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Wyobrażone życie. Wyprawa na egzoplanety w poszukiwaniu inteligentnych istot pozaziemskich, stworzeń lodu i zwierząt supergrawitacyjnych
Fascynująca naukowa opowieść o możliwych formach życia pozaziemskiego na egzoplanetach.
Czy zastanawiałeś się kiedyś, jak mogłoby wyglądać życie na planecie z polem grawitacyjnym o pięćdziesiąt procent silniejszym niż na Ziemi? Potrafisz wyobrazić sobie świat znajdujący się pod kilometrami wiecznego lodu albo istoty żyjące na planecie pozbawionej światła?
Naukowcy James Trefil i Michael Summers zabierają nas w eksperymentalną podróż i ukazują możliwości życia na planetach istniejących poza Układem Słonecznym. Od zamieszkujących Neptunię argonautów, przez supergrawitacyjne zwierzęta z Big Boy, aż po istoty mroku na Samotnej - wszechświat Summersa i Trefila tętni życiem i nieustannie zaskakuje czytelnika.
Czy zastanawiałeś się kiedyś, jak mogłoby wyglądać życie na planecie z polem grawitacyjnym o pięćdziesiąt procent silniejszym niż na Ziemi? Potrafisz wyobrazić sobie świat znajdujący się pod kilometrami wiecznego lodu albo istoty żyjące na planecie pozbawionej światła?
Naukowcy James Trefil i Michael Summers zabierają nas w eksperymentalną podróż i ukazują możliwości życia na planetach istniejących poza Układem Słonecznym. Od zamieszkujących Neptunię argonautów, przez supergrawitacyjne zwierzęta z Big Boy, aż po istoty mroku na Samotnej - wszechświat Summersa i Trefila tętni życiem i nieustannie zaskakuje czytelnika.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2019
88 people are currently reading
1443 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
December 8, 2019
UK’s Alien Worlds is still one of my favourite documentaries. Speculation based on science in general is something that I’ve always found fascinating. So It’s no surprise that Imagined Life jumped high on the list of my priorities the moment it was released.
Just like the aforementioned programme, this book is a greatly entertaining and informative tour around the universe in search of life. The book starts off with solid base in physics, chemistry, and biology laws to explain the more outlandish ideas explored in the rest of the text, so you don’t have have to have a doctorate in astrobiology to get a good grasp on the material. Lots of good bits to think about on your own. Prepare to actively use your imagination to follow the narrative.
Just like the aforementioned programme, this book is a greatly entertaining and informative tour around the universe in search of life. The book starts off with solid base in physics, chemistry, and biology laws to explain the more outlandish ideas explored in the rest of the text, so you don’t have have to have a doctorate in astrobiology to get a good grasp on the material. Lots of good bits to think about on your own. Prepare to actively use your imagination to follow the narrative.
July 25, 2022
Dla mnie 3,5, ale podciągam pod 4, bo tematycznie to coś nowego wśród kosmicznych książek dla mnie. 3,5 dlatego, że to jednak wciąż popularnonaukowa książka, ma w sobie niewiele z fantastyki, dlatego trzeba się mocno skupić przy lekturze, kiedy autorzy wyjaśniają różne chemiczne i fizyczne zagadnienia. Bardzo często odpływały mi wtedy myśli, bo to jednak było dla mnie zbyt skomplikowane.
September 4, 2020
Kind of disappointed in this one, but that's more on me than the authors. Both are professors of astronomy and physics, not xenobiologists - but still, where are the aliens?
The book focuses on the types of potentially habitable planets out there (a more narrow focus than their earlier, better book Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life beyond Our Solar System), and then how life could potentially evolve there and what type of technology it might develop. So for example, on a planet tidally locked to its star - i.e., same side always facing the star, like the moon faces earth - you'd have a narrow habitable "halo" circling the planet where the sunlit side met the dark side. You'd also have very strong, hot, high-altitude winds blowing from hot to cold side, and very strong surface winds blowing back from cold to hot; and so you'd have creatures that were low to the ground with stronger skeletons or exoskeletons, and technology based on wind power. And that's about it.
