Scan barcode
zachnachazel's review
3.0
Haiku Book Review.
Stuff for all readers.
Can be interesting, but,
Can be boring too.
Stuff for all readers.
Can be interesting, but,
Can be boring too.
chris_davies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
danielles_reads's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
In this way science fiction is more than entertainment, it’s a generative act that creates new possibilities of life beyond Earth, as valid and potent as anything we might conjure up in the lab. Through fiction we can move beyond likelihoods and binary outcomes to look instead at what our imaginations do with the limitless possibilities of outer space and, crucially, ask what that might mean.
My brain has been feeling a bit too fried lately to write a proper review for this, but I overall enjoyed it. I love that the author is a huge Trekkie, especially since she's a TNG fan. I loved all the references to Star Trek and many other popular sci-fi media (though she pretty much spoils everything and I wish she would at least provide a warning!). I love that she talked about how Renaissance-era scientists all wrote their own science fiction (as an exercise in science!), cause I did not know that!
This book ended up focusing a lot more on Earth than I was expecting, but I really liked the ruminations on the concept of life (we can't even define what makes life on Earth, so how can we expect to find life on other planets? and the entire concept of convergent evolution is so interesting to me) and how the weirdness of life on Earth lends itself to the weird possibilities for alien life. The book is organized by topic but it does still feel a little scattered, as I'm finding it hard to explain what the overall focus of this book was lol. It pretty much covered all areas of science and science fiction.
Sometimes the author went on really long tangents on topics she didn't even seem to agree with, like about artificial intelligence and "universal" grammar. I wish she would have given less page time to these white dudes' thoughts (saying AIs will inevitably take over humanity is such an inane tech bro take) and shared more of her opinion. And there were a few times where she really got into the weeds of some alien possibilities and I couldn't really follow, like when she was talking about linguistics.
Ultimately I love how this is so hopeful and really pushes the reader to consider what may be out there and how cool it could be. Perfect Star Trek (TNG) vibes. I think this book pairs really well with Ed Yong's An Immense World since both talk about how it's impossible to really understand what another non-human's perception is like, and I'd highly recommend both!
This book ended up focusing a lot more on Earth than I was expecting, but I really liked the ruminations on the concept of life (we can't even define what makes life on Earth, so how can we expect to find life on other planets? and the entire concept of convergent evolution is so interesting to me) and how the weirdness of life on Earth lends itself to the weird possibilities for alien life. The book is organized by topic but it does still feel a little scattered, as I'm finding it hard to explain what the overall focus of this book was lol. It pretty much covered all areas of science and science fiction.
Sometimes the author went on really long tangents on topics she didn't even seem to agree with, like about artificial intelligence and "universal" grammar. I wish she would have given less page time to these white dudes' thoughts (saying AIs will inevitably take over humanity is such an inane tech bro take) and shared more of her opinion. And there were a few times where she really got into the weeds of some alien possibilities and I couldn't really follow, like when she was talking about linguistics.
Ultimately I love how this is so hopeful and really pushes the reader to consider what may be out there and how cool it could be. Perfect Star Trek (TNG) vibes. I think this book pairs really well with Ed Yong's An Immense World since both talk about how it's impossible to really understand what another non-human's perception is like, and I'd highly recommend both!
Sagan was a fabulist, if not as a scientist, then as a steward of our imaginations. He wanted us to imagine weird aliens, to shatter our anthropocentric habits. If not for scientific reasons, then for spiritual ones. There’s a cosmic humility to be found in understanding that we’re just one of life’s infinitely diverse expressions. Even if we can’t imagine truly strange, truly different life, we push against the inherent xenophobia of our imaginations when we try, while what we know pulls us back like gravity.
dietervonkhan's review
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This book was a nice read although at times it bordered on a little dry. The central concept is the question of whether we're alone in the universe. I like the way the author used literature to help provide examples of strange and barely comprehensible ways that this may differ from our conception of life. If anything it helps provide some interesting examples of fictional work I may be interested in reading.
dembury's review
5.0
This was such an engaging and fascinating book to read! I loved how Green was able to guide the reader through explorations of real life science through the lens of more familiar and accessible science fiction stories and speculations. As someone who is a big sci-fi reader/lover myself, I found this to be a deeply helpful method of understanding theories and concepts that are perhaps a little more complex. In addition, the overall attitude Green has towards the idea of extraterrestrial life is one full of curiosity and compassion, and is just totally palpable through the pages, embedding it with a justified sort of hopefulness.
Personally, I found one of the most engaging discussions to be the idea of contemplating what “life” actually is, and might look like were humans to encounter it elsewhere. This isn’t just limited to how a physical alien body might look, but the many ways in which we as humans would even be able to realize life is there or happening. It helped me shift my perspective into a more broadminded one, away from more linear, anthropocentric ways of thinking.
Personally, I found one of the most engaging discussions to be the idea of contemplating what “life” actually is, and might look like were humans to encounter it elsewhere. This isn’t just limited to how a physical alien body might look, but the many ways in which we as humans would even be able to realize life is there or happening. It helped me shift my perspective into a more broadminded one, away from more linear, anthropocentric ways of thinking.
peteroneilljr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.75