The Physician

The Cole Trilogy (Gordon) 1

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About this listen

An orphan leaves Dark Ages London, taking a dangerous journey and posing as a Jew to study medicine in Persia, in "an adventurous and inspiring tale" (Library Journal).

A child holds the hand of his dying mother and is terrified, aware something is taking her. Orphaned and given to an itinerant barber-surgeon, Rob Cole becomes a fast-talking swindler, peddling a worthless medicine. But as he matures, his strange gift - an acute sensitivity to impending death - never leaves him, and he yearns to become a healer.

Arab madrassas are the only authentic medical schools, and he makes his perilous way to Persia. Christians are barred from Muslim schools, but claiming he is a Jew, he studies under the world's most renowned physician, Avicenna. How the woman who is his great love struggles against her only rival - medicine - makes a riveting modern classic.

The Physician is the first book in New York Times best-selling author Noah Gordon's Dr. Robert Cole trilogy, which continues with Shaman and concludes with Matters of Choice.

Noah GordonMark MeadowsAudible Studios

Ancient

Genre Fiction

Historical Fiction

Literary Fiction

Medical

Medicine

Ancient Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Medical Medicine

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The Scope: You’ll travel from the squalor of Dark Ages London to the sophisticated medical "madrasas" of Persia. It’s a literal and intellectual pilgrimage.
The Tension: Because Christians were forbidden from studying in these Arab universities, the protagonist has to pass as Jewish to gain entry, adding a layer of "secret identity" suspense that fans of Jeffrey Archer usually enjoy.
The Narrator: If you have the Mark Meadows version (the most common on Audible), you’re in good hands. He is known for a "warm and clear" delivery that manages a vast cast of characters without becoming distracting.