Most of the book discusses "life like us," i.e., carbon-based lifeforms. There is then an all-too-brief chapter on "life not like us" - based on silicon, say, or evolving in a liquid other than water, (neither of which the authors believe in, BTW). And then there's a final chapter on "life really not like us," which covers non-organic life (metal- or mineral-based), and artificial intelligent life (either self-evolving or man-made).
So some interesting premises here, but kind of a slog and just none of the way-cool hypothetical alien nonsense I was hoping for.
Final conclusion, for those few people who read my description of the authors' earlier book: Stormy ultimately never pays for the pizza.
The book focuses on the types of potentially habitable planets out there (a more narrow focus than their earlier, better book Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life beyond Our Solar System), and then how life could potentially evolve there and what type of technology it might develop. So for example, on a planet tidally locked to its star - i.e., same side always facing the star, like the moon faces earth - you'd have a narrow habitable "halo" circling the planet where the sunlit side met the dark side. You'd also have very strong, hot, high-altitude winds blowing from hot to cold side, and very strong surface winds blowing back from cold to hot; and so you'd have creatures that were low to the ground with stronger skeletons or exoskeletons, and technology based on wind power. And that's about it.
Most of the book discusses "life like us," i.e., carbon-based lifeforms. There is then an all-too-brief chapter on "life not like us" - based on silicon, say, or evolving in a liquid other than water, (neither of which the authors believe in, BTW). And then there's a final chapter on "life really not like us," which covers non-organic life (metal- or mineral-based), and artificial intelligent life (either self-evolving or man-made).
So some interesting premises here, but kind of a slog and just none of the way-cool hypothetical alien nonsense I was hoping for.
Final conclusion, for those few people who read my description of the authors' earlier book: Stormy ultimately never pays for the pizza.
November 28, 2023
The possibilities of life explained
Authors James Terfill and Michael Summers guide us through a fascinating exploration of how, where, and what forms life might take in the vast expanse of the universe. From waterworlds to tidally locked planets, ice worlds, and even rogue planets — wandering the universe without a sun to orbit. Each scenario unfolds with details on the emergence of how life could have formed, how it will look like and whether these creatures could develop interplanetary space travel.
There are a few complex scientific concepts, such as the possibility of life being carbon or silicon-based, but in general the narrative maintains an accessible tone. The scenarios painted by the authors are immensely helpful in understanding the mysteries of how life could have been formed on these peculiar planets.
The introduction sets the stage by emphasizing the sheer abundance of stars and, by extension, the multitude of planets orbiting them. Ecery conceivable scenario, including life on Earth, could and should have been formed mulitple times in the universe. However, for me it was hard to understand how beings that evolved under an ice cap or on a high-gravity planet, could develop the capability for space travel. Perhaps life is abundant, but intelligent life capable of space travel is not - an intriguing notion that might offer insights into the Fermi paradox.
But these reflections are personal musings inspired by the thought-provoking content of the book, underscoring its exceptional writing and the clarity with which it explores the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. It significantly expanded my understanding and perspectives, making it a highly recommended read for anyone with an interest in astronomy.
Authors James Terfill and Michael Summers guide us through a fascinating exploration of how, where, and what forms life might take in the vast expanse of the universe. From waterworlds to tidally locked planets, ice worlds, and even rogue planets — wandering the universe without a sun to orbit. Each scenario unfolds with details on the emergence of how life could have formed, how it will look like and whether these creatures could develop interplanetary space travel.
There are a few complex scientific concepts, such as the possibility of life being carbon or silicon-based, but in general the narrative maintains an accessible tone. The scenarios painted by the authors are immensely helpful in understanding the mysteries of how life could have been formed on these peculiar planets.
The introduction sets the stage by emphasizing the sheer abundance of stars and, by extension, the multitude of planets orbiting them. Ecery conceivable scenario, including life on Earth, could and should have been formed mulitple times in the universe. However, for me it was hard to understand how beings that evolved under an ice cap or on a high-gravity planet, could develop the capability for space travel. Perhaps life is abundant, but intelligent life capable of space travel is not - an intriguing notion that might offer insights into the Fermi paradox.
But these reflections are personal musings inspired by the thought-provoking content of the book, underscoring its exceptional writing and the clarity with which it explores the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. It significantly expanded my understanding and perspectives, making it a highly recommended read for anyone with an interest in astronomy.
