Otherlands: Journeys in Earth's Extinct Ecosystems
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- Create Date：2022-02-22 06:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Thomas Halliday
- ISBN：0593132882
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Summary
A stirring， eye-opening journey into deep time， from the Ice Age to the first appearance of microbial life 550 million years ago， by a brilliant young paleobiologist
The past is past， but it does leave clues， and Thomas Halliday has used cutting-edge science to decipher them more completely than ever before。 In Otherlands， Halliday makes sixteen fossil sites burst to life on the page。
This book is an exploration of the Earth as it used to exist， the changes that have occurred during its history， and the ways that life has found to adapt―or not。 It takes us from the savannahs of Pliocene Kenya to watch a python chase a group of australopithecines into an acacia tree; to a cliff overlooking the salt pans of the empty basin of what will be the Mediterranean Sea just as water from the Miocene Atlantic Ocean spills in; into the tropical forests of Eocene Antarctica; and under the shallow pools of Ediacaran Australia， where we glimpse the first microbial life。
Otherlands also offers us a vast perspective on the current state of the planet。 The thought that something as vast as the Great Barrier Reef， for example， with all its vibrant diversity， might one day soon be gone sounds improbable。 But the fossil record shows us that this sort of wholesale change is not only possible but has repeatedly happened throughout Earth history。
Even as he operates on this broad canvas， Halliday brings us up close to the intricate relationships that defined these lost worlds。 In novelistic prose that belies the breadth of his research， he illustrates how ecosystems are formed; how species die out and are replaced; and how species migrate， adapt， and collaborate。 It is a breathtaking achievement: a surprisingly emotional narrative about the persistence of life， the fragility of seemingly permanent ecosystems， and the scope of deep time， all of which have something to tell us about our current crisis。
The past is past， but it does leave clues， and Thomas Halliday has used cutting-edge science to decipher them more completely than ever before。 In Otherlands， Halliday makes sixteen fossil sites burst to life on the page。
This book is an exploration of the Earth as it used to exist， the changes that have occurred during its history， and the ways that life has found to adapt―or not。 It takes us from the savannahs of Pliocene Kenya to watch a python chase a group of australopithecines into an acacia tree; to a cliff overlooking the salt pans of the empty basin of what will be the Mediterranean Sea just as water from the Miocene Atlantic Ocean spills in; into the tropical forests of Eocene Antarctica; and under the shallow pools of Ediacaran Australia， where we glimpse the first microbial life。
Otherlands also offers us a vast perspective on the current state of the planet。 The thought that something as vast as the Great Barrier Reef， for example， with all its vibrant diversity， might one day soon be gone sounds improbable。 But the fossil record shows us that this sort of wholesale change is not only possible but has repeatedly happened throughout Earth history。
Even as he operates on this broad canvas， Halliday brings us up close to the intricate relationships that defined these lost worlds。 In novelistic prose that belies the breadth of his research， he illustrates how ecosystems are formed; how species die out and are replaced; and how species migrate， adapt， and collaborate。 It is a breathtaking achievement: a surprisingly emotional narrative about the persistence of life， the fragility of seemingly permanent ecosystems， and the scope of deep time， all of which have something to tell us about our current crisis。
Reviews
Angela
，
I found this a fascinating read， one that I can see myself dipping into many times over rather than reading the entire content in one long session。 Written in layman terms which makes it more easily understandable it is an exploration of the fauna and flora of our pre-history。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free advance review copy。
Pickle。
，
