A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters
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- Create Date：2022-01-10 08:51:14
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Henry Gee
- ISBN：1250276659
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Summary
"[A]n exuberant romp through evolution， like a modern-day Willy Wonka of genetic space。 Gee’s grand tour enthusiastically details the narrative underlying life’s erratic and often whimsical exploration of biological form and function。” —Adrian Woolfson， The Washington Post
In the tradition of Richard Dawkins， Bill Bryson， and Simon Winchester—An entertaining and uniquely informed narration of Life's life story。
In the beginning， Earth was an inhospitably alien place—in constant chemical flux， covered with churning seas， crafting its landscape through incessant volcanic eruptions。 Amid all this tumult and disaster， life began。 The earliest living things were no more than membranes stretched across microscopic gaps in rocks， where boiling hot jets of mineral-rich water gushed out from cracks in the ocean floor。
Although these membranes were leaky， the environment within them became different from the raging maelstrom beyond。 These havens of order slowly refined the generation of energy， using it to form membrane-bound bubbles that were mostly-faithful copies of their parents—a foamy lather of soap-bubble cells standing as tiny clenched fists， defiant against the lifeless world。 Life on this planet has continued in much the same way for millennia， adapting to literally every conceivable setback that living organisms could encounter and thriving， from these humblest beginnings to the thrilling and unlikely story of ourselves。
In A （Very） Short History of Life on Earth， Henry Gee zips through the last 4。6 billion years with infectious enthusiasm and intellectual rigor。 Drawing on the very latest scientific understanding and writing in a clear， accessible style， he tells an enlightening tale of survival and persistence that illuminates the delicate balance within which life has always existed。
In the tradition of Richard Dawkins， Bill Bryson， and Simon Winchester—An entertaining and uniquely informed narration of Life's life story。
In the beginning， Earth was an inhospitably alien place—in constant chemical flux， covered with churning seas， crafting its landscape through incessant volcanic eruptions。 Amid all this tumult and disaster， life began。 The earliest living things were no more than membranes stretched across microscopic gaps in rocks， where boiling hot jets of mineral-rich water gushed out from cracks in the ocean floor。
Although these membranes were leaky， the environment within them became different from the raging maelstrom beyond。 These havens of order slowly refined the generation of energy， using it to form membrane-bound bubbles that were mostly-faithful copies of their parents—a foamy lather of soap-bubble cells standing as tiny clenched fists， defiant against the lifeless world。 Life on this planet has continued in much the same way for millennia， adapting to literally every conceivable setback that living organisms could encounter and thriving， from these humblest beginnings to the thrilling and unlikely story of ourselves。
In A （Very） Short History of Life on Earth， Henry Gee zips through the last 4。6 billion years with infectious enthusiasm and intellectual rigor。 Drawing on the very latest scientific understanding and writing in a clear， accessible style， he tells an enlightening tale of survival and persistence that illuminates the delicate balance within which life has always existed。
Reviews
adeline Bronner
，
Great one and funny and witty。 Conclusion is stop whining we are all going to die and our species is no different… but after us so many new possibilities and adventures for new species until this old lady stops spinning around its axis。 👏
Books， Brews & Booze
，
