Where are they?: And why haven't we found them yet?

by Steven Lazaroff, Mark Rodger

Does Alien life exist out there? The purpose of this book is not to take one side or the other in that argument. It is to explore the present state of knowledge and to say where humanity now stands on the question of whether or not we are alone in the universe. Because there isn't the slightest doubt: that is a question that has occupied humans since they became human, and it's a question that shows no sign of going away.And if there are intelligent beings elsewhere in the universe - where are they?

Genres: Nonfiction

282 pages, Paperback

Published September 12, 2018

About the author

Steven Lazaroff is an extensive traveller with a passion for history. Able to root out the backstory of a building, an architectural ruin or battlefield, he seeks the humorous side of the story and attempts to convey a story with sarcasm, humour, and style.

His interests are wide-ranging and include Anthropology, history, military history, and cosmology.

Steven Lives in Montreal, Canada with his wife and is currently writing his third book.

Reviews

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of discussion about whether or not there are any intelligent life forms in the universe other than ourselves. Innumerable books, articles and movies have been made about UFOs. Claims are made about people being abducted by aliens, sometimes with painful results. Yet, despite all of this, there is still no actual scientific proof that space aliens actually exist.

None.

This book examines the question of do they exist and, if they do, where are they. The author points out that any aliens will not necessarily look like us. (Other authors have noted that they will probably have a head, two to four arms, two to four legs and, in very overall terms, in that way be somewhat like us.)

One thing he considers is the question of whether the aliens themselves would physically make a trip here or whether they would use some form of robot, android or holographic structure (like the doctor on Voyager.)

Then he looks at the question of why would they come here? To help us? To destroy us? To colonize us?

The author examines the SETI effort and the question of what type of actual two-way communication could be established.

At the moment, there is not enough data to firmly established that any type of life exist at all other then on Earth and that includes microbial life. There are hints there might be something like that on Mars and Venus but, again, there is no proof there is any life in either place.

The author examines just why it's so difficult to find communicating life in the universe, noting that their civilizations own lifetime may not happen at the same time ours is. He also examines how any civilization could be destroyed by such things as asteroids, disease, global warming, etc.

There is also the question of whether or not the aliens would have something like Star Trek's Prime Directive and simply not be ethically allowed to contact us. There's a lot more material he covers. This is a very logical, very sensible book on a subject that, at the moment, we have no final answer for. Are we alone in the universe?

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me first start by saying that this book surprised me. I was worried that it would be skewed and push a 'aliens exist and this is why' agenda on me, as I've met those types of people before and they can be a bit scary.

The Authors kind of ease you into it. With a great introduction, some fascinating background on the Search for Extraterrestrial life, a great explanation of the different industrial levels (in theory) and then you start to get the feeling that they are opening your mind, by gently peeling your preconceived thoughts on the subject matter away. As the title suggests, The authors introduce you to several theories of why we have not yet found Intelligent Alien life but in a totally unbiased way. I'm still not sure if even they believe that there could possibly be Extraterrestrial intelligent life out there.

I was hooked from the beginning and closed the book wishing there was more.

Get the book if you have even the slightest interest in the subject matter. Its rewarding.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the description points out, the question that has occupied humans since there have been humans is whether we are alone in the universe. Are there other intelligent beings living out there somewhere. The authors explain the science and theories in an understandable way that a normal person should be able to easily grasp. Of course, as is often the case, even the basic question isn’t as straightforward as we might think. What does it take to qualify as an intelligent being? If we found robots that possessed artificial intelligence that was on par with our own, would that count? And if we did find something like that, how could those robots have come into existence to begin with? All good questions. Read the book and you’ll get some possible answers to these and many others you might not have even thought of yet.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Michael Schnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but...

I did enjoy the overall content of this book, however there is an underlying vein of disdain for the human race that I find unnecessary. The author makes many statements in this book that criticize and label human beings as being awful, warring, killing creatures, and he suggests that ETs would potentially want to eliminate our species from our planet or, choose not to visit our planet at all, or to quarantine our plant so as not to infect other planets with our aggressive, hateful species. I could not disagree more. The author refers to a very small percentage of the human race that is evil, and to categorize our entire species in such a way is irresponsible. The information is interesting and informative. The author just needs to lose the attitude.

[Amy Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do aliens exist?

We often wonder if aliens exist, and perhaps they wonder if we exist, but as aliens to them. This book takes the reader on a journey with the authors, asking these questions, and exploring what we know and what we don't. It's very well thought out, and thought-provoking. It brings to light some interesting information. I enjoyed reading this book, and will definitely read more from these authors. There is a state of mind and intelligence that brings this topic to light, and logically. Well written, indeed.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of THE definitive books on aliens and why we have not had communication from them. This book is chock full of information but is easy to read. I learned so much. There is even a Star Trek reference which shows their sense of humour. Also I read their first book about history's deceptions and scams and this book is even better. Can't wait to read the next book.

[James Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraterrestrial civilizations.

The possibility of life in the cosmos has always fascinated me. These authors have written an exciting book which details why they may and may not be out there and so very much more.Do these authors lecture?Such would be exciting to attend. They have so much knowledge to impart.

[Dan Zarfati · Rating 3 out of 5]

The question of the Fermi Paradox been revisited. It is a conservative outlook, but compared to the mainstream views he is quite a change, he also is aware of the work of the conservative UFO researcher Nick Pope. Not my cup of tea, but compared to what goes about on this discussion it is quite a change.

[JStanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas.

[John E Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is and amusing read. It presents Fermi's Paradox -- if the universe is teeming with life, where is everybody? - in an understandable way. Yet this book is not as good as "Where Is Everybody." It tends to bog down with musings about what a superior intelligence might think of us, and his answers lack plausibility. He is good when his theories arise from the facts of physics rather than reading the minds of aliens. For example, the idea that an alien civilization would use machines to make contact is sound. Leadoff would have been better off listing the possibilities and commenting on them