4。5*Quick review:Im not overly knowledgeable about ancient history so have scant frame for comparison，* but I thoroughly enjoyed this one。The geology I found fascinating; for example there are places under the ocean where the crust is only 5km thick， heftier under mountain ranges which in turn effects gravity， that melting icebergs have lesser effect on sea rise because of the flexibility of the crust， That the UK is rising in the North up to a centimetre a year while the South is sinking （isost 4。5*Quick review:Im not overly knowledgeable about ancient history so have scant frame for comparison，* but I thoroughly enjoyed this one。The geology I found fascinating; for example there are places under the ocean where the crust is only 5km thick， heftier under mountain ranges which in turn effects gravity， that melting icebergs have lesser effect on sea rise because of the flexibility of the crust， That the UK is rising in the North up to a centimetre a year while the South is sinking （isostatic rebound）。 I suggest having a geological time period reference handy （although the chapters are fully titled in my audiobook）。 Google was helpful when I needed to ‘see’ the various， often seemingly impossible alien-like insects， land and sea flora and fauna （I don’t know if the physical copy is illustrated）。 Halliday （luckily） is able to evoke beautifully landscape scenery and the inhabitants distinctive behaviours making it easy to visualise， giving the impression of watching BBC documentary。 This serves to lessen how daunting the vast amount of information is and smooths a swift retreat through time。 I’ll be revisiting certain memorable time periods， particularly the respective times of Orthocones and Trilobites （the Dudley Bug！）。* Apart from outdated illustrated books- John Man’s ‘day of the dinosaur’， World of the unknown。 **A few progress notes below。 。。。more
Jonathan
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Brilliant book。 I think this book should be read as a reminder that we are only the custodian of the Earth it will continue long after we have gone， even if we do not survive global warming the Earth will it has done before and well again！ Very interesting read on the various ages of the Earth moving back in time as it does！Thoroughly enjoyable read。
Cath Higgins
，
Dazzling， evocative and thought provoking。 Finally a book that got my head around what evolved when， and how， and what led to their sad demise。 So immersive， and by travelling back in time， all the weirdness feels almost normal by the time you reach it， this is a fascinating unraveling of all that has gone before， and a warning of what’s likely around the corner if humans don’t get our act together。 One of the best reads for getting some perspective of our utter insignificance in the history of Dazzling， evocative and thought provoking。 Finally a book that got my head around what evolved when， and how， and what led to their sad demise。 So immersive， and by travelling back in time， all the weirdness feels almost normal by the time you reach it， this is a fascinating unraveling of all that has gone before， and a warning of what’s likely around the corner if humans don’t get our act together。 One of the best reads for getting some perspective of our utter insignificance in the history of this enigmatic planet。 。。。more
Verity Halliday
，
Otherlands is an absolutely fascinating book taking us back through deep time， past mass extinction events to dinosaurs to trilobites to extremophile bacteria。 The reader is given a vivid picture of our world in different eras， teeming with life and variety， experiencing wildly different climates and conditions。I found it very comforting to think that even if humans make ourselves extinct through climate change， life will likely continue onwards in a different form， adapted to the different cond Otherlands is an absolutely fascinating book taking us back through deep time， past mass extinction events to dinosaurs to trilobites to extremophile bacteria。 The reader is given a vivid picture of our world in different eras， teeming with life and variety， experiencing wildly different climates and conditions。I found it very comforting to think that even if humans make ourselves extinct through climate change， life will likely continue onwards in a different form， adapted to the different conditions。 A highly recommended read。Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more
Tessa
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I really enjoyed this book it was written in such a way that anyone with an interest in the deep past could understand it my only complaint is I wish the author had started at the beginning of time and moved forward rather than starting 20，000 years ago and moving backward otherwise it was a fascinating read
Rosie reads books
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A riveting journey through deep time by an extraordinarily gifted young paleontologist。 I'm so excited for future publications and to further explore research by this author。I really wish paleobiology and paleontology books were more widely read。 It's mind altering and life enriching stuff。 A riveting journey through deep time by an extraordinarily gifted young paleontologist。 I'm so excited for future publications and to further explore research by this author。I really wish paleobiology and paleontology books were more widely read。 It's mind altering and life enriching stuff。 。。。more
Nic