The content of “A （Very） Short History of Life on Earth” by Henry Gee was fine。 Interesting and relatively engaging， bearing in mind that this is not a light read。 Rather， it’s more scholarly。For me personally， when I have a scholarly audiobook， it would be better if I had a print copy to follow along with。 It deepens my understanding more， so if you’re like me， I’d recommend having a print version too， for optimal retention and comprehension。I have a very strong opinion on the sound effects in The content of “A （Very） Short History of Life on Earth” by Henry Gee was fine。 Interesting and relatively engaging， bearing in mind that this is not a light read。 Rather， it’s more scholarly。For me personally， when I have a scholarly audiobook， it would be better if I had a print copy to follow along with。 It deepens my understanding more， so if you’re like me， I’d recommend having a print version too， for optimal retention and comprehension。I have a very strong opinion on the sound effects in the audiobook。 I’d prefer them to be eliminated entirely。 They either didn’t add to the book at all， or detracted from the content。 Example: The loud chewing sound of a dinosaur tearing into flesh and the wails of a baby。This is no fault of the author， but dang， books about the earth’s history can be depressing！ The last chapter is all about how humans will go extinct， and you can have a little hope， but not a lot。 I mean， I know that’s the way it’s going， but this book is about the history of the earth， not the future！ I know， I know - they’re intertwined。 The past was， at one point， the future。 Just know that the last chapter can be deeply discouraging， so queue up a feel-good movie or book after you’re done reading/listening！Thank you Netgalley， for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook。 。。。more
Jim
，
For the most part this is too academic。 It was not until he talks about Pangaea breaking up and mammals making an appearance - and beyond， that it gets interesting。 Also。 。 。 the last few pages on the fate of man， etc。， was very good。
Jim Morton
，
Fascinating。。。we'll worth reading。。。 Fascinating。。。we'll worth reading。。。 。。。more
Kiki Z
，
DNF'd 50%。 It may be short but by god is it wordy。 And dry。 And someone had way too much fun with the sound effects on the audiobook; it was distracting。 DNF'd 50%。 It may be short but by god is it wordy。 And dry。 And someone had way too much fun with the sound effects on the audiobook; it was distracting。 。。。more
Chris
，
Due to the accuracy of its title， the book deserves five stars。 However， life is never that simple。 More consideration needs to be made。In the spirit of the book， I'll keep my review brief。 There is a lot of information shared in this book。 Like， a lot。 You take in so much about each time period， and the writing is dense。 However， you get pushed through so much information that the whole book feels like one long prologue。Have you ever read a 200 page prologue？ It gets tiring after the first 50 p Due to the accuracy of its title， the book deserves five stars。 However， life is never that simple。 More consideration needs to be made。In the spirit of the book， I'll keep my review brief。 There is a lot of information shared in this book。 Like， a lot。 You take in so much about each time period， and the writing is dense。 However， you get pushed through so much information that the whole book feels like one long prologue。Have you ever read a 200 page prologue？ It gets tiring after the first 50 pages。 Then you realize you have more to read。And so many names of creatures get thrown at you as you read。 If you're not already familiar with them， they either become a pain point because you stop to look them up because you *must* know what they are or they become words to skim if they are not immediately recognizable。 As an adult I'm not supposed to make suggestions like this， but it could have used some pictures。 （Surprisingly， a book picked out by my 4 year-old makes for a nice companion piece for certain sections of the book。 I'll have to find it in the stacks in order to provide the title。） I guess pictures would make it less brief。 Some sacrifices need to be made。It is an incredibly informative book worth reading if you have any interest in the development of the planet and all of its inhabitants over time。 Worth reading at least once。[I received an advance copy through a giveaway。 It should have been read sooner， but the topic was very popular in my household。 My 8 year-old initially stole the book and proclaimed it was the best thing ever after a few pages。 Then my partner claimed the book as I was still reading something else。 It was only fairly recently I was allowed a turn with the book I was responsible for introducing to everyone。] 。。。more
Art
，
