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The Expanded Earth
All of humankind has been reduced to the height of a handspan. Most of us don't survive the shift in scale - those of us who were carrying a particularly heavy box of books at precisely the wrong moment, for example, or have fillings in our teeth, or implants that remained unchanged while our bodies contracted around them. Only one in nine of us live to tell the tale - but in those first hours, days and weeks, what that tale might be is entirely unclear. What has happened? Why? How will humanity adapt, no longer the dominant species? Does size matter? Pitting ourselves against the trauma of a dramatically changed world, we are about to find out.
Extremely funny and extremely ambitious, The Expanded Earth is a masterfully paced and plotted story of mad scientists, vengeful phytoplankton and improvised survival. Stunningly illustrated in scratchboard and ink, it is a book that immediately relocates us in our physical environment, and ultimately celebrates the capacity of small things to effect great change.
The Expanded Earth marks the arrival of a spellbinding new talent.
Extremely funny and extremely ambitious, The Expanded Earth is a masterfully paced and plotted story of mad scientists, vengeful phytoplankton and improvised survival. Stunningly illustrated in scratchboard and ink, it is a book that immediately relocates us in our physical environment, and ultimately celebrates the capacity of small things to effect great change.
The Expanded Earth marks the arrival of a spellbinding new talent.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 3, 2025
60 people are currently reading
1723 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
April 21, 2025
The Expanded Earth is exactly the book I wanted it to be; a fun, fast paced, British science-fiction story, with a great central premise and well-explored themes of environmentalism and familial responsibility.
This is, without a doubt, my favourite book released so far this year. I enjoyed it immensely.
We first join a man named Giles. He, alongside everyone else around the world, has just been shrunk to a tenth of their original size. Not many survived this bizarre process (only about 1/10 in fact, and most of those children) and apparently nobody knows how or why this happened either.
But - if the answers are to be found anywhere, they'll be found in the second character's perspective; a dry, snarky and humourous older lady called Dr. Goodwin, who certainly knows much more about this than anyone else.
There are also brilliant little "Elsewhere" chapters that function as interludes to the larger parts of the central narrative.
From an astronaut looking down at earth, and a prison island where the criminals and guards are trapped and isolated together in this new oversized world, to an outcast leper in the middle-east who has a unique experience with the shrinkage.
These chapters fleshed out the world and gave some much-needed context to the event and it's wider global impact.
This shrinking of humanity made for a brilliant perspective narratively, and while we've seen the idea before elsewhere in fiction, I think this might be my favourite implementation of it.
Mikey did such a great job of analysing the world around his characters, and following their thought processes logically, that it made it very easy, fun and sometimes terrifying to imagine yourself in the same situations.
This immersion, and the ability to completely suspend my disbelief, made me look at the space and the physical objects around me, and imagine how I'd use it all if I were somehow made the size of a paperback book.
Clothes, transport, food, power, weapons, other animals... When we are no longer top of the food chain, when we are made small and fragile, when everything is an obstacle... what does this new world look like? And what is our place in it? The Expanded Earth does a great job of exploring those questions and making the journey of finding out a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable one.
On top of everything else, this book also has wonderful art, and plenty of it, done by the author as well - it is truly superb, and elevates the book into something very special.
I'd say this book sit somewhere in the recommendation venn diagram between John Wyndham, Cixin Liu and Adrian Tchaikovsky.
The humour, Britishness, and the strong concept makes this a very memorable story and I am excited to see where the series goes from here.
5 stars
Mikey Please is an author I'll be following the career of with interest, because I am very impressed.
This is, without a doubt, my favourite book released so far this year. I enjoyed it immensely.
We first join a man named Giles. He, alongside everyone else around the world, has just been shrunk to a tenth of their original size. Not many survived this bizarre process (only about 1/10 in fact, and most of those children) and apparently nobody knows how or why this happened either.
But - if the answers are to be found anywhere, they'll be found in the second character's perspective; a dry, snarky and humourous older lady called Dr. Goodwin, who certainly knows much more about this than anyone else.
There are also brilliant little "Elsewhere" chapters that function as interludes to the larger parts of the central narrative.
From an astronaut looking down at earth, and a prison island where the criminals and guards are trapped and isolated together in this new oversized world, to an outcast leper in the middle-east who has a unique experience with the shrinkage.
These chapters fleshed out the world and gave some much-needed context to the event and it's wider global impact.
This shrinking of humanity made for a brilliant perspective narratively, and while we've seen the idea before elsewhere in fiction, I think this might be my favourite implementation of it.
Mikey did such a great job of analysing the world around his characters, and following their thought processes logically, that it made it very easy, fun and sometimes terrifying to imagine yourself in the same situations.
This immersion, and the ability to completely suspend my disbelief, made me look at the space and the physical objects around me, and imagine how I'd use it all if I were somehow made the size of a paperback book.
Clothes, transport, food, power, weapons, other animals... When we are no longer top of the food chain, when we are made small and fragile, when everything is an obstacle... what does this new world look like? And what is our place in it? The Expanded Earth does a great job of exploring those questions and making the journey of finding out a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable one.
On top of everything else, this book also has wonderful art, and plenty of it, done by the author as well - it is truly superb, and elevates the book into something very special.
I'd say this book sit somewhere in the recommendation venn diagram between John Wyndham, Cixin Liu and Adrian Tchaikovsky.
The humour, Britishness, and the strong concept makes this a very memorable story and I am excited to see where the series goes from here.
5 stars
Mikey Please is an author I'll be following the career of with interest, because I am very impressed.
April 4, 2025
4.5 Stars
A richly imagined and darkly whimsical novel exploring the fundamental aspects of human nature, that’s guaranteed to have readers questioning what it really means to be human.
