The End Is Always Near by Dan Carlin

Being a writer of fiction that tends to the dark side - crime, horror, dystopia - I’m a big fan of popular science and history books that look at things that reflect such interests. So it was that I came across Dan Carlin’s The End is Always Near, a history book that looks at moments in history of near apocalypse. 

Based on a popular podcast, which I must confess to having never heard, Carlin’s book is split into chapters, each of which focusses on a different event. For example, and to give an idea of the scope of the book, we have a chapter on the Fall of the Roman Empire, another on the plague, and another on the use of nuclear weapons.

I found this book illuminating and a fascinating read. I learnt a lot too and felt that while each subject might be covered in more detail in more specialist books, it gave an entertaining and thought-provoking overview.

This is a book that is both cautionary and optimistic. Time and again we learn of human hubris. While apocalyptic thought has been a feature of human imagination down the centuries - from religious texts such as the Book of Genesis, through literature and film - none of these societies that actually faced it ever really felt that they were on the cusp of a disaster. But equally, it is undeniable that we are better prepared than ever to deal with some of the challenges we face (for example, we know more about epidemiology than ever and thus are more able to staunch epidemics of disease). 

This is a fascinating collection of popular history and I highly recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars