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Michael’s Year In Books

Michael’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Michael’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

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Michael Marshall has read 3 of 35 books.

Michael Marshall

Goodreads Author

Born

in Swansea, The United Kingdom

Website

https://www.michaelcmarshall.com/

Twitter

m_c_marshall

Genre

Science, Philosophy, History

Influences

CarlSagan
AliceRoberts
TerryPratchett
UrsulaK.LeGuin
AndreaWulf
IainBanks
Al ...more

Member Since

August 2020

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Michael Marshall is a science writer interested in life sciences and the environment.

The Genesis Quest is his first book. It asks how life began on Earth, and tells the stories of the scientists who have spent a century struggling with this profound mystery.

Michael has a BA and MPhil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in science communication from Imperial College, London.

He has worked as a staff journalist at New Scientist and the BBC. Since 2017 he has been a freelance writer, published by outlets including BBC Future, the Observer, Nature, New Scientist, and the Telegraph. In 2019 he was shortlisted for News Item of the Year by the Association of British Science Writers.

He lives in Devon with his wife ...more

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Average rating: 4.31 · 86 ratings · 14 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

The Genesis Quest: The Geniuses and Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth

4.31 avg rating — 86 ratings — 13 editions

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37 posts
Michael Marshall's Blog

My favourite books, TV, films etc of 2025

In previous years I've tended to put this stuff onto social media, but it seems silly to just hand it over to the various billionaires without at least trying to get people to click through to my actual site. So here are some things I enjoyed this year, which maybe you will too.

Books
I'm writing this on 30 December, at which time I've read 32 books this year - and given that my current read is Phi Read more of this blog post »

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Published on December 30, 2025 09:16

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Michael is Currently Reading

Michael Marshall is currently reading

A Language of Dragons (A Language of Dragons, #1)

by S.F. Williamson

bookshelves: currently-reading

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20 hours, 27 min ago

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Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael Marshall rated a book it was ok The Rose Field (The Book of Dust, #3) by Philip Pullman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20 hours, 26 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Rose Field by Philip Pullman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Rose Field by Philip Pullman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Marshall rated a book it was amazing Mark Kermode's Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music by Mark Kermode	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20 hours, 27 min ago · like
Michael Marshall started reading A Language of Dragons (A Language of Dragons, #1) by S.F. Williamson Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20 hours, 27 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Marshall finished reading Mark Kermode's Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music by Mark Kermode	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20 hours, 28 min ago · like
Michael Marshall wants to read So Very Small: How Humans Discovered the Microcosmos, Defeated Germs—and May Still Lose the War Against Infectious Disease by Thomas Levenson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 19, 2026 09:47AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of So Very Small by Thomas Levenson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — So Very Small by Thomas Levenson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Marshall wants to read The Great Math War: How Three Brilliant Minds Fought for the Foundations of Mathematics by Jason Socrates Bardi	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 19, 2026 09:47AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Great Math War by Jason Socrates Bardi. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Great Math War by Jason Socrates Bardi <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Marshall is now following Mark Kermode Author of The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex: What's Wro...
Jan 19, 2026 12:14AM · like
Michael Marshall is currently reading Mark Kermode's Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music by Mark Kermode	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 19, 2026 12:14AM · like
Michael Marshall is now following Alice Oseman Author of Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper, #1)
Jan 16, 2026 08:38PM · like
Michael Marshall wants to read Pagans by James Alistair Henry	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 15, 2026 08:52AM · like

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Quotes by Michael Marshall (?)

“Life is an edge phenomenon in the cosmos, something that has snuck in.”
― Michael Marshall, The Genesis Quest: The Geniuses and Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth

tags: astrobiology, biology, chemistry, cosmology, evolution, science

1 likes

“By asking how life came to be, we are implicitly asking why we are here, whether life exists on other planets, and what it means to be alive.”
― Michael Marshall, The Genesis Quest: The Geniuses and Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth

tags: biology, life, philosophy, science, space

1 likes

“It now seems that life began, not with a single component like a gene, but with several components that could work together. Life is less about a particular substance, and more about the way a group of substances behave when they are combined.”
― Michael Marshall, The Genesis Quest: The Geniuses and Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth

tags: astrobiology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, science

1 likes

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Michael’s Quotes

tags: biology, life, philosophy, science, space

1 likes

tags: astrobiology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, science

1 likes

“Life is an edge phenomenon in the cosmos, something that has snuck in.”
― Michael Marshall, The Genesis Quest: The Geniuses and Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth

tags: astrobiology, biology, chemistry, cosmology, evolution, science

1 likes

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37 posts
Michael Marshall's Blog

My favourite books, TV, films etc of 2025

Michael is Currently Reading

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Michael’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Rose Field by Philip Pullman

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Preview — A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson

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Preview — So Very Small by Thomas Levenson

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Michael Marshall’s Followers (11)

Michael Marshall

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Popular Answered Questions

rssMichael’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Rose Field by Philip Pullman

See a Problem?

Preview — A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson

See a Problem?

Preview — So Very Small by Thomas Levenson

See a Problem?

Preview — The Great Math War by Jason Socrates Bardi

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