Told primarily from the POV of Giles (with chapters also following Scientist Elizabeth through her work.) Mikey Please’s immersive (and visually descriptive) series starter, begins with the world’s human population suddenly shrunk to the size of a handspan. And must learn to survive in a vast and dangerous new landscape.
I was raised on books and movies involving miniature humans (The Borrowers, Honey I Shrunk The Kids) so was really intrigued by The Expanded Earth’s premise. And I’m glad to say it surpassed all of my expectations!
Witty, thought provokingly immersive and rather philosophical in its observations (particularly on modern society, human behaviours and the role empathy plays in times of hardship), I found this a realistic and rather relatable read that I really didn’t want to put down.
The fear and anxiety around the strange (and visually quite violent) transformations or the dangers lurking in this new, giant environment (like being snacked on by the now ginormous family pet) was explored well and made quite an emotional impact.
The characters were really engaging too; complex, emotionally raw, flawed and unapologetically human— Please’s prose really brought them all to life soo well.
There are some shorter chapters about events and people outside of our main cast (Sima Qian,Shenzhou Station, Ucho Boga) which added depth and context that I found really immersive. As were the stunning illustrations (made by the author) which helped to visualise the scale of everyday life for our miniaturised characters.
So, if you love Sci-Fi or novels exploring the human condition in new and interesting ways — then you really won’t want to miss this one.
Also, thanks to Ellie Pilcher & Little Brown Book Group UK for the Proof
A richly imagined and darkly whimsical novel exploring the fundamental aspects of human nature, that’s guaranteed to have readers questioning what it really means to be human.
Told primarily from the POV of Giles (with chapters also following Scientist Elizabeth through her work.) Mikey Please’s immersive (and visually descriptive) series starter, begins with the world’s human population suddenly shrunk to the size of a handspan. And must learn to survive in a vast and dangerous new landscape.
I was raised on books and movies involving miniature humans (The Borrowers, Honey I Shrunk The Kids) so was really intrigued by The Expanded Earth’s premise. And I’m glad to say it surpassed all of my expectations!
Witty, thought provokingly immersive and rather philosophical in its observations (particularly on modern society, human behaviours and the role empathy plays in times of hardship), I found this a realistic and rather relatable read that I really didn’t want to put down.
The fear and anxiety around the strange (and visually quite violent) transformations or the dangers lurking in this new, giant environment (like being snacked on by the now ginormous family pet) was explored well and made quite an emotional impact.
The characters were really engaging too; complex, emotionally raw, flawed and unapologetically human— Please’s prose really brought them all to life soo well.
There are some shorter chapters about events and people outside of our main cast (Sima Qian,Shenzhou Station, Ucho Boga) which added depth and context that I found really immersive. As were the stunning illustrations (made by the author) which helped to visualise the scale of everyday life for our miniaturised characters.
So, if you love Sci-Fi or novels exploring the human condition in new and interesting ways — then you really won’t want to miss this one.
Also, thanks to Ellie Pilcher & Little Brown Book Group UK for the Proof
April 17, 2025
i recently spoke to a friend about how so much modern sci-fi is lacking in whimsy (or maybe i'm just finding it harder to find) so when i heard about this being released, the premised had my attention immediately. admittedly it is pretty dark in some places (as is only realistic) but i got strong notes of john wyndham and kurt vonnegut throughout. really excited to see what the rest of this trilogy has to offer.
September 8, 2025
Release book two now!!!!
April 11, 2025
I judged (and bought) this book by it's cover, and had a most excellent time.
Everyone on earth is shrunk to a tenth of their height, and it is as gooey and visceral as that process should be.
Everyone on earth is shrunk to a tenth of their height, and it is as gooey and visceral as that process should be.
June 20, 2025
⭐️⭐️ Disappointing and disjointed had so much potential but never really got going!
I was so excited to read Expanded Earth by Michael Please after seeing some strong early reviews. The concept sounded brilliant, and I went in expecting to be swept up in a bold, character-driven story. Sadly, it just never delivered.
The good stuff I love the narrations, the quality of paper and the sizing of font. This really bought the book together and I wish more books did this.
The characters were thinly sketched, and I never felt like I truly got to know any of them. There were no meaningful relationships or connections to invest in. Oddly, some chapters introduced entirely new characters and storylines that we never circled back to which left the whole thing feeling disjointed and unresolved. Whilst this gave context by showing it was a global event it interrupted the story and upset the flow of the book. That context could have been provided in a much simpler way.
The writing style also didn’t help. Sentences were often overcomplicated, packed with unusual adjectives and phrasing that felt like it was trying a little too hard to be different. Instead of drawing me in, it slowed the pace and distracted from the story. I found myself having to re read paragraphs to understand what it was saying. I do like a technical book, I read a lot of fantasy. But this type of book doesn’t need that, it would have lent it self well if the style was more child and dreamlike. At times we would be 3 or 4 paragraphs in to a new chapter and I was still trying to work out which character’s chapter we were in. When you realised ahhh it’s Giles you then had to re read to work out what it was all about.
It felt like the book was constantly building up to something but never actually got started. The ideas were there, but the execution fell flat. Could have been so much more and left me feeling really disappointed. I also found it bizarre how it didn’t explore more the new world created just obvious things like tall grass and foxes chasing you down!
Oh and the end! Wow that didn’t hold the emotion it deserved at all! Then on the last page when it says “book 1”! Oh no I honestly could not read book 2!
I was so excited to read Expanded Earth by Michael Please after seeing some strong early reviews. The concept sounded brilliant, and I went in expecting to be swept up in a bold, character-driven story. Sadly, it just never delivered.
