Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds
- Downloads：5674
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-23 03:19:28
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Thomas Halliday
- ISBN：0593132904
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Maddy
，
A cool project that takes you back in time step by step。 Ultimately， I don't think I'll remember all the details but the big picture Halliday paints will stick with me。 A cool project that takes you back in time step by step。 Ultimately， I don't think I'll remember all the details but the big picture Halliday paints will stick with me。 。。。more
K-dizzle
，
Otherlands was unique in the way that the places visited in the book were in reverse chronological order。 I did do a great job of linking the climate change crisis to times of earth when that climate was a reality。 I think it would have benefited from more images of the creatures being described as I wasn't sure what exactly the author meant in some cases。 Otherlands was unique in the way that the places visited in the book were in reverse chronological order。 I did do a great job of linking the climate change crisis to times of earth when that climate was a reality。 I think it would have benefited from more images of the creatures being described as I wasn't sure what exactly the author meant in some cases。 。。。more
John Williams
，
Reading this book was one of the most incredible journeys。 It wasn't easy， language was quite scientific and constantly googling the vast variety of organisms mentioned seemed important。 However， it is so worth the effort。 I have learnt so much， not just about the past， but importantly， looking to the future。Marvellous。 Reading this book was one of the most incredible journeys。 It wasn't easy， language was quite scientific and constantly googling the vast variety of organisms mentioned seemed important。 However， it is so worth the effort。 I have learnt so much， not just about the past， but importantly， looking to the future。Marvellous。 。。。more
Michelle
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So facinating！ I really enjoyed this。
Lizzie Vermilion
，
this was honestly a super difficult read for me， but i learned a ton！ i think more illustrations would have been helpful to the more casual reader like me :）
Alina
，
4，5 ✨️
Abby
，
Wow， did I love this。 It fed my very specific cravings for a vivid， expansive， unpredictable journey of imagination rooted in what little we can know and observe about the world we live in。 Sunrise over Triassic forests， penguins taller than my dad， landscapes before grasses existed–nothing I’ve heard of in myth or fantasy is stranger， more fearfully or wonderfully made than the life Earth has actually hosted over millions of years。 The chapter epigraphs comprise a totally wonderful， eclectic co Wow， did I love this。 It fed my very specific cravings for a vivid， expansive， unpredictable journey of imagination rooted in what little we can know and observe about the world we live in。 Sunrise over Triassic forests， penguins taller than my dad， landscapes before grasses existed–nothing I’ve heard of in myth or fantasy is stranger， more fearfully or wonderfully made than the life Earth has actually hosted over millions of years。 The chapter epigraphs comprise a totally wonderful， eclectic commonplace book of quotes about the sea–ones I hadn’t heard， which is saying something。 The structure of the book is one chapter for each of the last sixteen epochs/periods， describing what the world is like in a particular moment revealed by fossilized episodes， and a bit of what they tell us about the workings of evolution and planetary change。 So it gets to be predictable that way。 But reading made those millions of years expand for me like an accordion， the scale of them suddenly pulling into focus。 How it was one morning and evening and then another and another。 And millions went by like that。 And they’re still going， vanishing， compressing into layers of stone。 All I can feel is lucky to be here。Post script， the jacket copy calls Thomas Halliday “the brilliant young paleobiologist” and I cannot stop laughing about it。 。。。more
Jana Rađa
，
Magical！ I listened to the audiobook but would love to see a printed edition on my shelf one day。 Otherlands is a journey into deep time， showing us the Earth as it used to exist， and the worlds that were here before ours。 Thomas Halliday is a young palaeobiologist and this is his enthralling hat tip to eras unimaginably distant。 Beautifully written; the narrator is also wonderful。 What a journey！ I listen to audiobooks when I walk our dog and it really felt as if I were walking through some str Magical！ I listened to the audiobook but would love to see a printed edition on my shelf one day。 Otherlands is a journey into deep time， showing us the Earth as it used to exist， and the worlds that were here before ours。 Thomas Halliday is a young palaeobiologist and this is his enthralling hat tip to eras unimaginably distant。 Beautifully written; the narrator is also wonderful。 What a journey！ I listen to audiobooks when I walk our dog and it really felt as if I were walking through some strange otherlands。 An experience to be repeated！ 。。。more