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I was offered this book as an ARC through NetGalley and was immediately gripped。 Otherlands is reminiscent of Jean M。 Auel's 'Clan of the Cave Bear' in that it transports you back to earlier eras of our own planet。 This book is a fascinating insight into the natural history of our planet at times when it would have been unrecognisable to us。 This is far more technical than Auel's fantasy series and transports the reader much further back。 Be prepared for the fact that this book works backwards i I was offered this book as an ARC through NetGalley and was immediately gripped。 Otherlands is reminiscent of Jean M。 Auel's 'Clan of the Cave Bear' in that it transports you back to earlier eras of our own planet。 This book is a fascinating insight into the natural history of our planet at times when it would have been unrecognisable to us。 This is far more technical than Auel's fantasy series and transports the reader much further back。 Be prepared for the fact that this book works backwards in time so the surroundings move from the more to less familiar。 I would have devoured the book much quicker but couldn't help looking non-illustrated creatures up。I would say that the best chapter was in fact the Epilogue which put the relevance of this scientific research in a modern perspective。 I found it to be unbiased and well reasoned。 There are also extensive notes for those who want to read in more depth research。 。。。more
Vivienne
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“After travelling so far back in time， it is only by turning and looking back down the road to the present that we begin to classify those that exist in the deep past。” My thanks to Penguin Press U。K。 Allen Lane for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Otherlands: A World in the Making’ by Thomas Halliday in exchange for an honest review。 Award winning palaeobiologist Thomas Halliday takes his readers on an epic journey through half a billion years of time and across all seven continents to encounter the E “After travelling so far back in time， it is only by turning and looking back down the road to the present that we begin to classify those that exist in the deep past。” My thanks to Penguin Press U。K。 Allen Lane for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Otherlands: A World in the Making’ by Thomas Halliday in exchange for an honest review。 Award winning palaeobiologist Thomas Halliday takes his readers on an epic journey through half a billion years of time and across all seven continents to encounter the Earth as it used to be。 He writes in the Introduction: “This book is an exploration of the Earth as it used to exist， the changes that have occurred during its history， and the ways that life has found to adapt， or not。 In each chapter， guided by the fossil record， we will visit a site from the geological past to observe the plants and animals， immerse ourselves in the landscape， and learn what we can about our own world from these extinct ecosystems。”This could have been quite a dry tome but Halliday writes in an accessible and immersive style that vividly recreates these ancient landscapes。 He draws on poetry and folklore and while there are scientific names and copious notes， I felt that the text flowed well and it was easy to recreate in the mind’s eye landscapes and flora and fauna of these epochs There are maps， illustrations of various plants and creatures， notes and an index。Overall， a fascinating work of scientific nonfiction。 。。。more
Kitty McIntosh
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‘Otherlands’ by Thomas Halliday is the story of our planet。 Halliday is a paleobiologist who explains the history of our world in a way that has opened my eyes。 He goes back in time， showing how Earth has changed and developed over millions of years。 Using ecosystems and creatures we may or may not be familiar with， he makes us realise that we are but a tiny part of it all。 Halliday writes in a very accessible style。 It is not just dry facts， but imaginative and truly fascinating。 I learned so m ‘Otherlands’ by Thomas Halliday is the story of our planet。 Halliday is a paleobiologist who explains the history of our world in a way that has opened my eyes。 He goes back in time， showing how Earth has changed and developed over millions of years。 Using ecosystems and creatures we may or may not be familiar with， he makes us realise that we are but a tiny part of it all。 Halliday writes in a very accessible style。 It is not just dry facts， but imaginative and truly fascinating。 I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed it。 I was given this Arc for review。 。。。more
Letitia Mason
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An entrancing and interesting read。 The scope of this book is breathtaking， from the arrival humanoid species on the planet， all the way back through the fossil record to the dawn of time。 It revived my interest in Geology and made links between rocks， flora and fauna that I had never made before。 The writing is beautiful。 At first I thought it fanciful but then realised each chapter is based on detailed surveys of findings in the field， meticulously recorded。 Reading this book has enhanced my u An entrancing and interesting read。 The scope of this book is breathtaking， from the arrival humanoid species on the planet， all the way back through the fossil record to the dawn of time。 It revived my interest in Geology and made links between rocks， flora and fauna that I had never made before。 The writing is beautiful。 At first I thought it fanciful but then realised each chapter is based on detailed surveys of findings in the field， meticulously recorded。 Reading this book has enhanced my understanding of many aspects of the physical landscape， for example， why it is important to study plant and animal evolution and ecology， and how it can help us to look after our current landscapes。 。。。more
