Pages: 242

Chapters: Eight Chapters

Time of Day to Read: Anytime – well written

Format: Paperback

First Print: 2019

This is the first book I have read of Dan Carlin’s. You might know him from his podcast – Hardcore History. This book is exceptionally well written in my opinion. It touches on the central premise that history has a habit of repeating itself. With specific respect to how great civilisations die out.

Each chapter touches on a different central theme. These range from how the Assyrian Empire met it’s downfall. Which I found particularly interesting as I didn’t know that period of time. A fun fact from that section was that the Greek’s arrived in the Assyrian region approximately 2-3 centuries after it’s demise and still basked in it’s grandeur. Another chapter chapter touches on how pandemics have flattened societies over the years. In this chapter Dan goes onto say that our modern society will one day face a pandemic of global proportions. Unbeknownst to us at the time, that would be a matter of months away.

It details Rome at great length. Showing how the great empire essentially was winning for too long! It’s great armies were diluted over the years and ended up becoming a mercenary force that stopped fighting in the end and the empire was open to sacking. This came in the form of the Visigoths in 410 and the Vandals in 455.

One of the more modern chapters focuses on modern warfare. It details the evolution of the atomic bomb towards the end of the second world war. It shows the precipice that the world was sitting on at times throughout the cold war. The significance that dropping a nuclear warhead has on societies world wide.

All in all this book provides a great historical snapshot into what has come before us in terms of the end of societies. It provokes thoughtful discussion on how this can be avoided in the future. I will be reading more of Dan’s works in the future.