1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed

Cline examines the complex Mediterranean culture of the late Bronze Age to dispute the contention that attack by "sea peoples" was the main cause of its collapse into a "dark age." Andy Caploe has the strong, sonorous voice--and breathless, exaggerated manner--of announcers who do voiceovers for film trailers. There's hardly a sentence without a forced, false, overemotional emphasis on one word or another, which seems a misguided attempt to win over or hold the listener. The voices he provides for ancient quotations often seem effeminate, juvenile, or just plain peculiar. While Caploe is admirably clear, paces his reading well, and seems to have carefully prepared the many difficult names the text presents, his manner makes this book tough going. W.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]