February 3, 2020
Off to a weak start (for me). The science is at (pretty much) YA-level, and there's a lot of repetition between topics (water world, Europa analog, etc). On the plus side, lots of good info if you are at YA level on planetary/exoplanet science. And the (purely decorative) illustrations are nicely done. I haven't quite given up.... (yet).
Well, I did give up. DNF, not recommended.
December 5, 2025
Imagined Life gives a clear, steady tour of how life might arise and evolve on worlds very different from ours. The structure works well: the authors build from what we know about biology and astronomy, then carefully open the door to more speculative ideas. That grounding makes the book feel reliable rather than dreamy.
Still, it holds back more than you might expect. The scientific explanations are strong, but the truly alien possibilities stay mostly in the background. For a topic that almost begs to get wonderfully strange, the book is a bit too cautious. It gives hints of unusual lifeforms and exotic environments, but rarely dives in as deeply as it could.
Still, it holds back more than you might expect. The scientific explanations are strong, but the truly alien possibilities stay mostly in the background. For a topic that almost begs to get wonderfully strange, the book is a bit too cautious. It gives hints of unusual lifeforms and exotic environments, but rarely dives in as deeply as it could.
August 18, 2022
Fascinating predictions for what might be discovered and how life might take shape on exoplanets, particularly the Trappist system 40 light years away.
June 9, 2021
This one was a bit disappointing. The authors approach the subject rather lightly, and it's clear this is an introductory book on astrobiology for less advanced readers, which is one thing, but doesn't excuse a few pervasive misrepresentations of developmental processes when they do go on to imagine life.
In particular, they repeatedly describe hypothetical worlds developing advanced intelligent organisms under ecological conditions that would likely preclude the production of sufficient oxygen to support such energy-demanding lifeforms. Oxygen itself is rarely discussed, and generally only in passing, completely failing to address its very likely critical importance to life approaching that of carbon and water. The authors go on to suggest through how they present their examples that intelligence will quite naturally develop technologically, to the point that they frequently imagine multiple technological species evolving and developing within the same system or even on the same planet essentially simultaneously, without any reference to why such a scenario is unlikely (for why, look up "Apes and Angels".) Another glaring oversight that particularly bothered me, especially given their apparent specializations in planetary sciences, was their failure to consider the impact of variations in the characteristics of a tidally locked world's atmosphere on its overall temperature distribution, or likewise the possible atmospheric conditions of superearth waterworlds.
Imagined Life stands out from other popsci books on astrobiology in that it actively considers a variety of conditions as they might occur on worlds different from earth. What they don't do much of is imagine the life that could evolve on those planets, short of speculating that it could evolve at all, what senses it might use, that organisms will be stocky on high-G worlds (what book doesn't mention that?) and clumsily taking for granted that it might develop into a technological civilization.
In the end, some aspects of the exoplanetology related are interesting, and the authors make some salient points here and there, but if what you're interested in is the subject suggested by the title itself, you'll be disappointed.
Oh, and one last gripe, at the end of every chapter about a hypothetical world, they end with a little skit imagining themselves as aliens from the world in question discussing their species' astronomers reporting the discovery of planets like our own, prompting Alien Jim and Alien Mike to smugly declare why life or intelligence or energy technology could only ever evolve on worlds like their own. It's trite and shallow and annoying as hell and just thinking about it I'm considering dropping another star off my review.
In particular, they repeatedly describe hypothetical worlds developing advanced intelligent organisms under ecological conditions that would likely preclude the production of sufficient oxygen to support such energy-demanding lifeforms. Oxygen itself is rarely discussed, and generally only in passing, completely failing to address its very likely critical importance to life approaching that of carbon and water. The authors go on to suggest through how they present their examples that intelligence will quite naturally develop technologically, to the point that they frequently imagine multiple technological species evolving and developing within the same system or even on the same planet essentially simultaneously, without any reference to why such a scenario is unlikely (for why, look up "Apes and Angels".) Another glaring oversight that particularly bothered me, especially given their apparent specializations in planetary sciences, was their failure to consider the impact of variations in the characteristics of a tidally locked world's atmosphere on its overall temperature distribution, or likewise the possible atmospheric conditions of superearth waterworlds.
