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The Expanded Earth
'The same thing but bigger, was not the same thing'
One sunny Sunday, without warning, humankind is reduced to the height of a handspan - an unsightly transformation as potentially fatal as it is inconvenient.
On a remote coastal path, Giles awakes in his new body to discover a world reshaped and magnified into a place of astounding abundance and deadly peril. Desperate to reconnect with his loved ones, he seeks the help of fellow survivors, and together they embark on a quest across the altered landscape. But as their journey unfolds, the more the question persists - are they still truly human, or has their reduction in size marked the beginning of a descent into savagery, an evolution into something other?
Elsewhere, one week earlier, Professor Elizabeth Goodwin makes a monumental discovery - God is alive and physically among us, but not in the form we've been taught to expect. As Goodwin prepares to make first contact with the omnipresent ocean-spanning creature, forces conspire in the wings, and the spectre of imminent catastrophe inches closer and closer still . . .
Dark, witty, and wildly ambitious, BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Mikey Please guides us into The Expanded Earth, a high-stakes adventure packed with jeopardy and life-affirming beauty - a story that ultimately celebrates the capacity of small things to effect great change. The first in a spellbinding trilogy, this beautifully illustrated debut novel marks the arrival of a new talent and perhaps a new genre - the world of the micropocalypse.
One sunny Sunday, without warning, humankind is reduced to the height of a handspan - an unsightly transformation as potentially fatal as it is inconvenient.
On a remote coastal path, Giles awakes in his new body to discover a world reshaped and magnified into a place of astounding abundance and deadly peril. Desperate to reconnect with his loved ones, he seeks the help of fellow survivors, and together they embark on a quest across the altered landscape. But as their journey unfolds, the more the question persists - are they still truly human, or has their reduction in size marked the beginning of a descent into savagery, an evolution into something other?
Elsewhere, one week earlier, Professor Elizabeth Goodwin makes a monumental discovery - God is alive and physically among us, but not in the form we've been taught to expect. As Goodwin prepares to make first contact with the omnipresent ocean-spanning creature, forces conspire in the wings, and the spectre of imminent catastrophe inches closer and closer still . . .
Dark, witty, and wildly ambitious, BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Mikey Please guides us into The Expanded Earth, a high-stakes adventure packed with jeopardy and life-affirming beauty - a story that ultimately celebrates the capacity of small things to effect great change. The first in a spellbinding trilogy, this beautifully illustrated debut novel marks the arrival of a new talent and perhaps a new genre - the world of the micropocalypse.
430 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 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
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!
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.
April 29, 2026
This one is a book I picked up for fun as Waterstones were highlighting it as the SF book of the month. I also found out that a lock book club are reading it, so was inspired to get on with it and it was a good one to discuss actually.
The story follows a fair few characters but mainly Giles’ storyline is the major one. We also have Elizabeth and later Matilda, but also many snippets from other parts of the world too.
The concept is that suddenly almost all of humankind are shrunk to 1/10th of their original size, without any warning. They don’t know how this has happened and many die instantly for various reasons, but those who survive are busy trying to learn how to adapt and survive in a world which is entirely foreign to them now that it’s expanded.
Giles’ character didn’t really gel with me personally so I found his story most fascinating for the survival element of the world and seeing how different people reacted and attempted to rebuild. He wasn’t the main interest for me, but as he gets the most pages I had to get on board with his story to try and find his daughters and figure out how he could be helpful in this new world.
Elizabeth’s storyline is much more interesting to me as it’s all about how science crashed into something new, and what might happen as a result of these discoveries. I think she’s a bit of a crotchety character too which gives her a bit more bite and interest to read about. I liked her sections.
Matilda as a character is likeable from the get go and her placement at the scene of the first crazy events makes her a fascinating plot to follow. She’s also caring and clever and I liked seeing how she reacted to problem-solve.
Overall the world is wild and the plot is really interesting to read and imagine (if also very horrific and a bit gruesome and gory at times). It has some Chs which feel a bit horror-esque so look out for that, and I do hope nothing quite like this ever occurs! 3*s. Not sure if I’ll read book 2 as I’m unsure quite where it’ll go, but it’s definitely been a fun time whilst I read this one.
The story follows a fair few characters but mainly Giles’ storyline is the major one. We also have Elizabeth and later Matilda, but also many snippets from other parts of the world too.
The concept is that suddenly almost all of humankind are shrunk to 1/10th of their original size, without any warning. They don’t know how this has happened and many die instantly for various reasons, but those who survive are busy trying to learn how to adapt and survive in a world which is entirely foreign to them now that it’s expanded.
Giles’ character didn’t really gel with me personally so I found his story most fascinating for the survival element of the world and seeing how different people reacted and attempted to rebuild. He wasn’t the main interest for me, but as he gets the most pages I had to get on board with his story to try and find his daughters and figure out how he could be helpful in this new world.
Elizabeth’s storyline is much more interesting to me as it’s all about how science crashed into something new, and what might happen as a result of these discoveries. I think she’s a bit of a crotchety character too which gives her a bit more bite and interest to read about. I liked her sections.
Matilda as a character is likeable from the get go and her placement at the scene of the first crazy events makes her a fascinating plot to follow. She’s also caring and clever and I liked seeing how she reacted to problem-solve.
Overall the world is wild and the plot is really interesting to read and imagine (if also very horrific and a bit gruesome and gory at times). It has some Chs which feel a bit horror-esque so look out for that, and I do hope nothing quite like this ever occurs! 3*s. Not sure if I’ll read book 2 as I’m unsure quite where it’ll go, but it’s definitely been a fun time whilst I read this one.
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.
September 8, 2025
Release book two now!!!!