Hari
，
The structure of the book which is going back through time is quite difficult to follow。 Evolution is from the past to the future and it is very hard for me to read this book the way it is structured。 The good thing is the artistic style of the writer。 He wrote a scientific book as a short stories book。
Margaret Small
，
Really enjoyed this walk through the ages。 Detailed enough to captivate， all while explaining anything the layman might not understand fully。
William
，
A wonderfully narrative Time Machine journey back through the truly alien “Otherlands” that made up the lifespan of our earth。 Starting in the Ice Age and moving back through time， the author has chosen specific fossil bed locations from all over the world to represent each epoch。 The sheer genius of the book is its ability to seamlessly blend geography， flora， and fauna with the vastness of time。
Douglas
，
Excellent， evocative introduction to paleoenvironments。 Very useful ordering （recent to ancient） and very useful maps at the start of each chapter of the configuration of land and sea on the planet。 Its pencil illustrations of life forms are very well done， but there are far too few; three times as many still wouldn't be enough， Halliday does a good job of description and broad sampling of life。Very well written， precise yet far from dry academic; its style can become soaring and poetic， often t Excellent， evocative introduction to paleoenvironments。 Very useful ordering （recent to ancient） and very useful maps at the start of each chapter of the configuration of land and sea on the planet。 Its pencil illustrations of life forms are very well done， but there are far too few; three times as many still wouldn't be enough， Halliday does a good job of description and broad sampling of life。Very well written， precise yet far from dry academic; its style can become soaring and poetic， often thrilling， it gets a touch precious at times and rides the edge closely。Very strongly recommended to anyone。 。。。more
E。B。K。K。
，
One of the coolest and most impressive books I have read this year。 Very immersive and lively written。 My only （small） point of criticism is there are not enough pictures。 Each chapter is accompanied by a drawing of one of the species mentioned in said chapter: but there are so many more mentioned。 Even with my background in paleontology I had to use google quite a few times。 I would have loved landscape drawings too， to get a better glimpse of what each biome looked like。 Regardless， Otherlands One of the coolest and most impressive books I have read this year。 Very immersive and lively written。 My only （small） point of criticism is there are not enough pictures。 Each chapter is accompanied by a drawing of one of the species mentioned in said chapter: but there are so many more mentioned。 Even with my background in paleontology I had to use google quite a few times。 I would have loved landscape drawings too， to get a better glimpse of what each biome looked like。 Regardless， Otherlands/Oerland is an awesome read。 。。。more
Andrew Hopp
，
Great at painting pictures of snapshots in time from ancient to extremely ancient while exploring common themes of evolution。
Lucas Florsheim
，
OTHERLANDS: A JOURNEY THROUGH EARTH’S EXTINCT WORLDSBook Review by Lucas FlorsheimHalliday， T。 （2022） Otherlands: A journey through Earth's extinct worlds。 New York， NY: Random House。 283 pp。 ISBN:9780593132883For paleobiologists， citizen scientists， and casual nonfiction lovers alike， Thomas Halliday’s Otherlands is the next best thing to hopping into a time machine。 This journey through deep ecological time is comforting， fascinating， and at times breathtaking， as Halliday uncovers the stories OTHERLANDS: A JOURNEY THROUGH EARTH’S EXTINCT WORLDSBook Review by Lucas FlorsheimHalliday， T。 （2022） Otherlands: A journey through Earth's extinct worlds。 New York， NY: Random House。 283 pp。 ISBN:9780593132883For paleobiologists， citizen scientists， and casual nonfiction lovers alike， Thomas Halliday’s Otherlands is the next best thing to hopping into a time machine。 This journey through deep ecological time is comforting， fascinating， and at times breathtaking， as Halliday uncovers the stories of the environments and creatures of the ancient past。 Beginning 20，000 years ago with the thawing Alaskan steppe of the Pleistocene， Hallidays takes the reader across space and time all the way back 550 million years ago to life emerging as a strange microbial mat on the seafloor of Ediacaran Australia。 