The good stuff I love the narrations, the quality of paper and the sizing of font. This really bought the book together and I wish more books did this.
The characters were thinly sketched, and I never felt like I truly got to know any of them. There were no meaningful relationships or connections to invest in. Oddly, some chapters introduced entirely new characters and storylines that we never circled back to which left the whole thing feeling disjointed and unresolved. Whilst this gave context by showing it was a global event it interrupted the story and upset the flow of the book. That context could have been provided in a much simpler way.
The writing style also didn’t help. Sentences were often overcomplicated, packed with unusual adjectives and phrasing that felt like it was trying a little too hard to be different. Instead of drawing me in, it slowed the pace and distracted from the story. I found myself having to re read paragraphs to understand what it was saying. I do like a technical book, I read a lot of fantasy. But this type of book doesn’t need that, it would have lent it self well if the style was more child and dreamlike. At times we would be 3 or 4 paragraphs in to a new chapter and I was still trying to work out which character’s chapter we were in. When you realised ahhh it’s Giles you then had to re read to work out what it was all about.
It felt like the book was constantly building up to something but never actually got started. The ideas were there, but the execution fell flat. Could have been so much more and left me feeling really disappointed. I also found it bizarre how it didn’t explore more the new world created just obvious things like tall grass and foxes chasing you down!
Oh and the end! Wow that didn’t hold the emotion it deserved at all! Then on the last page when it says “book 1”! Oh no I honestly could not read book 2!
June 22, 2025
I actually really enjoyed this book! I loved the concept of the story and made for such fun.
The cover is beautiful and the attention to detail is exquisite. Even the drawings in the book are stunning. You're a very talented artist, Mikey. Such nice visuals!
The book is written well and flows easily. The descriptions are good although the scale of the shrinking has a me a smidge confused. It didn't take away from the overall experience with the writing and visuals.
The setting is good. Modern day with real settings in England. This ramps up the dystopian vibes once everything occurs.
The characters are good. They all fit in pretty well. I liked Giles, his story is good and I like how it flowed. I wasn't too keen on Richard. He had a Messiah complex for sure!
I really recommend this and I am looking forward to the next installment!!
The cover is beautiful and the attention to detail is exquisite. Even the drawings in the book are stunning. You're a very talented artist, Mikey. Such nice visuals!
The book is written well and flows easily. The descriptions are good although the scale of the shrinking has a me a smidge confused. It didn't take away from the overall experience with the writing and visuals.
The setting is good. Modern day with real settings in England. This ramps up the dystopian vibes once everything occurs.
The characters are good. They all fit in pretty well. I liked Giles, his story is good and I like how it flowed. I wasn't too keen on Richard. He had a Messiah complex for sure!
I really recommend this and I am looking forward to the next installment!!
March 13, 2025
Thank you to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars rounded up.
The concept is fairly straightforward. A group of humans find themselves shrinking suddenly to just a few inches tall, and they embark on a journey to find safety and family. I liked the idea, but the manner in which the book played out did not work for me unfortunately. The way that people shrink is done in the most disgusting (but I guess realistic) way and was very visceral. The story moved along at a pretty quick pace but then ended suddenly and very confusedly. I re-read it and still was not entirely sure what had happened, and why it had happened like that.
In summary, a strange, gross, interesting but ultimately befuddling read.
2.5 stars rounded up.
The concept is fairly straightforward. A group of humans find themselves shrinking suddenly to just a few inches tall, and they embark on a journey to find safety and family. I liked the idea, but the manner in which the book played out did not work for me unfortunately. The way that people shrink is done in the most disgusting (but I guess realistic) way and was very visceral. The story moved along at a pretty quick pace but then ended suddenly and very confusedly. I re-read it and still was not entirely sure what had happened, and why it had happened like that.
In summary, a strange, gross, interesting but ultimately befuddling read.
April 17, 2025
a delightful, entertaining, quirky, action-packed adventure. full of characters with motives, a sentient phytoplankton deity, use of everyday objects, polecats, a very sturdy scalpel and a bit of ick. top job Mickey
June 20, 2025
This book started off with an intriguing premise, and I enjoyed the opening chapters. But as I progressed further into the book I couldn't help rolling my eyes at certain plot points and gradually became irritated with the writing and the plot.
I could not quite place my finger on it, but it almost seemed as if the writing was done by AI. There was no sense of author voice and the writing was prosaic, with attempts at depth and metaphor just falling flat.
With regards to the plot, I found it contrived that every time a character was in perilous and mortal danger, a miraculous saving from imminent death was introduced that just stretched the plausibility a bit too much. While the book is a fantasy / sci-fi genre, the action and plot still needs to be believable to allow for the reader to buy in to the narrative. This I found not to be the case - I found the plot points to beggar belief and I found myself detaching from the story and the characters. Several of the characters also struck me as contrived and implausible, especially that of Richard and Mary.
Then, (spoiler ahead) I have to bring up the answering machine plot device. The main protagonists main motivation that drives the action and plot of the story involves retrieving a voice message left for him on an answering machine. Does the author not know that modern society makes no use of answering machines? This would be fine if the story was set in the 1980s-1990s, but the fact that there is cellphone technology in the narrative, clearly indicates the setting as being contemporary, so why did the author think an answering machine would fulfil a major plot point? I simply don't comprehend this ill-conceived narrative device. Another smaller gripe was how the characters eyes just 'adjusted to the dark' in a cavern, underground, at night. Yeah...this is how human vision operates, it just adjusts to dark places and we can see as per normal...able to discern the breathing bodies of animals laying about, as well as a bird wing. Come on Mikey Please....please don't condescend our imaginations like this.