Irene
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You know that scene in BBC's Sherlock where he's telling Watson how he deduced that a man was an alcoholic because his phone was scratched around the charging port？ Maybe it's just me， but every night， as I struggle to plug in my phone in the dark， I have to stop myself from thinking "Sherlock would think I'm an alcoholic"。 This book is not quite as dramatic in that respect， but while it does include caveats and clarifications when something may or may not be accurate， it's still， for the most p You know that scene in BBC's Sherlock where he's telling Watson how he deduced that a man was an alcoholic because his phone was scratched around the charging port？ Maybe it's just me， but every night， as I struggle to plug in my phone in the dark， I have to stop myself from thinking "Sherlock would think I'm an alcoholic"。 This book is not quite as dramatic in that respect， but while it does include caveats and clarifications when something may or may not be accurate， it's still， for the most part， wild speculation presented as fact。 In an intricate， beautiful and immersive way！ I felt truly transported to the pre-Cambrian period， not gonna lie。 However， the fossil record and the geological facts are what they are， and there are a ton of ways to interpret them。 This is just one of them。 Maybe that specific Cambrian organism behaved like that for the reasons Halliday gives you， maybe you're an alcoholic， or maybe there's a completely different way of putting the facts together that also makes sense but we just don't have enough information to be sure。 All in all， a wonderfully enjoyable and informative book， to be taken with a grain of salt。 。。。more
Allie Byott
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An interesting read about the world over the many millions of years earth has existed。 It took me a while to read but it was very interesting and well worth the read。 I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of our planet and what existed long before our time。 I can see a lot of research went into this book。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest views。
Laura Jones
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This is a natural history book with a twist - it is about the flora， fauna and landscapes of the Earth as they were millions of years ago。 It begins in Alaska， 20，000 years ago， then each chapter goes further back in time until chapter 16， when we find ourselves in Australia， 550 million years ago; a time before Orion and Polaris， a time when the land was barren of life， yet a time when the sea became oxygenated and multicellular life began to form。A truly fascinating book， it is written in the This is a natural history book with a twist - it is about the flora， fauna and landscapes of the Earth as they were millions of years ago。 It begins in Alaska， 20，000 years ago， then each chapter goes further back in time until chapter 16， when we find ourselves in Australia， 550 million years ago; a time before Orion and Polaris， a time when the land was barren of life， yet a time when the sea became oxygenated and multicellular life began to form。A truly fascinating book， it is written in the present tense to give events more immediacy， with references to evidence found in the fossil record scattered casually throughout。 It does not read like an academic text; in fact， the language is very easy to understand and is perfect for anyone who does not have any previous knowledge of paleobiology。 Even for people well-versed in the topic， I suspect there is something new to be learned from this deeply researched book。Landscapes and life are vividly described， enabling the reader to picture the world as it was so long ago。 Even though each chapter is accompanied by one map and one beautifully rendered illustration， I personally would have liked many more illustrations， to complement the descriptions given in the book。Although this book is an accessible， entertaining read， it is incredibly rich with detail meaning it is not a book to try and read in one sitting。 But if you love reading natural history books and fancy something a little different， I heartily recommend this unique look at how life was once on Earth。With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for an advance copy of this book。 All opinions in this review are my own。 。。。more
Gayle Noble
，