tHalliday’s strengths lie in his vivid descriptions of the interactions between organisms that sustain and alter ecosystems over time。 Halliday transports the reader directly into the action where they can stand looking around， absorbing the beauty and harshness of landscapes that feel simultaneously familiar and alien。 Halliday is an eloquent and poetic writer， and I found myself wanting to read passages aloud to anyone who would listen。 Halliday has a way of conveying the epic nature of ecosystem interactions， and writes dramatically and intensely about everything from a cave bear taking down a woolly mammoth to the amazing mutualistic relationship between fungi and plants that allowed plants to begin to thrive on land in the Devonian。 Even though Halliday writes beautifully， at times the language he employs is rather technical and I was thankful for my background in biology while enjoying this book。 I think Halliday does a decent job explaining concepts that he views as confusing， but I think the average reader that does not have a formal background in science may find themselves resorting to the internet for crash courses on some of the ecological concepts outlined in Otherlands。 One of my favorite features in this book were the quotes that preceded each chapter。 Halliday includes bits from Indigenous stories， segments from fables and ancient mythology， and quotables from famous pieces of literature， all of which connect to the time period that Halliday is about to explore。 These quotes serve as a reminder of the power of remembering （particularly oral histories）， and how art and storytelling can enrich our understanding of science and the past。 I found myself flipping back to these quotes， along with the ever changing maps of the Earth while reading each section。 Together these inclusions work to contextualize the scientific information Halliday so eloquently provides to us。 Although Otherlands is certainly a page-turner at times， I did feel that certain sections felt like they dragged on， and I found myself wishing that Halliday spent just a little less time on each time period。 I think this would have improved the pace of the book， and allowed the reader to find more rhythm， and perhaps read across time periods in one sitting。 I think by far my favorite aspect of this book was the soothing and comforting nature of the story that Halliday is telling。 No matter the time period he is describing， Halliday makes a point to return to some underlying common themes in the last few paragraphs of each chapter that at times left me emotional。 It is clear that Halliday is focused on conveying that life on Earth is both fragile and unstoppable。 He describes speciation， hostile landscapes， intense geological restructuring and extinction through the lens of regeneration and revitalization。 Halliday does not imply that the climate change we are facing currently is benign or expected， but he leaves the reader feeling confident in the forces of ecology and hopeful that life will find a way to continue on。 I think that Otherlands exists at the intersection of biology and earth history， and is a great pick for anyone interested in either of those topics， and perfect for someone like myself who is interested in both。 I would recommend this book to someone like my grandmother who loves to read nonfiction and is especially interested in scientific story-telling。 I would also recommend this book to anyone feeling anxious about the climate crisis， as it is a fantastic reminder of the power and resilience of the Earth’s ecosystems past and present。 。。。more
Wendy
，
fascinating and beautifully written， but also quite tough to get through （especially without a strong science background）。 each chapter unfolded with cinematic description of a disorienting and alien landscape of a corner of our earth at some time in the long distant past， at once sweeping and intimate in its detail。 i don’t have enough grounding to fully appreciate what is special/revelatory/meaningful in each landscape， and i found i struggled without characters to “follow，” but each deep pre- fascinating and beautifully written， but also quite tough to get through （especially without a strong science background）。 each chapter unfolded with cinematic description of a disorienting and alien landscape of a corner of our earth at some time in the long distant past， at once sweeping and intimate in its detail。 i don’t have enough grounding to fully appreciate what is special/revelatory/meaningful in each landscape， and i found i struggled without characters to “follow，” but each deep pre-history vignette was lushly evocative and intriguing nevertheless。 。。。more
Eleanor Morton
，