Imagined Life stands out from other popsci books on astrobiology in that it actively considers a variety of conditions as they might occur on worlds different from earth. What they don't do much of is imagine the life that could evolve on those planets, short of speculating that it could evolve at all, what senses it might use, that organisms will be stocky on high-G worlds (what book doesn't mention that?) and clumsily taking for granted that it might develop into a technological civilization.
In the end, some aspects of the exoplanetology related are interesting, and the authors make some salient points here and there, but if what you're interested in is the subject suggested by the title itself, you'll be disappointed.
Oh, and one last gripe, at the end of every chapter about a hypothetical world, they end with a little skit imagining themselves as aliens from the world in question discussing their species' astronomers reporting the discovery of planets like our own, prompting Alien Jim and Alien Mike to smugly declare why life or intelligence or energy technology could only ever evolve on worlds like their own. It's trite and shallow and annoying as hell and just thinking about it I'm considering dropping another star off my review.
October 2, 2025
Bardzo fajny reportaż. Czuć pasję i taką radość w stylu pisania, co potwierdza że autorzy są ogromnymi pasjonatami kosmosu i naukowcami, którzy kochają swój zawód. Książka w bardzo przystępny sposób opowiada o potencjanym innym życiu w kosmosie, o szansach jakie istnieją na znalezienie życia jakie znamy, albo takiego, które możemy zupełnie przeoczyć, bo będzie to życie, kompletnie róźne od naszego. Książka przedstawia wizję kilku planet, które z pewnym prawdopodobieństwem istnieją we wszechwiecie i przedstawia pokrótce jak to życie może się tam formować. Książka jest krótka. Niecałe 300 stron to 17 rozdziałów. Kilka początkowych jest wprowadzeniem do samego pojęcia życia. A dopiero później wyruszamy w podróż po kosmosie w poszukiwaniu planet, na którym rozwinęło się życie. Liczyłem na zachwyt. Gdzieś po drodze się z tą książką rozminąłem, ale i tak do podczytywania sprawdziła się bardzo dobrze.
August 21, 2023
Bardzo ciekawy koncept na książkę. Jestem naprawdę miło zaskoczona.
Dla tych co się obawiają - na początku dostajemy wiedzę w pigułce głównie z fizyki, ale tez chemii i biologii, która umożliwia spokojne zrozumienie treści. Pozwala to odnaleźć się na każdej z planet przedstawionych przez autorów i pojąć, jak życie mogłoby na nich powstać.
Doceniam przemyślane ułożenie podrozdziałów, który ułatwia czytanie.
Niestety minusem są częste powtórzenia informacji na początku nowych rozdziałów.
I jeśli mam być całkowicie szczera - najbardziej podobały mi się trzy ostatnie rozdziały, które nie były aż tak mocno związane z tematem książki (ale dalej bardzo spójne!).
Dla tych co się obawiają - na początku dostajemy wiedzę w pigułce głównie z fizyki, ale tez chemii i biologii, która umożliwia spokojne zrozumienie treści. Pozwala to odnaleźć się na każdej z planet przedstawionych przez autorów i pojąć, jak życie mogłoby na nich powstać.
Doceniam przemyślane ułożenie podrozdziałów, który ułatwia czytanie.
Niestety minusem są częste powtórzenia informacji na początku nowych rozdziałów.
I jeśli mam być całkowicie szczera - najbardziej podobały mi się trzy ostatnie rozdziały, które nie były aż tak mocno związane z tematem książki (ale dalej bardzo spójne!).
October 22, 2019
Repetitive
It is hard to make et life boring, and this book isn't quite that bad. But there's only about half a book of content, which means lots of filler and repetition.
It is hard to make et life boring, and this book isn't quite that bad. But there's only about half a book of content, which means lots of filler and repetition.
August 7, 2020
Imagined Life by James Trefil & Michael Summers has the extended title of A Speculative Scientific Journey Among the Exoplanets in Search of Intelligent Aliens, Ice Creatures and Supergravity Animals
Let me start with my interest in buying this book. I’m a big science fiction fan but also a fan of the science community, in particular astronomy. I love hearing the discoveries of those who are doing the wonderful work of discovering extrasolar planets, those planets around stars other than our own sun, Sol.