Otherlands takes the reader on a journey back through time 500 million years to the Cambrian age， calling in at different places/times along the way。 500 million years is a staggering amount of time to think about， & yet the earth goes back even further to 4。5 billion （4500 million！） years ago。 It's something that is mind-blowing to even try to comprehend the sheer scale of that time。 It hammered home the fleeting impermanence of life & even considered what history could tell us about the climat Otherlands takes the reader on a journey back through time 500 million years to the Cambrian age， calling in at different places/times along the way。 500 million years is a staggering amount of time to think about， & yet the earth goes back even further to 4。5 billion （4500 million！） years ago。 It's something that is mind-blowing to even try to comprehend the sheer scale of that time。 It hammered home the fleeting impermanence of life & even considered what history could tell us about the climate change issues facing us today。The amount of detail in describing the ecosystems is amazing， it really brings the text to life。 The reader feels as if they have been whisked away in a time machine & deposited in the different time periods， I swear I could hear the chirping of the insects， the splash of the huge marine creatures， feel the heat & the extreme cold weather， & see the shadow of a pterodactyl as it flew overhead。 It could get very academic in parts， & I was glad I read it on an e-reader as it was very handy to be able to instantly look up the many terms that I was unfamiliar with。 It was also an interesting choice to work backwards， rather than start in the Cambrian & work forwards in time - I'm not sure if it would have worked better that way or not。 Anyway， it was a fascinating read & one that I thoroughly enjoyed。 My thanks to NetGalley & publishers， Allen Lane / Penguin Press UK， for the opportunity to read an ARC。 。。。more
Fran
，
This is a truly wonderful book。 The author brings vividly to life the landscape and inhabitants， with a lyrical style that makes one forget the scholarship needed to give the detailed accuracy involved。 Each different landscape and era is carefully chosen and conjured up。 The illustrations are also wonderful。 Even if this is not normally something you would be interested in， give it a look， and prepare to be surprised， as you are drawn into a day to day life both familiar and utterly strange。 It This is a truly wonderful book。 The author brings vividly to life the landscape and inhabitants， with a lyrical style that makes one forget the scholarship needed to give the detailed accuracy involved。 Each different landscape and era is carefully chosen and conjured up。 The illustrations are also wonderful。 Even if this is not normally something you would be interested in， give it a look， and prepare to be surprised， as you are drawn into a day to day life both familiar and utterly strange。 It’s a book to linger over， and enjoy。 And to give as a gift to others for the same reason。 。。。more
Aileen （Ailz） Grist
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Fascinating read， written by a paleobiologist。 An exploration of the fauna and flora of our pre-history。 He uses 16 sites around the world as a handle to what happened in epochs from 20，000 years ago to over 500 milllion years ago。 Well written in none academic language - easy enough for someone who knows next to nothing （like me） of the times。Interesting read。 I found it more for dipping in than trying to read it cover to cover。 I soon got bogged down if I tried to read too much at once。Thanks Fascinating read， written by a paleobiologist。 An exploration of the fauna and flora of our pre-history。 He uses 16 sites around the world as a handle to what happened in epochs from 20，000 years ago to over 500 milllion years ago。 Well written in none academic language - easy enough for someone who knows next to nothing （like me） of the times。Interesting read。 I found it more for dipping in than trying to read it cover to cover。 I soon got bogged down if I tried to read too much at once。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book。 This review is voluntary， honest and my own opinion。 。。。more
Amanda
，
Otherlands presents our current understanding of Earth’s pre-history， taking sixteen fossil sites as a starting point。It covers the evolution of life， a range of ecosystems， extinction events， climate change， and ends with a conjecture of what the future holds for our planet。 Palaeobiologist Halliday is skilled at delivering what can be complex information in an engaging and accessible way。 Using the present tense and factional writing techniques， he places the reader in time and place。 With tha Otherlands presents our current understanding of Earth’s pre-history， taking sixteen fossil sites as a starting point。It covers the evolution of life， a range of ecosystems， extinction events， climate change， and ends with a conjecture of what the future holds for our planet。 Palaeobiologist Halliday is skilled at delivering what can be complex information in an engaging and accessible way。 Using the present tense and factional writing techniques， he places the reader in time and place。 With thanks to NetGallery and Penguin Press UK for the ARC。Fascinating。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
