It is difficult to find the precise words to describe this book. The text is encyclopedic in nature, beginning more or less with the creation of the universe, ‘long before that of the voice there was the big bang that rocked the universe out of its silence’ (p. 3) and expanding in many directions from there. This text is in fact an odyssey, unusual in its breadth and detail, with passages of ornate prose that verge on poetry in many places: ‘Man speaks. What multiple paths has Man's voice been down? Since when? What was there in the very beginning? What strategy did it adopt in order to evolve into the language of the 21st century? How did life create the Word?’ (p. 3).

Odyssey of the Voice is poetic rather than analytical. Despite its literary tone, one might wish, however, that some passages had been expressed differently, such as the following: ‘the tribes of New Guinea who are still in the Stone Age and for whom fire is still an essential element of their faith …These tribes use 6,000 words and often address each other through intelligible stomach rumblings’ (p. 27). Passages like these are an occasionally unfortunate aspect of the book. We could not help but wonder if perhaps the author was being ironic. If this is the case, we missed the humor, and, for us, these instances cast a slight but persistent shadow across the rest of a fine book, making it hard to accept some of the other fascinating details whose origins were only lightly attested. This sense that one cannot entirely accept details in the book that are not directly pertinent to the author's main area of expertise is reinforced by claims such as ‘[o]nly 10% of our brain is exploited’ (p. 140), and the mention of a twin language with an incomplete citation (p. 57). One need not insist that every detail of such a large and comprehensive book be wholly accurate, but there are enough omissions and inaccuracies here to make the detail-oriented reader uneasy.

Part 1, ‘To the roots of the voice’, introduces a number of smaller sections which examine the physical structure and evolution of the voice apparatus. As one might expect from the author's background as a physician and voice therapist, the description of biology is detailed and very clear. In Part 2, ‘Voice and emotion’, Abitbol explores ideas of voice and hormones, aging and voice health, and voice injuries, once again drawing upon his own considerable expertise. The third part, ‘The mystery of the voice’, considers a cast of vocal characters, from the castrati to impersonators and ventriloquists, and even examines how parrots create human-like speech. The section also includes material on myths of voice, and stories of voice and seduction. Here again, we found ourselves wishing for the reassurance of frequent in-text citations.

Perhaps the most fascinating sections are those in which the author details his own clinical experiences around the world, with patients who presented various kinds of voice anomalies. These case studies (for example, those beginning on page 174) are narrated with precise clinical detail and a clear, compassionate respect for the individuals involved.

Although Odyssey of the Voice is complete with a 13-page bibliography, the lack of chapter footnotes or in-text citations is frustrating to the type of reader who wants supplemental support, especially when claims made in the text are difficult to believe at times. Still, the scope of this book is truly impressive; it broaches a wide variety of topics and stimulates the reader to want to find out more. If the reader is searching for an odyssey, or a passionate, provocative romp through everything related to the human voice, this book will indeed provide that enjoyable journey.