This is the first time I have read Henry Gee。。。。。and he does a fairly good job of walking you through how the Earth and humans （as we basically know them today） have evolved from the primordial soup。 That having been said， I found the book to be a bit dry， perhaps overladen with scientific terms which I generally understood。。。。。but will never retain much beyond this reading。。。。so for the average reader。。。。。what's the point？ To cut to the chase， single celled organisms morphed and adapted into mo This is the first time I have read Henry Gee。。。。。and he does a fairly good job of walking you through how the Earth and humans （as we basically know them today） have evolved from the primordial soup。 That having been said， I found the book to be a bit dry， perhaps overladen with scientific terms which I generally understood。。。。。but will never retain much beyond this reading。。。。so for the average reader。。。。。what's the point？ To cut to the chase， single celled organisms morphed and adapted into more complex organisms which morphed and evolved into yet more complex organisms developing mouths， noses， anuses， more complex brains until。。。。voila！。。。。。they started walking on two feet， learning how to run and so on。。。。。all the while being vexed by a somewhat uncooperative Mother Nature spewing gas and volcanic ash all about。 I kinda knew all this already in broad terms。。。。。but Gee does help flesh out some of the details and I learned a good bit about how certain aspects of evolution drove things （anuses basically created a sense of direction。。。forward， mouth in front， tail behind。。。it just works that way）。 Worth the handful of hours I spent reading it。。。。but not overly anxious to read him again。 。。。more
Jo-jean Keller
，
I was entertained， interested and intrigued by A Very Short History！ I will be doing some of the further reading that Gee suggests！
Farhan
，
4。5/5。 One of the best books I've read this year。 Short excellent read for someone who wants to get the history of life on Earth。 Reads more like a story than a history。 Highly recommended。 4。5/5。 One of the best books I've read this year。 Short excellent read for someone who wants to get the history of life on Earth。 Reads more like a story than a history。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Evaczyk
，
4，6 Milliarden Jahre Erdgeschichte komprimiert auf gerade mal gut 300 Seiten - da hat der langjährige "Nature" Chefredakteur Henry Gee in der Tat "Eine （sehr） kurze Geschichte des Lebens" aufgeschrieben， aus der ersichtlich wird， dass der Homo Sapiens， also unsere Spezies， letztlich nur eine winzige Fußnote in der Geschichte des Planeten ist。 Mit der Mischung aus unterhaltsam und aufklärerisch， einem Ton leichten Understatements ist dieses Sachbuch im besten Sinne sehr britisch。 Man kann sich ge 4，6 Milliarden Jahre Erdgeschichte komprimiert auf gerade mal gut 300 Seiten - da hat der langjährige "Nature" Chefredakteur Henry Gee in der Tat "Eine （sehr） kurze Geschichte des Lebens" aufgeschrieben， aus der ersichtlich wird， dass der Homo Sapiens， also unsere Spezies， letztlich nur eine winzige Fußnote in der Geschichte des Planeten ist。 Mit der Mischung aus unterhaltsam und aufklärerisch， einem Ton leichten Understatements ist dieses Sachbuch im besten Sinne sehr britisch。 Man kann sich geradezu die hochgezogene Augenbrauc des Autors vorstellen， während er Betrachtungen über die faszinierenden Wesen anstellt， die die Erde einst bevölkert haben und immer noch Nachfahren haben， die auf der Erde leben - nur， wie lange noch？Die Karriere aller Lebewesen ende mit dem Aussterben， zitiert Gee in seinem Nachwort den britischen Politiker Enoch Powell。 Und Homo Sapiens werde dabei keine Ausnahme sein。 Das liegt nicht nur allein an den Zerstörungen， die die Menschen gerade in den letzten Jahren und Jahrzehnten angerichtet haben， sondern in der Natur des Planeten und des Universums。 Die Massensterben， die die Erde schon erlebt hat， sind das beste Beispiel。 Fast schon tröstlich， dass bei allen negativen Beiträgen unserer Spezies die befürchtete sixth extinction danach nicht allein auf menschliches Fehlbetragen zurückgeht， sondern eben auch in der Natur der Dinge liegt， dem Wechsel von Warm und Kaltzeiten。 Ein Paläontologe wie Gee blickt anders auf Zeiträume als andere Menschen， er denkt in Zeitreihen， die mehrere Millionen Jahre umfassen。 Da stellt sich vielleicht eine gewisse Gelassenheit an， schließlich ist alles relativ， wenn Magmablasen und giftige Gase， Asteroiden und Riesentsunamis das Leben schon ein paarmal fast vollständig von der Erde gefegt haben。 