I do have an imagination that will run wild, wondering what could be out there. While I don’t mind letting my thoughts off leash, I appreciate the bounds that our physical laws corral us into. While many things are possible, I also appreciate pondering the more probable. That too can be exciting because “it really could be!”
The authors are professors of physics and astronomy, and start by reviewing some laws of science they will hold themselves to. It creates a nice foundation to build their speculation upon.
Then the fun begins, where could life form? In oceans beneath an ice-covered world, ocean spanning worlds with no land, planets tidally locked to their stars, planets around dim red stars? If life did arise there, what would it need to survive? If intelligent, what challenges would it face?
They are willing to get a little playful in their musings of the cultures that could arise in those species. Would a civilization trapped under ice and never seeing the stars in the sky come up with astronomy? Or would their view of the universe be, it’s ice all the way up.
Near the end of the book they loosen their restrictions even more to go from the probable to what could be possible. They don’t quite break the rules of redefining life, but they are willing to admit that maybe there are things we don’t understand enough that would allow silicon-based life for example, or planets with organisms that cover the globe to create one large planetary spanning creature. It’s all very fun to play with in our mind’s eye and the authors do a great job setting the stage.
I really enjoyed this book. The explanations are clear, and the ideas sound so realistic that at times I could see these worlds in my mind, out there waiting for us to discover them.
If the topic interests you, this book is a great example that stepping away from science fiction to the world of science doesn’t mean we can’t let our minds be awed with the possibilities of the incredible nature of our universe. Let this book take you there.
Let me start with my interest in buying this book. I’m a big science fiction fan but also a fan of the science community, in particular astronomy. I love hearing the discoveries of those who are doing the wonderful work of discovering extrasolar planets, those planets around stars other than our own sun, Sol.
I do have an imagination that will run wild, wondering what could be out there. While I don’t mind letting my thoughts off leash, I appreciate the bounds that our physical laws corral us into. While many things are possible, I also appreciate pondering the more probable. That too can be exciting because “it really could be!”
The authors are professors of physics and astronomy, and start by reviewing some laws of science they will hold themselves to. It creates a nice foundation to build their speculation upon.
Then the fun begins, where could life form? In oceans beneath an ice-covered world, ocean spanning worlds with no land, planets tidally locked to their stars, planets around dim red stars? If life did arise there, what would it need to survive? If intelligent, what challenges would it face?
They are willing to get a little playful in their musings of the cultures that could arise in those species. Would a civilization trapped under ice and never seeing the stars in the sky come up with astronomy? Or would their view of the universe be, it’s ice all the way up.
Near the end of the book they loosen their restrictions even more to go from the probable to what could be possible. They don’t quite break the rules of redefining life, but they are willing to admit that maybe there are things we don’t understand enough that would allow silicon-based life for example, or planets with organisms that cover the globe to create one large planetary spanning creature. It’s all very fun to play with in our mind’s eye and the authors do a great job setting the stage.
I really enjoyed this book. The explanations are clear, and the ideas sound so realistic that at times I could see these worlds in my mind, out there waiting for us to discover them.
If the topic interests you, this book is a great example that stepping away from science fiction to the world of science doesn’t mean we can’t let our minds be awed with the possibilities of the incredible nature of our universe. Let this book take you there.
March 23, 2025
Fenomenalna. Dla kogoś zainteresowanego tematem egzoplanet, metod zdobywania informacji o ich występowaniu zawiera dodatkowo solidną dawkę "gdybologii" popartą merytorycznymi przesłankami. Świetna pozycja, która nie jest wyłącznie teoretyczną przeprawą, ale świetnie pobudza wyobraźnię w rozmyślaniach nad innymi rodzajami życia.
February 3, 2022
Some of the science went over my head but ultimately a really interesting book. It's really great for people who are interested in book space and biology since the authors explain a lot of Earth's biology and evolution to prediction how life might form on different exoplanets
November 24, 2024
Whilst the content was interesting, it doesn't really match the premise of the title. Most of the discussion surrounds places that life could be found. If you're looking for a book that talks about what alien life might look like, how it might behave, or the ecosystem it may inhabit, this book probably isn't what you're looking for.
