it apart. The United States and Russia go on high alert, with warships heading to the Middle East. The region becomes a powder keg, waiting to explode. Caught up in the revolution are a British helicopter company and its pilots. The oil fields of Iran need helicopters to ferry workers and administrators, and when the main US aviation company pulls out of Iran fearing what might come next, S-G Helicopters steps in to fill the void. Soon they realize that they, too, must leave or risk losing all their machines to whomever takes control of the country. The company risks bankruptcy if that happens—which would ruin Andrew Gallavan and reveal that the company is actually owned by a secret Hong Kong–based consortium: Noble House, controlled by the Struan family. Caught in between is his son, Scot, a pilot in Iran who must help save his father’s company, but also the other pilots and their families. In a risky move, the pilots concoct a plan to get their choppers out of Iran. But will they be able to escape a country crumbling around them before it’s too late?

A rich panoply of characters brings to life the events of forty years ago, events that even now have ramifications throughout the Middle East and beyond. Fast-paced and full of action and intrigue, Whirlwind is an intricately plotted and detailed tale of war, love, and the ingenuity of the human spirit, told by James Clavell, the unparalleled master of historical fiction.

©2013 James Clavell (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Action & Adventure Historical Fiction Middle East Iran Fiction Heartfelt Aviation

Listeners also enjoyed...

Musashi cover art
War and Remembrance cover art
The Caine Mutiny cover art
The Winds of War cover art
Amongst My Enemies cover art
When the Lion Feeds cover art
The Eye of the Tiger cover art
Kydd cover art
Shout at the Devil cover art
Harry Lampeter and the War with Scotland cover art
River God cover art
The Shadow of What Was Lost cover art
The Priory of the Orange Tree cover art
The Last Rose of Shanghai cover art
The Last Sword Maker cover art
Scythe cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
Brilliant from beginning to end. With really great characters. That kept one engaged and gripped

Whirlwind

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

This is epic and greatly enhanced if you've read previous books in the saga. Worth the investment.

A master piece

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

I thought the story was superb, intense and very pertinent to the time. Liked the way it had tied in other books in the series. My main gripe was the narrator who I felt was dire at Rome’s, his attempt at accents left a lot to be desired but apart from that definitely worth 5* for the story alone

Great story pity about the narrator

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

(RE)LIVE THE XPAT3AT LIFE.
READ BEFORE YOU GO AS IT IS VERY CLOSE TO REALITY.

IDEAL FOR XPATS

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

James Clavell has always been one of my very favourite authors. This story is complex and takes some getting used to because of the huge number of characters with unfamiliar names. However, in time, things really fall into place and persons and places become more acceptable to the ear. It is long but well worth trying.

Another Great Story!

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

The narration captured very clearly the captivating plot. I thought it much better than reading the book

A long listen but thoroughly worth it

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

Amazing - what a story! Can’t wait to read the next book Escape- shame there are no more to follow that!! Very well read too

Kept me wanting to listen from beginning to end!

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

Would you listen to Whirlwind again? Why?

No, but only because its so long, its a great performance

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Gorgon Khan, as always there is an orchestra of bombastic characters and he was one of the best

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Hard to Choose, but I like the early scence setting set up which contrasts with the chaos of the revoloution later

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I've never stayed awake that long in my life

Any additional comments?

I read most of Cavell's books while backpacking as a youngster, but didn't finish this. It's hard to concentrate while working on something so long. A great read that does the story true justice

Excellent Adaption

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

Lots of mini actions linked to the main story, even more so that in the previous books of the series. So much so that it was difficult to follow unless you are super-concentrated. The last part tied it all together finally

Long long book but worth it in the end

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

This has all the usual Clavell tropes... a diverse and engaging cast of characters, plenty of inner monologue, multiple sub-plots and an over-arching main plot that takes time to reveal itself. I really liked it, and thought the use of helicopter pilots gave an interesting way into the story.

The narrator is very good and brings the characters to life.

While not in the class of Shogun or Tai-Pan, this is comfortably better than Gai-Jin. Overall... recommended!

An enjoyable yarn but not top-tier Clavell

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

See more reviews