All in all, I understand the appeal of this book and while the premise is intriguing, I was glad to be done with the book at the end as by that point I was just annoyed and my eyes ached immensely from the constant eye-rolling.
And...was it really Matilda that caused the end of the world and not the evil Mr Leaf? Really? (eye-roll). Contrivance of epic proportions!
I could not quite place my finger on it, but it almost seemed as if the writing was done by AI. There was no sense of author voice and the writing was prosaic, with attempts at depth and metaphor just falling flat.
With regards to the plot, I found it contrived that every time a character was in perilous and mortal danger, a miraculous saving from imminent death was introduced that just stretched the plausibility a bit too much. While the book is a fantasy / sci-fi genre, the action and plot still needs to be believable to allow for the reader to buy in to the narrative. This I found not to be the case - I found the plot points to beggar belief and I found myself detaching from the story and the characters. Several of the characters also struck me as contrived and implausible, especially that of Richard and Mary.
Then, (spoiler ahead) I have to bring up the answering machine plot device. The main protagonists main motivation that drives the action and plot of the story involves retrieving a voice message left for him on an answering machine. Does the author not know that modern society makes no use of answering machines? This would be fine if the story was set in the 1980s-1990s, but the fact that there is cellphone technology in the narrative, clearly indicates the setting as being contemporary, so why did the author think an answering machine would fulfil a major plot point? I simply don't comprehend this ill-conceived narrative device. Another smaller gripe was how the characters eyes just 'adjusted to the dark' in a cavern, underground, at night. Yeah...this is how human vision operates, it just adjusts to dark places and we can see as per normal...able to discern the breathing bodies of animals laying about, as well as a bird wing. Come on Mikey Please....please don't condescend our imaginations like this.
All in all, I understand the appeal of this book and while the premise is intriguing, I was glad to be done with the book at the end as by that point I was just annoyed and my eyes ached immensely from the constant eye-rolling.
And...was it really Matilda that caused the end of the world and not the evil Mr Leaf? Really? (eye-roll). Contrivance of epic proportions!
July 20, 2025
I found this author through his children's books and am glad I decided to pick this one up. it's a fun story and reminds me of classics like Ray Bradbury.
August 5, 2025
I can't help myself, I crave the whimsy.
May 21, 2025
"In these hands, I hold a whisper for the ear of God. A prayer, hand delivered."
May 22, 2025
Phenomenal
April 14, 2025
This is a wonderfully imaginative and dark book.
it really made me look at the world differently
it really made me look at the world differently
April 20, 2025
Wow. I was not expecting that! Such a powerful and beautiful book. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy when it’s written!
March 8, 2025
What would the world be like if humans all shrunk to the size of a hand? Immediately, most of us think of tales like Gulliver’s Travels and The Borrowers. But now really think about it. Realistically. Our contact lenses, implants and fillings could kill us during the shrinking process. Our pets would become our predators. A five-minute walk across a bridge would become a mile to our tiny selves. In The Expanded Earth - the first in a trilogy written and illustrated by a truly talented, imaginative author - this kind of deep thinking results in an oddly believable dystopian adventure.
My favourite thing about it (other than the gorgeous, lino cut illustrations) is how plausible the concept is. Like one of the characters realises, the best fictions stem from a kernel of truth. The catalyst for The Descent is human scientists studying coccolithophores. Coccolithophores (a kind of plankton) actually exist, and do so in a way that perplexes researchers - unlike any other animal community, a colony will gives up the lives of some of their number for the good of their environment. In this story, they take on a hive-mind sentience and become capable of huge ecological change, but because of the kernel of truth behind the fiction, the themes of nature, environmental impact and curiosity are linked in really well.
I also appreciate how well-written the characters are. None of them are presented as stereotypical heroes, despite the amount of life-saving, fighting and invention they do. Instead, we see them in all their raw humanity, from the impulse to save their children (and those of others), to the psychological justifications for acts of mercy and/or violence. Throughout, it’s hard to trust anybody, as they all have motivations that could drive them to commit atrocities. Betrayals abound and disasters happen in almost every chapter, keeping the plot emotional and fast-paced. I’d love to watch this as a series.
Overall, though the ending came as a shock and I still have a huge number of questions, I’ll definitely be picking up book two when it comes out, and I look forward to continuing the journey.
Thank you to @mikeyplease, @eleanorpilcherauthor and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for my copy and adorable ‘micropocalypse survival kit’ in exchange for an honest review.
My favourite thing about it (other than the gorgeous, lino cut illustrations) is how plausible the concept is. Like one of the characters realises, the best fictions stem from a kernel of truth. The catalyst for The Descent is human scientists studying coccolithophores. Coccolithophores (a kind of plankton) actually exist, and do so in a way that perplexes researchers - unlike any other animal community, a colony will gives up the lives of some of their number for the good of their environment. In this story, they take on a hive-mind sentience and become capable of huge ecological change, but because of the kernel of truth behind the fiction, the themes of nature, environmental impact and curiosity are linked in really well.
I also appreciate how well-written the characters are. None of them are presented as stereotypical heroes, despite the amount of life-saving, fighting and invention they do. Instead, we see them in all their raw humanity, from the impulse to save their children (and those of others), to the psychological justifications for acts of mercy and/or violence. Throughout, it’s hard to trust anybody, as they all have motivations that could drive them to commit atrocities. Betrayals abound and disasters happen in almost every chapter, keeping the plot emotional and fast-paced. I’d love to watch this as a series.
Overall, though the ending came as a shock and I still have a huge number of questions, I’ll definitely be picking up book two when it comes out, and I look forward to continuing the journey.
