Rearview Mirror Chronicles

Keith Hockton
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Keith Hockton, FRAS, is a writer, publisher, and award-winning podcaster based in Penang, Malaysia, with a deep passion for uncovering the stories that shaped our world. As the Southeast Asia Editor for International Living magazine, Keith explores the intersections of history, culture, and modern life across the region. A dynamic lecturer and storyteller, he speaks internationally on Southeast Asian politics, economics, and history—bringing the past to life with clarity, wit, and insight. Keith is also a proud Fellow of The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and is on a mission to make history not only accessible but genuinely entertaining for everyone. His published books include: • Atlas of Australian Dive Sites - Travellers Edition (Harper Collins Australia, 2003). • Penang - An inside guide to its historic homes, buildings, monuments and parks (MPH Publishing, 2012; 2nd Edition 2014; 3rd Edition 2017). • Festivals of Malaysia (Trafalgar Publishing, 2015). • The Habitat Penang Hill: A pocket history (Entrepot Publishing, 2018) • Alana and the Secret Life of Trees at Night (Entrepot Publishing, 2018) • Penang Then & Now: A Century of Change in Pictures (Entrepot Publishing, 2019; 2nd Edition 2021• Bersama Lima - Five Together (Entrepot Publishing, 2022) www.entrepotpublishing.com

  1. 2 hr ago

    The Wrath of Khan: When Hell Rode West

    Send us Fan Mail Genghis Khan didn't want the war that would become the most devastating campaign of his life. It began with a trade caravan, the murder of hundreds of merchants, and one spectacularly arrogant decision by a ruler who had no idea who he was dealing with. In Part Two of The Wrath of Khan, we follow the Mongol war machine as it tears through the wealthy Khwarazmian Empire, destroys some of the greatest cities of the medieval world, rides across the frozen rivers of Russia and reaches almost to the gates of Vienna. Even Genghis Khan’s death could not stop it. His sons and grandsons would more than double the size of his empire, conquer Russia, sack Baghdad and rule China. But this is also where the Mongol story becomes far more complicated. The same empire that built pyramids of skulls also made the Silk Road safer than it had been for centuries. Trade flourished. Religions were tolerated. Knowledge, inventions and ideas moved between East and West on an unprecedented scale. And along those same roads eventually travelled something else: the plague that became the Black Death. Were the Mongols uniquely savage, or simply more efficient at the brutal business of medieval conquest? Were they destroyers, empire builders, or both? And if the abandoned boy Temüjin had died on the frozen steppe as a child, how different would our world be today? Support the show For books written and published by Keith Hocton www.entrepotpublishing.com

  2. 2 hr ago

    The Wrath of Khan - The Making of Genghis Khan (Part One)

    Send us Fan Mail A boy abandoned on the frozen Mongolian steppe should have died there. Instead, he survived to become Genghis Khan, the ruler who would unleash the most formidable war machine the medieval world had ever seen. In Part One of The Wrath of Khan, we follow the extraordinary rise of Temüjin from a childhood of starvation, betrayal and slavery to his unification of the Mongol tribes. Then we look inside the military system he created: merit over birth, unmatched horsemanship, intelligence networks, terrifying discipline, psychological warfare and tactics that allowed a relatively small army to overwhelm some of the richest and most powerful civilizations on earth. This is the story of how an outcast boy from the steppe became Genghis Khan, and how he built an army that would change the world. Support the show For books written and published by Keith Hocton www.entrepotpublishing.com

  3. 1 day ago

    La Belle Époque - An Age of Opulence and Illusion

    Send us Fan Mail Paris, 1900. The city glows with electric light. Jazz drips from gramophones. The Moulin Rouge spins like a carousel possessed. In the cafés of Montmartre, Picasso sketches with fevered hands. Toulouse-Lautrec drinks, draws, and watches the night unravel. It is an age of opulence and illusion. Gilded carriages and motorcars jostle on cobbled streets. Art Nouveau winds its way through every iron gate, every whispered conversation. But beneath the beauty, the city is cracking. Bombs explode in cafés. Anarchists lurk in shadowed rooms. The ghosts of the Paris Commune haven’t left—they’re just quieter now. Revolution lingers like smoke in the air. La Belle Époque. A time of elegance, excess—and unease. The world is dancing, blindfolded, toward the abyss. Welcome to Paris, on the edge of the modern world. referred Links: La Belle Époque Support the show For books written and published by Keith Hocton www.entrepotpublishing.com

  4. 1 Aug

    The Odyssey Explained: Why Homer's Epic Still Matters

    Send us Fan Mail For nearly three thousand years, Homer's Odyssey has captivated audiences with its unforgettable monsters, legendary heroes, and epic adventures. But beneath the Cyclops, the Sirens, and the wrath of the gods lies a far deeper story—one about family, loyalty, temptation, pride, and the universal longing to return home. In this episode of Rearview Mirror Chronicles, Keith Hockton takes you on an extraordinary journey through one of history's greatest masterpieces, revealing why The Odyssey became the blueprint for countless stories that followed, from The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars to modern cinema. Along the way, you'll discover the hidden meanings behind Odysseus's trials, the remarkable intelligence of Penelope, the tragic misunderstandings surrounding Calypso, and how centuries of translation have subtly reshaped the women of both Greek mythology and the Bible. This isn't simply the story of a hero battling monsters. It's the story that taught the Western world how to tell stories, and why, after 3,000 years, Homer's timeless masterpiece still speaks directly to us today. Support the show For books written and published by Keith Hocton www.entrepotpublishing.com