Dass Leben trotzdem entsteht und immer wieder entstanden ist， von winzigen Organismen bis hin zu hochkomplexen Arten， zeigt Gee in diesem Buch， dem die Faszination anzumerken ist， die auch der Autor angesichts der Vielfalt des Lebens lange vor unseer Zeit spürt。Schade， dass es außer den schematischen Karten der Erdzeitalter keine Illustrationen gibt， die diese Vielfalt auch optisch verdeutlichen， obwohl die für ein Sachbuch durchaus bildhafte Schreibweise doch die Vorstellungskraft anregt。 Wer als Kind mit Dinosauriern auf du und du war， ist hier klar im Vorteil。 Der Anspruch， das zeigt schon der Titel， ist nicht， das endgültige Buch über die Geschichte des Lebens auf der Erde zu schreiben， sondern einen Abriss in für Laien verständlicher Form zu geben und eine Einordnung zu versuchen。 Und genau das ist sehr gut gelungen - mit ein paar Anekdoten， Fußnoten， die den interessierten Leser bei weiterem Eindringen in die Materie unterstützen und einer gewisen Leichtigkeit des Seins in dem Wissen， dass irgendwann einmal die Zeit für unsere Art ebenso abgelaufen sein wird wie für die Dinosaurier。 Doch für Gee ist das kein Grund， Trübsal zu blasen （wir werden das ohnehin nicht erleben）。 Dum vivimus vivamus， sagten schon die alten Römer。 Ganz ähnlich muntert Gee seine Leser mit den letztzen Worten seines Buchs auf: "Deshalb verzagt nicht。 Noch dreht sich unsere Erde， und das Leben dauert an。" 。。。more
Margaret
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Had to quit audiobook because of the weird background music。 WHY？The reviews about the book seem a bit exaggerated “delightful” “fast paced”。 While that may be true， the narrator （the author） spoke reeeallllyyyy slowlllyyy， so I sped him up。 I did enjoy just getting an overview of all kind of complicated scientific information about the history of life on earth。I may try to finish by reading。
Carroll Nelson Davis
，
This book's background is clearly evidence-based science but the presentation is that of a story rather than a treatise or textbook。 Scientific names and details of lifeforms appear often， but the focus is sharply and consistently on the big-picture narrative。 The subject is as the title suggests -- comprehensive biology and evolution of lifeforms on Earth across geologic time -- through much of the book， but at the point where primates and then hominids arise， it narrows to anthropology。 This book's background is clearly evidence-based science but the presentation is that of a story rather than a treatise or textbook。 Scientific names and details of lifeforms appear often， but the focus is sharply and consistently on the big-picture narrative。 The subject is as the title suggests -- comprehensive biology and evolution of lifeforms on Earth across geologic time -- through much of the book， but at the point where primates and then hominids arise， it narrows to anthropology。 。。。more
mellidiezahnfee
，
Dieses Buch durfte ich als Hörbuch genießen und es hat mir richtig gut gefallen。 Ich musste zwischendurch immer mal wieder Pausen einlegen， da mein Gehirn irgendwann genauso löchrig war wie die erwähnten Schwämme und mir von den vielen Fachbegriffen der Kopf schwirrte。 Doch die Übersicht， die dieses Buch bietet， ist klasse。 Die gesamte Erdgeschichte ， und das ist ja doch ein recht langer Zeitraum， ist gut beschrieben und ich finde， die Sprecherin hat das Buch sehr gut sprachlich umgesetzt。 Sie h Dieses Buch durfte ich als Hörbuch genießen und es hat mir richtig gut gefallen。 Ich musste zwischendurch immer mal wieder Pausen einlegen， da mein Gehirn irgendwann genauso löchrig war wie die erwähnten Schwämme und mir von den vielen Fachbegriffen der Kopf schwirrte。 Doch die Übersicht， die dieses Buch bietet， ist klasse。 Die gesamte Erdgeschichte ， und das ist ja doch ein recht langer Zeitraum， ist gut beschrieben und ich finde， die Sprecherin hat das Buch sehr gut sprachlich umgesetzt。 Sie hat es tatsächlich geschafft durch Betonungen ein wenig Spannung in dieses Sachbuch zu sprechen und die Stimmlage fand ich recht angenehm。Ich mag gerne Bücher ， die mir etwas erklären， ohne belehrend zu wirken und mir Inhalte übersichtlich darstellen。 Deshalb kann ich dieses Buch auch nur sehr lobend jedem ans Herz legen， der gerne gut gemachte Sachbücher liest。 Wobei ich als kleinen Hinweis geben mag， dass das Hörbuch zwar super ist， ich aber dennoch das geschriebene Wort vorziehen würde。 Hier haben mir Bilder， Hinweise und Pausen gefehlt。 Trotzdem volle Punktzahl danke für dieses tolle Buch。 。。。more
Jennie Chantal
，