Thank you to @mikeyplease, @eleanorpilcherauthor and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for my copy and adorable ‘micropocalypse survival kit’ in exchange for an honest review.
April 13, 2025
The First few paragraphs of this book hooked me completely and had my imagination sparking and wanting more the hard cover is physically heavy the drawing and art work in this adult fantasy is luxuriously rich and beautiful and it made me wanting more after reading this
Overall a good read
Overall a good read
October 27, 2025
I found this an unengaging book, which had a central premise that was both a little hard to accept and also a lot of short chapters and a jumpy nature. The short chapters should have made it easier to read, but I often felt it was a struggle to even get through those.
A lot of violence and dark themes in the book, and an overly complex structure to support a payoff at the end that I did not feel worthwhile.
For all that there were some clever moments and it was quite original in some ways. I will not continue with the series.
A lot of violence and dark themes in the book, and an overly complex structure to support a payoff at the end that I did not feel worthwhile.
For all that there were some clever moments and it was quite original in some ways. I will not continue with the series.
April 1, 2025
Imagine an event that causes most of the world’s population to shrink, how would you cope with only being 10 inches tall? Would you even survive your current environment?
I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was a clever concept and it worked well. Really loved the balance between the before and after, it was fascinating watching the two timelines coming together and I appreciated that I didn’t have to wait for the how.
The characters were well written, the descriptions of the new perspective were brilliant and so immersive, and I’m so excited for the second book.
The artwork is also gorgeous.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was a clever concept and it worked well. Really loved the balance between the before and after, it was fascinating watching the two timelines coming together and I appreciated that I didn’t have to wait for the how.
The characters were well written, the descriptions of the new perspective were brilliant and so immersive, and I’m so excited for the second book.
The artwork is also gorgeous.
February 9, 2025
I really loved this. It was a bit bonkers but managed to avoid making me think too much of the Borrowers (some of the first books I owned). I didn’t see in advance how the stories would come together so it felt quite suspenseful as we led up to the descent. Definitely worth a read. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy.
June 10, 2025
Confession: BookSloth doesn’t usually read sci-fi. She reads stories about love, loss, and quiet escape. She gravitates towards books that feel like long walks—meandering, reflective, full of weather and heart. So when someone recommended The Expanded Earth, she hesitated. The premise sounded strange. Everyone on Earth shrinks to a tenth of their size? Implants breaking, fillings crushing their recipients, hair, which doesn’t shrink, entangling people? It sounded… brilliant, yes—but not her usual cup of peppermint tea.
But something about it kept tugging at her. Again and again. So she cracked it open.
And was immediately… disoriented.
This is not a story that explains itself. It drops you straight into the aftermath of an unthinkable event—the Great Shrinking. A mysterious, global phenomenon has miniaturised humanity overnight. Food is now mountainous. Furniture, unusable. Dogs have become enormous predators. Even a gentle breeze feels violent. This isn’t a survival story in the blockbuster sense. There are no laser guns. No resistance armies. Just Giles—a man alone, grieving, navigating a world suddenly, terrifyingly massive.
The story unfolds in fragments: Giles’s journey, Elizabeth Goodwin’s, and whispered glimpses of others navigating this new reality. There are no villains here, no great conspiracies. Just survival. Just adjustment. Just the strange, slow expansion of meaning in a world that has literally—shrunk.
And here’s where it landed: BookSloth understood Giles. And the little people. Not in the speculative sense, but in the emotional one. Because when you’re five-foot-nothing, the world already feels large. The shelves are high. Cupboards loom. The pavement swallows your stride. Strangers’ elbows are hazards. The air can feel heavy in a room full of louder people. So when Giles is disturbed by a dragonfly the size of a dinosaur, it didn’t feel like fantasy. It felt familiar.
It could’ve been absurd. But it isn’t. It’s weird in all the right ways. The world-building isn’t about facts and systems—it’s about feeling. What does it mean to be made small in the face of grief? To feel the weight of memory while the physical world becomes newly hostile? To try and carry on when even an apple core could kill you?
This book doesn’t shy from the grotesque—on the contrary, it leans in. It made BookSloth squirm—a testament to its power. And made her clean her teeth really, really well.
The writing is tactile and lyrical, full of invention and precision, but always anchored by something deeply human. Mikey Please (yes, the Oscar-winning animator behind Robin Robin) brings a visual imagination to the page that’s unlike anything BookSloth has read before.
Dr Elizabeth Goodwin felt like a kindred spirit, talking to gargoyles, wobbling on her stick, tripping and checking to see if there were witnesses. She brims with intellect and pragmatism, a fantastically dry sense of humour, and yet it’s clear she, too, is clinging to order in a collapsing world. The attention to detail is extraordinary—not just in the physical world but in the emotional world. The way people behave under pressure. The way logic becomes ritual. It’s poetic. It’s deeply human. The interplay between her scientific mind and Giles’s more sensory, grief-struck lens gives the novel a richness of perspective that BookSloth didn’t expect.
And the art—BookSloth can’t not mention the art. Stark, beautiful monochrome illustrations are sprinkled throughout, heightening the feeling of being small, exposed, and exquisitely alive. Each one offers a pause. A stark visual echo of the text’s themes. Sometimes they chilled her. Sometimes they made her want to linger.
So, yes, it’s weird. But it’s also full of wonder, and BookSloth kept turning down pages (sorry!) to mark sentences. Sentences that said something about being small in the face of something you don’t understand.
This isn’t a fast-paced read, nor is it tidy. It meanders. You want to walk slowly and linger. The structure isn’t linear, and the ending opens more questions than it answers. But that’s part of its quiet power. This isn’t a story that gives easy resolution.