December 30, 2024
najlepsze sformułowanie opisujące tę książkę to "w punkt", bo taka jest. w punkt. autorzy zabrali nas na bardzo ciekawą wyprawę i odpowiedzieli mi na wiele pytań, na które chciałem znać odpowiedź, więc polecam.
May 5, 2023
One of a kind for sure. The book categorically goes through different possible worlds out there and how life would evolve on those if it ever did. While I enjoyed the speculation and imagination, I did find myself craving for a deeper analysis. A good read for everyone and a must for extraterrestrial life lovers.
January 5, 2021
Bardzo przyjemne i serdecznie polecam, szczególnie fanom Pale Blue Dot C. Sagana.
February 29, 2020
This is a little wacky, but entertaining and thought-provoking.
I have a poster in my house from a science fiction magazine in the 1940s, depicting an imaginary scene on Pluto. The text reads, “This world of cold and eternal twilight would most likely be inhabited by winged bat-people with heavy protecting fur.”
Of course, the science in this book is updated, and Trefil and Summers talk like scientists, not poster-writers, but some passages in the book sound just a little bit like that poster. The tone of course is intentionally speculative, even a little light-hearted, but I wouldn’t want a naive reader to get the impression that the universe must be overflowing with intelligent, technological species on one exoplanet after another, whether they are ice worlds, super-Earths, rogue planets, or any of the other types of planets that the authors discuss.
The plan of the book is pretty straightforward. The first few chapters concern the ground rules of speculation — the laws of nature and biology, primarily. Then the authors take us through the relevant categories of exoplanets: solidly frozen planets (christened Iceheim), planets with frozen surfaces over liquid oceans (Nova Europa), water planets (Neptunia), Earth-like planets (Goldilocks), planets in tidally locked orbits around their stars (Halo), rogue planets that orbit no central star (Lonesome), and super-Earths (Big Boy).
For each, the authors describe the planet's likely environmental conditions, how life might get started, what life might be like there, and what sort of technology development might take place. Each chapter in the book ends with a short, imaginary dialogue between “Mike and Jim,” inhabitants of the type of planet being discussed (and analogs to the authors), which kind of nicely demonstrates the Earth-chauvinism of some skeptics about extraterrestrial life and intelligence — “Mike and Jim” typically conclude that their own type of planet is the only one on which intelligent life could develop.
The discussions are quick and make fantastic leaps, e.g., that where microbial, single-celled life emerges, it will develop into multi-cellular, more complex life, or that the kinds of reasoning and motivations that drive technological development on Earth will also be at work to drive analogous technological development where intelligence emerges elsewhere. And that’s fine, so long as we keep in mind that the discussion is propelled by leaps of imagination and unbounded optimism about the evolution of intelligent, technological life. It’s a bit fanciful.
If you want more sober (and scientifically tight) but still speculative discussions of some of the same topics, have a look at The Astrobiological Landscape (Milan Cirkovic) or Aliens: The World’s Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life (Jim Al-Khalili (ed.)).
After this kind of tour through categories of exoplanets, the authors zero in for specific, although brief, looks at some particular exoplanets — those in the TRAPPIST-1 system and some others chosen as instantiations of the types discussed previously. Some of these exoplanets have been discussed often in news and speculative discussions elsewhere, so it is nice to be able to relate them back into the authors’ own context.
Finally they go on to a couple of even more speculative discussions. First is “life not like us” — e.g., life based on silicon in place of carbon or another liquid medium in place of water. And then “life that is really not like us” — e.g., life based on electric currents and magnetic fields, or artificial life (robotic life, in some sense of “robot”).
These discussions are also very brief and sketchy, but they do serve to emphasize the importance of letting our imaginations roam freely. The authors, if they make no other point in the book, take great pains to make this one point — that we cannot limit our thinking by the one example we have of life and intelligent life, ourselves. What we find out there may be truly alien — something even beyond the bounds of the kind of liberated imagination they practice here.
All in all, I’ll have to admit that the fanciful tone of the book didn’t really hit my sweet spot. I’m not objecting to speculation — in fact, the books I mentioned above are highly speculative, just a bit more chastened by some of the problems and open questions that plague the topic.