Definitely lots of fascinating things in this book。 The writing was often a bit dry and I think it would have been 100% better with some pictures。 My main issue is with the assumptions the author makes， throughout， and particularly in the last chapter。 While there is a chapter note disclaimer stating from this point on he is "making stuff up"， in the actual chapter is writes as if it is facts。 How many people actually go to the back of the book and read the chapter notes？ It's misleading。 What I Definitely lots of fascinating things in this book。 The writing was often a bit dry and I think it would have been 100% better with some pictures。 My main issue is with the assumptions the author makes， throughout， and particularly in the last chapter。 While there is a chapter note disclaimer stating from this point on he is "making stuff up"， in the actual chapter is writes as if it is facts。 How many people actually go to the back of the book and read the chapter notes？ It's misleading。 What I liked most about this book was how reassuring it was that the planet will outlive us。 It has survived so much and I've no doubt it will keep on surviving whatever we do to it。 Not to say I think we should be complacent or apathetic！ We should definitely aim to "save the planet" for future generations as much as we can。 。。。more
Laurel
，
Really fascinating！I’m curious on how the planet will look in 1000+ years — according to this book - bats will be the top tier and sharks will still keep swimming and small mammals like ferrets and voles will still be around - anything bigger will be worm foodThis book made me feel like I’m just a small small itty bitty piece of this planet’s history - which was cool 🌎
Randy L。 Smith
，
I struggled through the first hundred pages for two reasons。 Scientific names for events and beings。 the names are long with unique spelling and I have no past exposure， public school educated。 %*#！ evolved separate food intake and an anus at the opposite end which evolved into a larger and oxygen emitting ！#*% before the slushie age。 I highlighted and read explanations of these words， but still struggled to make them real。Conversely， the final 100+ pages were very interesting and enlightening e I struggled through the first hundred pages for two reasons。 Scientific names for events and beings。 the names are long with unique spelling and I have no past exposure， public school educated。 %*#！ evolved separate food intake and an anus at the opposite end which evolved into a larger and oxygen emitting ！#*% before the slushie age。 I highlighted and read explanations of these words， but still struggled to make them real。Conversely， the final 100+ pages were very interesting and enlightening especially with an epilogue simply explaining the reality。 I trust the effort to read the first 100 pages allowed me to better understand the last 100 pages。 。。。more
Frank Schofield
，
Not to many books exhaust me。 I say exhaust but in a good way。 A learning and educational way。 This book was a fantastic way to learn about the well like the title says the history of the Earth。 Pick it up and enjoy the learning experience。
D
，
This is very close to a three， but has no PICTURES WE NEED PICTURES。 If there were pictures it would easily be a three。 I read this as an audiobook and was disappointed to hear about all the animals; so I looked at the actual book and was STILL disappointed。Otherwise this was。。。。 fine。 It wasn't much new knowledge for me， although I did get refreshed on a lot of stuff I used to know and totally forgot。 Most of this I think was from Larry Gonick's A Cartoon History of the Universe， which I loved This is very close to a three， but has no PICTURES WE NEED PICTURES。 If there were pictures it would easily be a three。 I read this as an audiobook and was disappointed to hear about all the animals; so I looked at the actual book and was STILL disappointed。Otherwise this was。。。。 fine。 It wasn't much new knowledge for me， although I did get refreshed on a lot of stuff I used to know and totally forgot。 Most of this I think was from Larry Gonick's A Cartoon History of the Universe， which I loved （and note: had pictures）， and covers a similar scale at a similar detail level。This book did do something that others never did - I usually get super bored when they talk about the human part of it， not sure why but I just do， and he approached it in a way that kept my interest and taught me something new。 So at least there's that！Overall his writing style was fun but nothing was super novel。 Still， certainly a quick read so no harm done。 。。。more