I have learnt so much with this book。 It's definitely the best scientific book I have read in a long time。Halliday has a beautiful way of immersing you in the prehistoric world and explaining the science in an understandable way without being condescending。I loved every minute of it！ I have learnt so much with this book。 It's definitely the best scientific book I have read in a long time。Halliday has a beautiful way of immersing you in the prehistoric world and explaining the science in an understandable way without being condescending。I loved every minute of it！ 。。。more
Cecilia
，
One of the best pop sci books I've read， genuinely loved it。 An emotive and absorbing journey back into geologic time， from most recent to most ancient。 One of the best pop sci books I've read， genuinely loved it。 An emotive and absorbing journey back into geologic time， from most recent to most ancient。 。。。more
Arjanne
，
Fascinating
Chip Fallaw
，
Otherlands is a book packed with high-quality， valuable information told in arguable one of the best storytelling formats。 However， I would strongly caution any prospective reader that this book is not for the faint of heart。 For someone uninterested in the chronological periods of the earth， this book is most likely not for you （at least， not yet）。 This book contains three hundred pages of descriptions about animals， environments， landscape （and masses）， all while using their proper scientific Otherlands is a book packed with high-quality， valuable information told in arguable one of the best storytelling formats。 However， I would strongly caution any prospective reader that this book is not for the faint of heart。 For someone uninterested in the chronological periods of the earth， this book is most likely not for you （at least， not yet）。 This book contains three hundred pages of descriptions about animals， environments， landscape （and masses）， all while using their proper scientific name， with only few pictures to help the reader visualize the stories as they unfold。 In fact， if you Thomas， or the publishers are reading this， I implore you to add more photos of the animals you are describing。 If this book took me 10 hours to read （hey， I read slowly， okay？）， 2。5 hours was spent Googling what the animals I was reading about looked like。 Descriptions provided are at times useful， but wouldn’t call that the strong suit of the author。The research that went into this book: impeccable。 In fact， the citations section might be as long as the book itself。 As a final takeaway， I suggest， nay， encourage prospective readers to give Otherlands a chance。 With zero distractions， you’ll breeze through this book having learned a ton and had your life as a tiny blip on Earth multi-billion year life put into perspective。 I wish GoodReads did half， or even quarter stars， because this book is a solid 4。5 stars。 For me， it didn’t make the five star mark because I spent so much time outside the book researching what I was reading inside the book， that I grew slightly frustrated towards the end。 All in all， it’s worth the journey。Enjoy！ 。。。more
Sophie
，
A lovely read that truly immerses its reader in the world of the past。 While the decision to narrate backwards in time certainly works， the final few chapters of the books do lack some of the intensity found earlier on。
YC
，
本書很特別，以倒敘法來講述地球五億多年的歷史。 從距離現今258萬年前的更新世（新生代末期）至5。42 億年前的元古宙，每一個章節皆以一個”紀”為開端，讓我們瞭解當時的生物面臨怎樣的環境變化，導致一個生態系統的終結。每一節都有一個特定地點，之所以選擇這些地點，在於此地為當今的地球留下了獨特的痕跡，每個章節之間並無明顯的連貫性，所以讀起來有點累，由於它的世界觀十分龐大， 我們可以看見生物彼此間的互動模式、當時大氣的組成結構（可以比較一下與現代的差異）以及各個時期植物的特有樣貌，作者都描述得非常詳盡，內容很豐富，因此要花不少時間消化。 市面上似乎沒有這類用大量文字描寫古中生代歷史的書，大部分都是圖鑑（EX:滅絕生物圖鑑，這我也有買XD），這類書籍大多簡單介紹古生物的學名還有特徵，而對於牠們是如何與當時的生態環境互動，則是較少著墨。本書在這方面下了很大的功夫，看每篇小故事，彷彿我也正在經歷一樣的時空，看著作者描述那些外觀功能特殊，但現今已經消失的動植物們的形態時，會讓人心中充滿感概，也能更加明白地球從來都在不斷的生滅當中，至今也仍在不斷形成。從過去的幾次大滅絕事件中，我們理解到今日認為理所當 本書很特別，以倒敘法來講述地球五億多年的歷史。 從距離現今258萬年前的更新世（新生代末期）至5。42 億年前的元古宙，每一個章節皆以一個”紀”為開端，讓我們瞭解當時的生物面臨怎樣的環境變化，導致一個生態系統的終結。每一節都有一個特定地點，之所以選擇這些地點，在於此地為當今的地球留下了獨特的痕跡，每個章節之間並無明顯的連貫性，所以讀起來有點累，由於它的世界觀十分龐大， 我們可以看見生物彼此間的互動模式、當時大氣的組成結構（可以比較一下與現代的差異）以及各個時期植物的特有樣貌，作者都描述得非常詳盡，內容很豐富，因此要花不少時間消化。 市面上似乎沒有這類用大量文字描寫古中生代歷史的書，大部分都是圖鑑（EX:滅絕生物圖鑑，這我也有買XD），這類書籍大多簡單介紹古生物的學名還有特徵，而對於牠們是如何與當時的生態環境互動，則是較少著墨。本書在這方面下了很大的功夫，看每篇小故事，彷彿我也正在經歷一樣的時空，看著作者描述那些外觀功能特殊，但現今已經消失的動植物們的形態時，會讓人心中充滿感概，也能更加明白地球從來都在不斷的生滅當中，至今也仍在不斷形成。從過去的幾次大滅絕事件中，我們理解到今日認為理所當然的景觀並非理所當然是該如此，沒有它們，沒有我們，物種的演化之路仍會持續下去。 。。。more
Aidan
，
Text is prosaic and mundane。 I expected a lot more from a book which describes itself as ''。。。exhilarating journey into deep time， showing us the Earth as it used to exist， and the worlds that were here before ours''。 It does not do any of that。 It just unimaginatively mentions some life forms and characteristics of the environment。 All the while embellishing the text with fictional details。 This is a book for an average person whose literary experience consists exclusively of works of fiction。 Text is prosaic and mundane。 I expected a lot more from a book which describes itself as ''。。。exhilarating journey into deep time， showing us the Earth as it used to exist， and the worlds that were here before ours''。 It does not do any of that。 It just unimaginatively mentions some life forms and characteristics of the environment。 All the while embellishing the text with fictional details。 This is a book for an average person whose literary experience consists exclusively of works of fiction。 Not a work to be taken seriously。 。。。more