  5. 30 Jul

    The Madman’s Library: Bound in Flesh, Written in Blood

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Madman’s Library—a place not of learning, but of unraveling. Here, books do not enlighten. They whisper. They bleed. They rot. Grimoires etched in rust-black ink speak in tongues never meant for human mouths. Manuscripts stitched from flayed skin stare back with hollowed faces. Blood-written ravings of prophets long dead pulse with delusion, disease, and dread. This is a collection shaped not by reason, but by obsession. By the need to conjure, to control, to curse. Each spine cracked open reveals another step down, into the occult, the forbidden, the grotesque theater of human thought gone feral. These are not books. They are relics of ruin. Join Keith as he unlocks the vaults of the Madman’s Library, a curated descent into the psychosis of print, where knowledge cuts deeper than any blade, and reading is not an act of curiosity…but a pact with darkness. Support the show For books written and published by Keith Hocton www.entrepotpublishing.com

  6. 27 Jul

    The Quiet Revolutionary: Vermeer, Pearls, and the Company That Bought the World

    Send us Fan Mail What if one of history's greatest painters wasn't simply creating beautiful pictures, but quietly capturing the birth of the modern world? In this episode of Rearview Mirror Chronicles, Keith explores the extraordinary life of Johannes Vermeer, the elusive Dutch master who painted fewer than forty works before dying in debt. Journey from the luminous mystery of Girl with a Pearl Earring to the quiet dignity of The Milkmaid, discovering why these seemingly ordinary paintings continue to captivate millions. But this is more than the story of an artist. It is also the story of the Dutch East India Company, the world's first multinational corporation, whose vast trading empire transformed a small nation into the richest on Earth and created the remarkable world in which Vermeer painted. Along the way, uncover the truth behind the famous pearl, the forgotten genius rediscovered centuries later, the astonishing forgeries that fooled the world's experts, and the hidden cost of the Dutch Golden Age. It's a fascinating journey through art, commerce, empire and humanity, revealing why a man who painted only thirty-five pictures still has the power to change the way we see the world. Support the show For books written and published by Keith Hocton www.entrepotpublishing.com

  7. 24 Jul

    They Took the Children: How a Nation Tried to Erase a People

    Send us Fan Mail For more than a century, one of the world's most admired democracies carried out a policy that sought to erase Indigenous cultures by removing their children. More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit boys and girls were taken from their families, stripped of their language, traditions and identity, and sent to residential schools where many endured hunger, abuse, neglect and unimaginable loneliness. In this deeply moving episode, Keith traces the origins of Canada's residential school system, reveals the political thinking that created it, and explores the devastating human cost that continues to echo through generations. Drawing on survivor testimony, historical records and the remarkable story of Kamloops, he examines one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history with honesty, compassion and historical perspective. Yet this is not simply a story of tragedy. It is also a story of extraordinary courage. Despite everything that was done to them, Indigenous children whispered their languages in secret, protected their traditions, and carried their cultures forward against overwhelming odds. Support the show For books written and published by Keith Hocton www.entrepotpublishing.com

  8. 20 Jul

    The Elephant in the Nursery: What Children's Books Really Tell Us

    Send us Fan Mail There are books that shape our childhood, and then there are books that quietly shape the way we see the world. In this fascinating episode of Rearview Mirror Chronicles, Keith Hockton takes a fresh look at some of the most beloved children's classics ever written. From the tragic bedside story that gave the world Babar the Elephant, to the immigrant creators who invented France's greatest comic hero, Asterix, this is a journey through history, culture and the hidden messages tucked between the pages of our favourite bedtime stories. Why did a gentle elephant in a green suit become the centre of fierce debates about colonialism? How did two outsiders create the most patriotic French comic of the twentieth century? And what should we do when cherished childhood books contain ideas that modern readers find deeply uncomfortable? Warm, thought-provoking and often surprising, this episode explores the remarkable lives of the authors behind these timeless stories while asking a bigger question: are children's books ever really just for children? You'll never look at your childhood bookshelf in quite the same way again. Support the show For books written and published by Keith Hocton www.entrepotpublishing.com

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About

Keith Hockton, FRAS, is a writer, publisher, and award-winning podcaster based in Penang, Malaysia, with a deep passion for uncovering the stories that shaped our world. As the Southeast Asia Editor for International Living magazine, Keith explores the intersections of history, culture, and modern life across the region. A dynamic lecturer and storyteller, he speaks internationally on Southeast Asian politics, economics, and history—bringing the past to life with clarity, wit, and insight. Keith is also a proud Fellow of The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and is on a mission to make history not only accessible but genuinely entertaining for everyone. His published books include: • Atlas of Australian Dive Sites - Travellers Edition (Harper Collins Australia, 2003). • Penang - An inside guide to its historic homes, buildings, monuments and parks (MPH Publishing, 2012; 2nd Edition 2014; 3rd Edition 2017). • Festivals of Malaysia (Trafalgar Publishing, 2015). • The Habitat Penang Hill: A pocket history (Entrepot Publishing, 2018) • Alana and the Secret Life of Trees at Night (Entrepot Publishing, 2018) • Penang Then & Now: A Century of Change in Pictures (Entrepot Publishing, 2019; 2nd Edition 2021• Bersama Lima - Five Together (Entrepot Publishing, 2022) www.entrepotpublishing.com

Information

  • Creator
    Keith Hockton
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    178
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Rearview Mirror Chronicles
  • Show Website
    Rearview Mirror Chronicles

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