March 29, 2026
Rarely am I able to read about religion in a format that I find engaging but the marriage of science and religion in this was really interesting. The book itself is a work of art that was truly beautiful to work through. While I liked the format of the chapters and artwork mixed throughout, the pacing was slow and the scientific jargon could feel difficult to follow. Overall, I enjoyed the exploration of environmentalism and the impact of humankind on nature and look forward to where this trilogy goes. And props to Mikey Please to managing to make me sympathise with a distant father.
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, 2026
I picked up this one mostly for the cover, and wonderfully the ancient adage about not judging was in this case incorrect.
What a brilliant read. Never over stays it's welcome and bounces about between viewpoints deftly.
As for complaints I have only two.
Action sequences can get a wee bitty muddled and the ending left me wanting more a little bit more than it should.
Other than that it's well paced and the characters are interesting, distinct and often funny. It never takes itself too seriously and tells some fantastic wee side stories (the leper fella who lives at the pole of inaccessibility being my favourite)
I'm giving it five fat stars but with a qualifier. It's my first Mikey Please book and might be his first so he gets points for newness and the next ones have to be of this class as well or else it gets demoted to a four.
What a brilliant read. Never over stays it's welcome and bounces about between viewpoints deftly.
As for complaints I have only two.
Action sequences can get a wee bitty muddled and the ending left me wanting more a little bit more than it should.
Other than that it's well paced and the characters are interesting, distinct and often funny. It never takes itself too seriously and tells some fantastic wee side stories (the leper fella who lives at the pole of inaccessibility being my favourite)
I'm giving it five fat stars but with a qualifier. It's my first Mikey Please book and might be his first so he gets points for newness and the next ones have to be of this class as well or else it gets demoted to a four.
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!!
May 19, 2026
I picked this up because the cover art style, blurb, and prologue reminded me of the fantastic ecological sci-fi horror in Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation trilogy of four. And boy I wasn't disappointed.
Mikey Please's descriptions of a familiar British countryside, viewed from an entirely new perspective are a thrill; bringing vivid images to the mind. His illustrations accompany each chapter and add an extra dimension to his creative vision.
A new perspective for the cast brings new threats; things that may seem innocuous to you and I become horrors and beasts beyond comprehension.
The themes of environmentalism and parental responsibility are strong, and act as a great motivation for the characters.
I look forward to seeing where this trilogy goes next!
Mikey Please's descriptions of a familiar British countryside, viewed from an entirely new perspective are a thrill; bringing vivid images to the mind. His illustrations accompany each chapter and add an extra dimension to his creative vision.
A new perspective for the cast brings new threats; things that may seem innocuous to you and I become horrors and beasts beyond comprehension.
The themes of environmentalism and parental responsibility are strong, and act as a great motivation for the characters.
I look forward to seeing where this trilogy goes next!
April 23, 2026
I loved the scientific nature of this book! I have learned so much about coccolithophore and it has sparked a genuine interest in this side of biology for me. The plot just wasn’t as developed as I wished it was and there were quite a few gaps.
March 31, 2026
The first third of this book was poorly written. At times utter twaddle and complete nonsense, and I often had little idea what was going on. I seriously considered giving up, but I'm glad I didn’t, as it developed into an exciting, thrilling and genuinely unique tale of post-apocalyptic survival.
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!
April 24, 2026
3.75
I will always enjoy a unique take on a Sci-Fi trope, and this book offers it. The Expanded Earth is a thrilling tale of survival but also a commentary on humankind and its place in the world. Its topics are serious but delivered with refreshing whimsy.
You'll have no trouble tearing through this book, owing both to the variety of perspectives and the rather short chapters. This is both its strength and its weakness. You get the impression the author is trying to pack everything in, to explain all that is happening, why it happened, and clearly deliver its message.
This leaves me with less mystery than I would like. The reader isn't giving much space to speculate on the plot or themes. This was a little unsatisfying. Some chapters existed purely to pontificate on philosophy or culture and felt like a distraction. Show, don't tell, as they say!
I will always enjoy a unique take on a Sci-Fi trope, and this book offers it. The Expanded Earth is a thrilling tale of survival but also a commentary on humankind and its place in the world. Its topics are serious but delivered with refreshing whimsy.
You'll have no trouble tearing through this book, owing both to the variety of perspectives and the rather short chapters. This is both its strength and its weakness. You get the impression the author is trying to pack everything in, to explain all that is happening, why it happened, and clearly deliver its message.
This leaves me with less mystery than I would like. The reader isn't giving much space to speculate on the plot or themes. This was a little unsatisfying. Some chapters existed purely to pontificate on philosophy or culture and felt like a distraction. Show, don't tell, as they say!
April 22, 2026
I want to give this 5 stars, but I struggled with the lack of clarity in the science. It’s otherwise an action-packed, mind-blowing treat of a book. There have been other stories and films in which characters have been shrunk, but this book takes so much more into consideration and turns the idea into something more apocalyptic. It’s genuinely horrific in parts, but still oddly humorous, and utterly engrossing. The illustrations, while unnecessary, do add a layer of uniqueness to the project which will apparently involve two more instalments, creating an Expanded Earth trilogy. I can’t wait for part two. Now I have to go to bed thinking about how my dental fillings and the metal plate in my leg could kill me. Thanks Mikey.
May 8, 2026
Riveting. I'm not always a Scifi person, but this was very well written. Original, and not your typical "we're all tiny now" story. Written from a secular worldview with terrible theology, but that's to be expected, I suppose. Definitely a page turner!
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!
May 19, 2026
This was very fun with such a great concept. The interlude chapters were my favourite at the end of each part. The drawings by the author were wonderful. The ending was a surprise and I need the next book!
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