ORIGINS How Earth's History Shaped Human History

John Sackville delivers a terrific narration, embracing the storytelling nature of this dense geologic exploration. The author has developed a clever conceit for his sprawling investigation of human history: the earth as protagonist--"a character with distinctive facial features, a variable mood, and prone to occasional fractious outbursts." Sackville's tone is warm and his British accent crisp as he guides listeners through the earth's history--from its relationship to the sun forward to the changing landscapes of the land and sea and the resulting impacts on human migration, agriculture, politics, and more. Truly, the scope is astonishing, yet Sackville keeps listeners engaged with his attentiveness to pacing, creating an unexpected element of suspense while allowing the information to percolate. A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2019]