BookSloth still loves her romances. Still finds peace in novels where people fall for each other slowly, over shared hot chocolate and long walks. This is fortunate, given the romance book mountain by her bed. But she’s grateful for books like this—books that pull her outside her usual orbit and show her something strange, intimate, and alive. It reminded her of why she reads in the first place—not for genre, but for resonance. For that strange alchemy of invention and truth. It left her thinking about scale. Of life. Of Loss. Of wonder.
And she’s eagerly awaiting book two.
Because it wasn’t the sci-fi she loved. It was this: a strange story that sees smallness as vastness. And she really wants to meet a real-life blue-tailed nudibranch. They are real! She googled! (And is quietly wondering how many other readers did!)
But something about it kept tugging at her. Again and again. So she cracked it open.
And was immediately… disoriented.
This is not a story that explains itself. It drops you straight into the aftermath of an unthinkable event—the Great Shrinking. A mysterious, global phenomenon has miniaturised humanity overnight. Food is now mountainous. Furniture, unusable. Dogs have become enormous predators. Even a gentle breeze feels violent. This isn’t a survival story in the blockbuster sense. There are no laser guns. No resistance armies. Just Giles—a man alone, grieving, navigating a world suddenly, terrifyingly massive.
The story unfolds in fragments: Giles’s journey, Elizabeth Goodwin’s, and whispered glimpses of others navigating this new reality. There are no villains here, no great conspiracies. Just survival. Just adjustment. Just the strange, slow expansion of meaning in a world that has literally—shrunk.
And here’s where it landed: BookSloth understood Giles. And the little people. Not in the speculative sense, but in the emotional one. Because when you’re five-foot-nothing, the world already feels large. The shelves are high. Cupboards loom. The pavement swallows your stride. Strangers’ elbows are hazards. The air can feel heavy in a room full of louder people. So when Giles is disturbed by a dragonfly the size of a dinosaur, it didn’t feel like fantasy. It felt familiar.
It could’ve been absurd. But it isn’t. It’s weird in all the right ways. The world-building isn’t about facts and systems—it’s about feeling. What does it mean to be made small in the face of grief? To feel the weight of memory while the physical world becomes newly hostile? To try and carry on when even an apple core could kill you?
This book doesn’t shy from the grotesque—on the contrary, it leans in. It made BookSloth squirm—a testament to its power. And made her clean her teeth really, really well.
The writing is tactile and lyrical, full of invention and precision, but always anchored by something deeply human. Mikey Please (yes, the Oscar-winning animator behind Robin Robin) brings a visual imagination to the page that’s unlike anything BookSloth has read before.
Dr Elizabeth Goodwin felt like a kindred spirit, talking to gargoyles, wobbling on her stick, tripping and checking to see if there were witnesses. She brims with intellect and pragmatism, a fantastically dry sense of humour, and yet it’s clear she, too, is clinging to order in a collapsing world. The attention to detail is extraordinary—not just in the physical world but in the emotional world. The way people behave under pressure. The way logic becomes ritual. It’s poetic. It’s deeply human. The interplay between her scientific mind and Giles’s more sensory, grief-struck lens gives the novel a richness of perspective that BookSloth didn’t expect.
And the art—BookSloth can’t not mention the art. Stark, beautiful monochrome illustrations are sprinkled throughout, heightening the feeling of being small, exposed, and exquisitely alive. Each one offers a pause. A stark visual echo of the text’s themes. Sometimes they chilled her. Sometimes they made her want to linger.
So, yes, it’s weird. But it’s also full of wonder, and BookSloth kept turning down pages (sorry!) to mark sentences. Sentences that said something about being small in the face of something you don’t understand.
This isn’t a fast-paced read, nor is it tidy. It meanders. You want to walk slowly and linger. The structure isn’t linear, and the ending opens more questions than it answers. But that’s part of its quiet power. This isn’t a story that gives easy resolution.
BookSloth still loves her romances. Still finds peace in novels where people fall for each other slowly, over shared hot chocolate and long walks. This is fortunate, given the romance book mountain by her bed. But she’s grateful for books like this—books that pull her outside her usual orbit and show her something strange, intimate, and alive. It reminded her of why she reads in the first place—not for genre, but for resonance. For that strange alchemy of invention and truth. It left her thinking about scale. Of life. Of Loss. Of wonder.
And she’s eagerly awaiting book two.
Because it wasn’t the sci-fi she loved. It was this: a strange story that sees smallness as vastness. And she really wants to meet a real-life blue-tailed nudibranch. They are real! She googled! (And is quietly wondering how many other readers did!)
March 9, 2025
I must admit, I struggled with the beginning of The Expanded Earth. The opening chapters were confusing, and it took me a while to get a grip on what had actually happened to the main character, Giles. The perspective shifts in later chapters threw me off at first, too. The book follows Giles as he navigates a world where all humans have mysteriously shrunk, but it also jumps to other key figures: Elizabeth, the scientist responsible for the event, and much later, Matilda, who has ties to Giles's past. In hindsight, the structure makes sense now that I’ve finished, but early on, I had to push myself to keep going.
That said, once the narrative threads started coming together, I found myself far more engaged. The book has a dystopian Borrowers feel, with different groups of people figuring out how to survive at this new scale. Some of my favorite parts were the little vignettes showing how people adapted, like an island where prisoners and guards, now equally small, set aside their differences and built a thriving community. There’s also a village where one normal-sized human became a benevolent protector to his tiny neighbors, and a memorable moment with an astronaut who witnessed the shrinking event from space. These glimpses into the wider world made the book feel rich and expansive.
Giles’s core motivation is to reunite with his family, and after everything he endures, we finally get that moment... only for the book to cut off just before we see how it plays out. It felt abrupt, like I was missing the emotional payoff. After so much tension and struggle, I wanted a bit more resolution.
