Book Review - The End is Always Near by Dan Carlin

The End is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses by Dan Carlin
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 of 5 stars)

You should read this if: You're looking for a broad survey of interesting historical tidbits, or if you're a Dan Carlin newcomer.

You should not read this if: You're a Hardcore History fan used to depth into specific historical narratives.

Summary:

As a huge fan of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, I've gotten used to his unique format and pace of history-telling, which starts with a large meta-point followed by hours and hours of in-depth story-telling. This book is not that. This book provides a a few loosely-related case studies of "apocalyptic" topics, which by Carlin's standards, only skims the surface of each.

The book is enjoyable, with many of the fun historical trivia tidbits we've come accustomed to. In particular, the chapter on pandemics is unfortunately timely and relevant, and is alone worth the read.

Perhaps my view on the book is more greatly skewed because I listened to the self-narrated audiobook, making the comparison to Carlin's podcast all the more obvious. I imagine for readers and listeners who are new to Dan Carlin, this book is a great, accessible introduction (in contrast to the 17 hours of podcast listening!). I really wanted to like this book more, and this rating might be a reflection of my high expectations for Dan Carlin.

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