This book is fun, it’s even a breezy read. Just don’t take it for anything other that what it is -- kind of like a stretching routine for people who want to think about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.
I have a poster in my house from a science fiction magazine in the 1940s, depicting an imaginary scene on Pluto. The text reads, “This world of cold and eternal twilight would most likely be inhabited by winged bat-people with heavy protecting fur.”
Of course, the science in this book is updated, and Trefil and Summers talk like scientists, not poster-writers, but some passages in the book sound just a little bit like that poster. The tone of course is intentionally speculative, even a little light-hearted, but I wouldn’t want a naive reader to get the impression that the universe must be overflowing with intelligent, technological species on one exoplanet after another, whether they are ice worlds, super-Earths, rogue planets, or any of the other types of planets that the authors discuss.
The plan of the book is pretty straightforward. The first few chapters concern the ground rules of speculation — the laws of nature and biology, primarily. Then the authors take us through the relevant categories of exoplanets: solidly frozen planets (christened Iceheim), planets with frozen surfaces over liquid oceans (Nova Europa), water planets (Neptunia), Earth-like planets (Goldilocks), planets in tidally locked orbits around their stars (Halo), rogue planets that orbit no central star (Lonesome), and super-Earths (Big Boy).
For each, the authors describe the planet's likely environmental conditions, how life might get started, what life might be like there, and what sort of technology development might take place. Each chapter in the book ends with a short, imaginary dialogue between “Mike and Jim,” inhabitants of the type of planet being discussed (and analogs to the authors), which kind of nicely demonstrates the Earth-chauvinism of some skeptics about extraterrestrial life and intelligence — “Mike and Jim” typically conclude that their own type of planet is the only one on which intelligent life could develop.
The discussions are quick and make fantastic leaps, e.g., that where microbial, single-celled life emerges, it will develop into multi-cellular, more complex life, or that the kinds of reasoning and motivations that drive technological development on Earth will also be at work to drive analogous technological development where intelligence emerges elsewhere. And that’s fine, so long as we keep in mind that the discussion is propelled by leaps of imagination and unbounded optimism about the evolution of intelligent, technological life. It’s a bit fanciful.
If you want more sober (and scientifically tight) but still speculative discussions of some of the same topics, have a look at The Astrobiological Landscape (Milan Cirkovic) or Aliens: The World’s Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life (Jim Al-Khalili (ed.)).
After this kind of tour through categories of exoplanets, the authors zero in for specific, although brief, looks at some particular exoplanets — those in the TRAPPIST-1 system and some others chosen as instantiations of the types discussed previously. Some of these exoplanets have been discussed often in news and speculative discussions elsewhere, so it is nice to be able to relate them back into the authors’ own context.
Finally they go on to a couple of even more speculative discussions. First is “life not like us” — e.g., life based on silicon in place of carbon or another liquid medium in place of water. And then “life that is really not like us” — e.g., life based on electric currents and magnetic fields, or artificial life (robotic life, in some sense of “robot”).
These discussions are also very brief and sketchy, but they do serve to emphasize the importance of letting our imaginations roam freely. The authors, if they make no other point in the book, take great pains to make this one point — that we cannot limit our thinking by the one example we have of life and intelligent life, ourselves. What we find out there may be truly alien — something even beyond the bounds of the kind of liberated imagination they practice here.
All in all, I’ll have to admit that the fanciful tone of the book didn’t really hit my sweet spot. I’m not objecting to speculation — in fact, the books I mentioned above are highly speculative, just a bit more chastened by some of the problems and open questions that plague the topic.
This book is fun, it’s even a breezy read. Just don’t take it for anything other that what it is -- kind of like a stretching routine for people who want to think about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.
September 12, 2022
Ultimately, the marketing for this book is in direct conflict with the contents. It’s clear that the authors set out to write one book, and then some publishing executive got ahold of it and decided that it should have mass-market appeal, causing the project became a confusing, muddled mess.
When the speculation about the types of life that could develop on these exoplanets was getting interesting, the chapter abruptly ended. The introductory fictional paragraphs were interesting, but they were rarely, if ever, returned to later. Not much, if any, thought went into the characteristics of these “intelligent aliens, ice creatures, and supergravity animals,” so if you’re looking for a book that actually talks about things that are listed in the title, look elsewhere.