Arlo
，
Science journalism at its best。
Rudi
，
Leuke tijd beleeft met dit boek ， van 20000 jaar geleden tot 550 miljoen jaar ， verdeeld over 16 behapbare stukken ， mijn gebrek aan kennis over geologie en biologie heb ik ingevuld met fantasie ， wonderlijk welke organismen al op de aarde zijn geweest en hoe de continenten verschuiven met verschillende klimaten ， 。。。。。。 de gassen lijken toch voor een groot stuk de klimaatsomgeving te bepalen， ik wordt er wat nieuwsgierig naar welke materie zorgt voor welke gassen en waar deze opgeslagen worden Leuke tijd beleeft met dit boek ， van 20000 jaar geleden tot 550 miljoen jaar ， verdeeld over 16 behapbare stukken ， mijn gebrek aan kennis over geologie en biologie heb ik ingevuld met fantasie ， wonderlijk welke organismen al op de aarde zijn geweest en hoe de continenten verschuiven met verschillende klimaten ， 。。。。。。 de gassen lijken toch voor een groot stuk de klimaatsomgeving te bepalen， ik wordt er wat nieuwsgierig naar welke materie zorgt voor welke gassen en waar deze opgeslagen worden en/of omgezet en wat hun relatie is met electromagnisme en zwaartekracht hoe deze elkaar beïnvloeden ， De verschillende dier en plantensoorten hebben me soms wat naar Wikipedia gebracht om deze te bekijken ， een boek dat ik enorm graag zou verfilmt zien （ via computer bewerking）） of in enkele afleveringen wat er allemaal al te be/leven is geweest op dit draaiende， puffende， bewoonbare organisme ， Het enige jammer was dat ik het boek mss achterste voren heb moesten lezen van 550 miljoen naar 20000jaar ipv。 20000jaar naar 550miloen terug ， Mee met de tijds richting 5 sterren。 Voor wie curieus is in eco en biologie ， 。。。more
Jack Bates
，
It's taken me ages to read this， partly because the library app was being annoying but also partly because it's kind of complex and intricate。 A series of detailed snapshots of time， working backwards and exploring the landscape， geology， and paleontology of long-vanished and increasingly unimaginable worlds。 I would very much like to see a Prehistoric Planet style documentary of this as visualising some of the plants and creatures was beyond me despite Halliday's excellent descriptions。 Luckily It's taken me ages to read this， partly because the library app was being annoying but also partly because it's kind of complex and intricate。 A series of detailed snapshots of time， working backwards and exploring the landscape， geology， and paleontology of long-vanished and increasingly unimaginable worlds。 I would very much like to see a Prehistoric Planet style documentary of this as visualising some of the plants and creatures was beyond me despite Halliday's excellent descriptions。 Luckily the internet allows one to look up basically anything。 Anyway it was completely fascinating and written in a very accessible way。 Heartily recommended。 A long （very long） view can be comforting。 。。。more
عبد الله القصير
，
كتاب عن تاريخ تطور الكائنات الحية في الأرض。 الكتاب ليس سيء ولكن المؤلف اختار أن يبدأ كتابه من العصور القريبة للحاضر وينطلق منها للعصور السحيقة。 هذه الطريقة بترتيب فصول الكتاب جعلته مربك نوعا ما وقطع تسلسل تطور الكائنات الطبيعي。
Amy Meacham
，
I love the author’s unusual approach to exploring the Earth’s past。 I found it somehow reassuring。 I read everything I can find on extinctions and really enjoyed his book。
Thomas Ray
，
Otherlands: A Journey through Earth's Extinct Worlds， Thomas Haliday， 2022， 385 pages， ISBN 9780593132883， Dewey 560。Views of the past （in reverse order， recent to long ago）， presented in fictional accounts of individual families of animals， in flowery prose。The Mediterranean filled， from the Atlantic， 5。33 million years ago。 It took over a year to fill。 The African tectonic plate is pushing north: Millions of years from now， Gibraltar will again close， and the sea will evaporate in 1000 years。 Otherlands: A Journey through Earth's Extinct Worlds， Thomas Haliday， 2022， 385 pages， ISBN 9780593132883， Dewey 560。Views of the past （in reverse order， recent to long ago）， presented in fictional accounts of individual families of animals， in flowery prose。The Mediterranean filled， from the Atlantic， 5。33 million years ago。 It took over a year to fill。 The African tectonic plate is pushing north: Millions of years from now， Gibraltar will again close， and the sea will evaporate in 1000 years。 。。。more
Paleoanthro
，