Despite the rocky start, I enjoyed The Expanded Earth once I settled into its rhythm. It’s fast-paced, imaginative, and packed with thought-provoking ideas. I’d be curious to see where the next book in the series takes things, especially if it picks up right where this one leaves off.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.
That said, once the narrative threads started coming together, I found myself far more engaged. The book has a dystopian Borrowers feel, with different groups of people figuring out how to survive at this new scale. Some of my favorite parts were the little vignettes showing how people adapted, like an island where prisoners and guards, now equally small, set aside their differences and built a thriving community. There’s also a village where one normal-sized human became a benevolent protector to his tiny neighbors, and a memorable moment with an astronaut who witnessed the shrinking event from space. These glimpses into the wider world made the book feel rich and expansive.
Giles’s core motivation is to reunite with his family, and after everything he endures, we finally get that moment... only for the book to cut off just before we see how it plays out. It felt abrupt, like I was missing the emotional payoff. After so much tension and struggle, I wanted a bit more resolution.
Despite the rocky start, I enjoyed The Expanded Earth once I settled into its rhythm. It’s fast-paced, imaginative, and packed with thought-provoking ideas. I’d be curious to see where the next book in the series takes things, especially if it picks up right where this one leaves off.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2025
Such an interesting concept to the book that unfortunately never quite delivers. I would firstly say that this book is probably best for those that don’t read fantasy/sci-fi and want to dip their toe in - bar the main concept of people being shrunk (which happens at the start), there isn’t much more exploration within that genre.
My main issues were:
- The size of the people seemed inconsistent. Their size would be compared to numerous different things throughout of varying sizes which left me confused as to how big/small they were
- The dramatic/action points (which are usually helpful for driving plot) got a bit one note, mainly being either an animal would attack or someone with a makeshift knife, but then the protagonist would be miraculously saved
- My last point contributes to the fact that the overall pacing was quite slow, with not much driving you to turn the next page
- The relationships between characters wasn’t quite developed enough, meaning you weren’t really rooting for them. This again would have helped drive the story
- Matilda is introduced a bit too late into the book, which throws off the story as it feels random to now add these new characters
- The idea of talking to a God (a key selling point in the book’s description) is disappointingly never really explored
The highlights included the illustrations, while I also enjoyed the two different timelines being explored at the same time within the book (Giles and Professor Goodwin). I liked the quick viewpoints of other people around the world to show the global impact (essentially acting as interludes).
Overall, I think the story would have been better told in one book, as it feels like it has been stretched to make it a trilogy.
You’ll finish feeling a little unsatisfied due to many questions and mysteries coming up that won’t be answered in this book.
My main issues were:
- The size of the people seemed inconsistent. Their size would be compared to numerous different things throughout of varying sizes which left me confused as to how big/small they were
- The dramatic/action points (which are usually helpful for driving plot) got a bit one note, mainly being either an animal would attack or someone with a makeshift knife, but then the protagonist would be miraculously saved
- My last point contributes to the fact that the overall pacing was quite slow, with not much driving you to turn the next page
- The relationships between characters wasn’t quite developed enough, meaning you weren’t really rooting for them. This again would have helped drive the story
- Matilda is introduced a bit too late into the book, which throws off the story as it feels random to now add these new characters
- The idea of talking to a God (a key selling point in the book’s description) is disappointingly never really explored
The highlights included the illustrations, while I also enjoyed the two different timelines being explored at the same time within the book (Giles and Professor Goodwin). I liked the quick viewpoints of other people around the world to show the global impact (essentially acting as interludes).
Overall, I think the story would have been better told in one book, as it feels like it has been stretched to make it a trilogy.
You’ll finish feeling a little unsatisfied due to many questions and mysteries coming up that won’t be answered in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2025
The Expanded Earth is a marvellously written tale about human resilience, the unknowable, and the trickiness of facing down your deepest fears and emotions. The miniscule perspective of many characters provides a unique opportunity to describe breathtaking scenes and truly horrifying moments in equal measure; I'd say one of this book's strengths is weaving between these two styles with unflinching precision.
The dual plot line style is really engaging and makes you think about a lot of different things from various perspectives, and while I won't say too much due to spoilers, I really do love how half of the characters aren't focused on the "why/how did this happen," but rather "how do we adapt to our new lives." Sort of along the same tangent is that the premise doesn't bend over backwards to be extremely deep and intricate. I do love a well-thought-out sci-fi system/threat/etc but the magic of this book is that you are immediately shoved into the reality of the situation and the narrative goes from there. This isn't to say the cause of the supernatural shrinking phenomenon isn't explained or elaborated on, it just isn't written to be waaaay more than it needs to be.
Wrapped up with a hint of unmistakable British-ness, The Expanded Earth was a gripping read from start to finish, with every page bringing a new discovery, secret, brilliant piece of writing, etc. It's the first book in a while that I'm a bit sad to finish!
The dual plot line style is really engaging and makes you think about a lot of different things from various perspectives, and while I won't say too much due to spoilers, I really do love how half of the characters aren't focused on the "why/how did this happen," but rather "how do we adapt to our new lives." Sort of along the same tangent is that the premise doesn't bend over backwards to be extremely deep and intricate. I do love a well-thought-out sci-fi system/threat/etc but the magic of this book is that you are immediately shoved into the reality of the situation and the narrative goes from there. This isn't to say the cause of the supernatural shrinking phenomenon isn't explained or elaborated on, it just isn't written to be waaaay more than it needs to be.