David White
，
I enjoy "Big History" type books。 Titles like "Sapiens"， "Guns， Germs & Steel" and "Origin Story" were fascinating to read and give us a sense of scale when it comes to the progress of our species。 I picked this up in Easons a couple of months ago without knowing too much about it。Author Henry Gee is an editor and writer at Nature Magazine and does an excellent job of explaining detailed scientific information in a readable manner for non-experts。The book is a whistle-stop tour of how life emerg I enjoy "Big History" type books。 Titles like "Sapiens"， "Guns， Germs & Steel" and "Origin Story" were fascinating to read and give us a sense of scale when it comes to the progress of our species。 I picked this up in Easons a couple of months ago without knowing too much about it。Author Henry Gee is an editor and writer at Nature Magazine and does an excellent job of explaining detailed scientific information in a readable manner for non-experts。The book is a whistle-stop tour of how life emerged and evolved on Earth， from the creation of Earth itself up to recent times。 It's high level， and a relatively brief book。 My copy is 319 pages long， but when notes are excluded it's only 234 pages of actual content。 We learn about how life first emerged in the seas， and eventually made it to land， both plant and creature。 It tells us of the major extinction events which occurred， and how life managed to reemerge and flourish。 It's gives us the science behind how the climate changed at various points in the planet's cycle and how it impacted life on the surfaces （ice ages， for example）。 Because it's a high level overview， Gee makes it easy for the reader to conceptualize the different stages of Earth's development， without getting bogged down。 In the last few pages， gee takes us through what the next billion years might look like。Enjoyable and easy to read。 。。。more
Roland Glotzer
，
An excellent book that covers complex topics about the geological evolution of earth， the evolution of life from plants to animals and humans with clarity and a good sense of humour。 Moreover it speculates intelligently on what the long term future could be。 A very accessible book。
Mary Farrell
，
I enjoyed this little book。 It is concise， clearly written & contains just enough information to whet your curiosity。 A great way to learn about life a very very long time ago & a gate to further exploration。（The pre publication copy I received did not contain bibliographical references or an index-）
Geoff
，
Pretty much as advertised in the title。 Pithy but very well written and interesting chapters n the history of life on Earth， with a big focus on the adaptations that helped creatures thrive and the environmental changes （magma plumes！ ice ages！ new forests sucking plants from the atmosphere！） that led to mass extinctions。 It's always hard to understand geological time scales; a million years just seems so difficult to fathom。 But Gee does a good job of walking us through what know about so long Pretty much as advertised in the title。 Pithy but very well written and interesting chapters n the history of life on Earth， with a big focus on the adaptations that helped creatures thrive and the environmental changes （magma plumes！ ice ages！ new forests sucking plants from the atmosphere！） that led to mass extinctions。 It's always hard to understand geological time scales; a million years just seems so difficult to fathom。 But Gee does a good job of walking us through what know about so long ago。 Particular highlights are his discussion of the incredibly different anatomy of plants/"trees" in the Carboniferous forests （they were hollow！ and didn't rot because more forest floor insects didn't exist yet！）， the ways in which tectonics have shaped the plant， the details of our now extinct hominid relatives， and a discussion of what comes in the next several million years。 Gee sees human existence as a mere blip in the planet's history， which is simultaneously off putting and bracing （I mean， yeah。 We've only been around for 500，000 years or so） and even more of an existential slap in the face is his mater of fact statements that humans will be extinct in a relatively short time by geologic standards （most large animals don't seem to last more than a million years）。 But life will go on and once Earth can no longer support any life at all， the universe will go on。 Pretty humbling and made me want to both hug my kids and just marvel that we get to be here to be reflective on this amazing universe。 **Thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jin