This work could have benefitted from the involvement of a biologist, as the emphasis here was much on the physics and chemistry of exoplanets; certainly, these topics are relevant here, but for a book that is promoted as being about “life,” discussion of such was significantly lacking.
The chapters that were ostensibly there to consider the possibility of like this “isn’t like us” mostly just consisted of the authors explaining why that probably wasn’t possible. Valid arguments were made, but again, that’s not what the reader was told was going to happen.
Beyond that, the writing style was awkward. Much of it read as an introductory textbook about the topics at hand, with random “asides” shoehorned into the text, as if some editor somewhere told the authors that the book needed to be more “accessible,” and this was the solution they settled on. And much of this (already short) book was repetitive, going over concepts that had already been introduced. The imagined dialogue at the end of each chapter was terrible, and I found myself skipping over it as a habit.
Finally, the latter half of the final chapter specifically focused on asteroids and whether or not humans were “safe” from them. Time was spent cataloguing major asteroid impacts on Earth, as well as discussing detection methods and possible ways to protect Earth from impacts. Interesting and important, surely, but no effort was made to tie this discussion back to the topics at hand. If this occurred elsewhere in the book, it would have been easy to overlook, but ending this book on this discussion was a strange decision, one that left a bad taste in my mouth.
When the speculation about the types of life that could develop on these exoplanets was getting interesting, the chapter abruptly ended. The introductory fictional paragraphs were interesting, but they were rarely, if ever, returned to later. Not much, if any, thought went into the characteristics of these “intelligent aliens, ice creatures, and supergravity animals,” so if you’re looking for a book that actually talks about things that are listed in the title, look elsewhere.
This work could have benefitted from the involvement of a biologist, as the emphasis here was much on the physics and chemistry of exoplanets; certainly, these topics are relevant here, but for a book that is promoted as being about “life,” discussion of such was significantly lacking.
The chapters that were ostensibly there to consider the possibility of like this “isn’t like us” mostly just consisted of the authors explaining why that probably wasn’t possible. Valid arguments were made, but again, that’s not what the reader was told was going to happen.
Beyond that, the writing style was awkward. Much of it read as an introductory textbook about the topics at hand, with random “asides” shoehorned into the text, as if some editor somewhere told the authors that the book needed to be more “accessible,” and this was the solution they settled on. And much of this (already short) book was repetitive, going over concepts that had already been introduced. The imagined dialogue at the end of each chapter was terrible, and I found myself skipping over it as a habit.
Finally, the latter half of the final chapter specifically focused on asteroids and whether or not humans were “safe” from them. Time was spent cataloguing major asteroid impacts on Earth, as well as discussing detection methods and possible ways to protect Earth from impacts. Interesting and important, surely, but no effort was made to tie this discussion back to the topics at hand. If this occurred elsewhere in the book, it would have been easy to overlook, but ending this book on this discussion was a strange decision, one that left a bad taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2023
✨3,5 ✨
February 5, 2020
An amazing book that makes you look at the possible planets and life that could exist on them. I had a lot of fun reading it. It is definitely able to ground your thoughts on what is likely and what isn't. If you are writing a sci-fy novel, this book will help with the science part and the rest you can distort at your leisure. I had a fantastic time, and I'm sure you will too!
March 25, 2023
This may be thought provoking for somebody who is just getting started in arm-chair astrobiology or alien life but it's nothing groundbreaking. It doesn't really go into detail of how life would emerge or evolve beyond "some life is here and here is an obvious core tech it would need to cope with it's planet". The content felt light and more of a light read at bedtime than something to really get you thinking.
July 4, 2025
LOVE THIS ONE!!! honestly so great even if you don't normally love nonfiction because it's more of a thought experiment than anything else. almost nothing is actually backed up by significant research (the focus of the book is speculating about what COULD exist) so there's no facts and jargon to get bogged down by. excellent, easy read.
October 30, 2024
The way that planetary science was explained is phenomenal. One of the best science books I’ve ever read. There wasn’t one page that left me confused and there was so much information to gain from reading this.
April 30, 2022
3.5/5
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