"The End Is Always Near"-- A Review

I've been listening to various podcasts for a few years now and the more I've listened to a few of them, the more I've wanted to make a point to support any side projects/read any books that said podcasters put out into the world. I've read two of Mike Duncan's books so far, I reactivated my Patreon subscription for the excellent Split Zone Duo and although I'm a few years later to this particular party, I finally got around to reading Dan Carlin's book, The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse To Nuclear Near Misses.

Right off the bat, I've got to note: I listened to this in Audiobook form via Audible, so anyone who has listened to an episode of Hardcore History or Common Sense will be familiar with Carlin's narrative style. In fact, the audiobook feels, in many ways, like a long episode of Hardcore History or several loosely interconnected Hardcore History episodes. If his narration on his podcasts doesn't bother you (and I don't know why it would- but I'm sure he's got his detractors out there) then the audiobook won't bother you a bit.

The book itself: it's quick (eight chapters) and well organized. Carlin starts by examining the question: Do tough times make for tougher people? How do prolonged periods of hardship impact societies and cultures as a whole? How does it impact family life and development? The central question of the book established, Carlin begins a journey through history-- starting with the event that I knew the least about but found to be the most fascinating: The Bronze Age Collapse.

What is the Bronze Age Collapse? Well, between 1200-1150 BCE, everything just kind of collapsed in the eastern Mediterranean- the Mycenaeans, the Kassites, the Hittites, it all kind of fell apart and even today, there aren't a lot of good explanations as to why. Some think climactic change, invasions by mysterious Sea Peoples, iron metallurgy, development in new weapons and tactics, or just general political, social, and economic systems. Egypt and the core of Assyria survived, but not much else did. 

I had heard of this but had no idea just how deep and mysterious this was. Carlin offers a good breakdown of it and follows up with a chapter entitled Judgement at Nineveh, which deals with the collapse of Assyria-- which had been the preeminent superpower of the time until it just... wasn't anymore. Future armies rolling through the region would discover its ruins and that begs the question: will the superpowers of today suffer the safe fate? Will the empires and nations that seem so strong and unassailable be picked over by the archaeologists of the future? Sometimes stuff just happens, things collapse and it's not clear why. Empires, inevitably fall. Nothing lasts forever.

But after that, we plunge into topics like barbarian invasions. (See: the fall of Rome) and then an eerily prophetic chapter on the cheerful subjects of plagues and pandemics. (This book was published in October 2019, just prior to COVID hitting.) 

Carlin wraps up the book with a look at the development of strategic bombing and how the atomic bomb changed warfare and the threat it posed to human civilization. (He did a deeper dive on the nuclear aspects of this in the HH episode 'The Destroyer of Worlds' that's worth digging up if you want to hear more of his thoughts on the subject.)

Overall: If you love Hardcore History, you'll love this book. If you've never heard of Hardcore History then it depends. If you like your history in non-doorstop formats, in easily digestible tracts (think Tuchman's "The Guns of August" or Duncan's "The Storm Before The Storm") then "The End is Always Near" fits that description perfectly. The subject matter can be a little heavy in parts and if you're still not ready to have an extended discussion of say, plagues and pandemics (because who is at this point, really?) Then that might be a chapter you could skip, but it didn't bother me that much. In the end though: Carlin remains quite excellent at what he does. My Grade: **** out of ****