，
Ich liebe es etwas über die Geschichte der Welt zu erfahren und auf der Suche nach einem neuen （leicht verdaulichen） Buch bin ich auf diese kurze Erzählung gestoßen。 Henry Gee fasst in kompakten Kapiteln zusammen， wie es mit dem Leben in unserem Universum anfing bis zum Entstehen des Homo Sapiens mit einem kurzen Ausblick in die Zukunft am Ende。 Es ist eine gute Zusammenfassung in einer einfachen Sprache， die trotzdem informativ und spannend erzählt ist。 Ich finde， man merkt dem Autor die Leiden Ich liebe es etwas über die Geschichte der Welt zu erfahren und auf der Suche nach einem neuen （leicht verdaulichen） Buch bin ich auf diese kurze Erzählung gestoßen。 Henry Gee fasst in kompakten Kapiteln zusammen， wie es mit dem Leben in unserem Universum anfing bis zum Entstehen des Homo Sapiens mit einem kurzen Ausblick in die Zukunft am Ende。 Es ist eine gute Zusammenfassung in einer einfachen Sprache， die trotzdem informativ und spannend erzählt ist。 Ich finde， man merkt dem Autor die Leidenschaft des Themas an und für alle， die sich allgemein für die Weltgeschichte interessieren， ist das Buch sicherlich lesenswert。 Es hilft sich in der Geschichte des Lebens zu orientieren und je nach Interesse kann man dann je nach Thema nochmal tiefer recherchieren。 Für mich war es ein gutes Einsteigerbuch und es hat mein Wissen aufgefrischt！ ** Dieses Buch wurde mir über NetGalley als E-Book zur Verfügung gestellt ** 。。。more
Stephen Miller
，
Excellent book written in an engaging style。 To be sure， sometimes it is hard to absorb everything the author says because tue earth has spawned an incredible variety of species， but the author does a good job clarifying the main ideas。 I learned a lot from this book。
Michelle
，
This book is exactly as described。 It is a rapid retelling of the entire history of， well， everything。 From the big bang， to bacteria， to you and me。 And even， the end of life one day。 I listened to the audiobook， and it was really nice to listen to during my commute。 The author narrates it himself， and he really has the perfect voice for narration。 The audiobook has some quick audio effects usually reflecting whatever "scene" he's describing。 If you love science like I do， you will love this。Th This book is exactly as described。 It is a rapid retelling of the entire history of， well， everything。 From the big bang， to bacteria， to you and me。 And even， the end of life one day。 I listened to the audiobook， and it was really nice to listen to during my commute。 The author narrates it himself， and he really has the perfect voice for narration。 The audiobook has some quick audio effects usually reflecting whatever "scene" he's describing。 If you love science like I do， you will love this。Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lynne
，
I've never cared much for "earth science" and I still don't。。。I hope others will enjoy this short book。。。 I've never cared much for "earth science" and I still don't。。。I hope others will enjoy this short book。。。 。。。more
Ricky Duncan
，
To say I enjoyed this book is selling the book short。 It is well written， well researched， and is presented at the general reader’s level。 Make sure you peruse the notes， some fascinating remarks and personal-observations。 Highly recommend it for someone looking for a general knowledge of the earth and life。 As full disclosure， I received this as an ARC in exchange for a review。 Which in no way influenced my outlook。 I will be looking for other books by this author。
Danielle
，
Not as entertaining as Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything， but still fine。 I listened to the audio and I think I would prefer this as several episodes of a TV show because I miss the visuals。 Also， there were unnecessary and off putting sound effects and music。 Not as entertaining as Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything， but still fine。 I listened to the audio and I think I would prefer this as several episodes of a TV show because I miss the visuals。 Also， there were unnecessary and off putting sound effects and music。 。。。more
Brooke Stoddard
，
I give five stars begrudgingly， but this one earns them for meeting one of my criteria: Having read it makes you see life in a new way。 Chilling。 Humbling。
Michelle
，