Wrapped up with a hint of unmistakable British-ness, The Expanded Earth was a gripping read from start to finish, with every page bringing a new discovery, secret, brilliant piece of writing, etc. It's the first book in a while that I'm a bit sad to finish!
April 19, 2025
It surprised me that this is intended to be the first in a series. Ending aside, it feels like a stand-alone book (with it's dual timeline, one leading up to the big transformation). And, with a different ending, it feels as though it could be a complete story.
I will probably pick up the sequel, however, because I liked a lot about this one. The characters are lovable in their flaws. The idea of navigating the world built for larger beings always makes for a good adventure. The style of the writing and the pace made this an easy read to sink into. The duel timelines play with scale well; while one shrunken character is dealing with moment to moment survival, the pre-transformation one is dealing with global threats.
It's not perfect, but perhaps the sequels will address it's flaws. While the book tries to lean into some philosophy around what makes us human ('the same thing but bigger isn't the same thing at all') it doesn't do very much with the idea. There a few scenes about how the transformation changes people's behaviour (for the better and worse) and one character who talks about not trying to act the same way post-transformation (and who comes across as deranged to everyone else), but none of it hangs together cohesively enough to feel like an examination of what humanity is or could be.
I will probably pick up the sequel, however, because I liked a lot about this one. The characters are lovable in their flaws. The idea of navigating the world built for larger beings always makes for a good adventure. The style of the writing and the pace made this an easy read to sink into. The duel timelines play with scale well; while one shrunken character is dealing with moment to moment survival, the pre-transformation one is dealing with global threats.
It's not perfect, but perhaps the sequels will address it's flaws. While the book tries to lean into some philosophy around what makes us human ('the same thing but bigger isn't the same thing at all') it doesn't do very much with the idea. There a few scenes about how the transformation changes people's behaviour (for the better and worse) and one character who talks about not trying to act the same way post-transformation (and who comes across as deranged to everyone else), but none of it hangs together cohesively enough to feel like an examination of what humanity is or could be.
June 8, 2025
(3.5 🌟)
First of all, what a gorgeous book and what great talent to have created so much art for it.
I was pulled in by the art and the concept and was not disappointed. I loved how the potential of the original idea was fully reached thanks to the main stories and the "elsewhere" chapters. These extra bits of stories gets us thinking, marveling and make certain exposition points easier to digest as a reader.
The writing makes visualizing super enjoyable. Mickey Please chose the perfect scale to interact with the world. Big enough to envision our characters but small enough to completely change our percpective.
I have no idea if it was the author's intention but while Goodwin is the type of grey character we quickly love despite her faults, Giles feels a new hero type we should like but he's not that likeable... Maybe he is a bit too predictable in his mentality ? I personally loved the ending and I'm hoping we get to explore more of these feelings from Giles.
Now it's begging time. Please Mr. Please. I'm begging. Don't make Isabel a love interest. It was so frustrating to have a woman constructed basically only through her reactions to Giles. I want to know about her alone, not only for the purpose of being her companion. She deserves better character development for sure.
First of all, what a gorgeous book and what great talent to have created so much art for it.
I was pulled in by the art and the concept and was not disappointed. I loved how the potential of the original idea was fully reached thanks to the main stories and the "elsewhere" chapters. These extra bits of stories gets us thinking, marveling and make certain exposition points easier to digest as a reader.
The writing makes visualizing super enjoyable. Mickey Please chose the perfect scale to interact with the world. Big enough to envision our characters but small enough to completely change our percpective.
I have no idea if it was the author's intention but while Goodwin is the type of grey character we quickly love despite her faults, Giles feels a new hero type we should like but he's not that likeable... Maybe he is a bit too predictable in his mentality ? I personally loved the ending and I'm hoping we get to explore more of these feelings from Giles.
Now it's begging time. Please Mr. Please. I'm begging. Don't make Isabel a love interest. It was so frustrating to have a woman constructed basically only through her reactions to Giles. I want to know about her alone, not only for the purpose of being her companion. She deserves better character development for sure.
December 27, 2025
Sci-fi usually isn’t my bag, but I enjoyed this. The plot was unique, spellbinding - what would happen if all humans reduced to the size of a beer can? What would our lives look like? Whilst the writing style was easy to pick up, I did struggle at first engaging with the plot. I enjoyed the two timelines, and I also loved how Goodwin referred to God as “she”.
I’m happy I continued as the story started to become clearer and once I was invested I found it was descriptive enough to keep my attention. After finishing another book which was quite haunting and sad, this was a welcome change with its lighthearted, whimsical tones. The illustrations within the book were also very good.
Knowing that this is book 1 of 3, I can forgive the minimal character development. I have a lot of unanswered questions on Giles, Goodwin, Mary which I’m hoping will be answered in the next instalment. Relationships between characters seemed contrived, and I did find myself not rooting for anyone. I can also forgive the ending, it was quite low energy and I didn’t register it as an ending until I turned the page.
All in all, I enjoyed this lighthearted read though I’m hoping some of the frustrations with this book will be remedied with the later instalments.
I’m happy I continued as the story started to become clearer and once I was invested I found it was descriptive enough to keep my attention. After finishing another book which was quite haunting and sad, this was a welcome change with its lighthearted, whimsical tones. The illustrations within the book were also very good.
Knowing that this is book 1 of 3, I can forgive the minimal character development. I have a lot of unanswered questions on Giles, Goodwin, Mary which I’m hoping will be answered in the next instalment. Relationships between characters seemed contrived, and I did find myself not rooting for anyone. I can also forgive the ending, it was quite low energy and I didn’t register it as an ending until I turned the page.
All in all, I enjoyed this lighthearted read though I’m hoping some of the frustrations with this book will be remedied with the later instalments.
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