，
Traveling backward in time， this book creates glimpses into worlds that existed thousands or millions of years ago。 It shows us moments when dramatic change was underway—all these transition helping to create the Earth we live in today。 The order in which the story is told makes it more poignant。 Instead of a triumphant march from a barren planet to the rise of humans， it creates more of a sense of how magnificent each of these worlds was in their own right。 Humans were not the end game。 And yet Traveling backward in time， this book creates glimpses into worlds that existed thousands or millions of years ago。 It shows us moments when dramatic change was underway—all these transition helping to create the Earth we live in today。 The order in which the story is told makes it more poignant。 Instead of a triumphant march from a barren planet to the rise of humans， it creates more of a sense of how magnificent each of these worlds was in their own right。 Humans were not the end game。 And yet， as the epilogue points out， we've reshaped the Earth to meet our needs。 Humans are so good at exploiting resources， we've left little behind for other species。 That's not something to be ashamed of—that's evolution。 But if we don't become better skilled at taking care of our fragile ecosystem， we could soon reshape the Earth in ways that don't serve us。 That's the ultimate message of this book。 It's a warning but also an expression of hope。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Annarella
，
This is one of the most fascinating and well written book about the story of flora and fauna through the ages I've ever read。I found it riveting and gripping， informative and well researched。 It's full of descriptions that made me feel like I was watching a movie， and food for thought as there's references to our current climate crisis。It was like travelling in time and seeing how the planet and its inhabitants evolved。I loved it and it's strongly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Net This is one of the most fascinating and well written book about the story of flora and fauna through the ages I've ever read。I found it riveting and gripping， informative and well researched。 It's full of descriptions that made me feel like I was watching a movie， and food for thought as there's references to our current climate crisis。It was like travelling in time and seeing how the planet and its inhabitants evolved。I loved it and it's strongly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Jenny H
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A book to delve into。 A fascinating account of the geological history of the world， ending with a look forward to how things might be in the future。 The descriptions are so vivid you feel you are walking on ancient glaciers or high mountains watching the ocean below。 A masterpiece。
Ula Tardigrade
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What a strange， beautiful book！ I like to read about ancient， extinct worlds but this one truly stands out。The author， a paleontologist himself， combines scientific knowledge - not only paleontology but also geology， climatology， evolutionary biology， and genetics， to name a few - with exquisite literary or even poetic style。 The result is eye opening and engaging。 Focusing not on single extinct species at any time but on the whole ecosystem， Tomas Hallidays offers you a glimpse into the eponymo What a strange， beautiful book！ I like to read about ancient， extinct worlds but this one truly stands out。The author， a paleontologist himself， combines scientific knowledge - not only paleontology but also geology， climatology， evolutionary biology， and genetics， to name a few - with exquisite literary or even poetic style。 The result is eye opening and engaging。 Focusing not on single extinct species at any time but on the whole ecosystem， Tomas Hallidays offers you a glimpse into the eponymous “Otherlands”。 He also gives you a sobering perspective on our - humanity’s - problems。 Climate change？ There were times when lush forests lived through polar nights in the Antarctic。 Mass extinction？ After all， it is the sixth in a row， at least。 Invasive species？ Nature changes all the time and there is no such thing as permanent native ones。Strongly recommended to fans of Richard Fortey or Steve Brusatte but I think every fan of modern， poetic nature writing will love this book。Thanks to the publisher， Random House， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more
Karen Bell
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Thought this book would be a bit dry and academic but was very surprised。 Think it will take me a long time to read this book as it is quite academic in the respect it is a big educational read but it is so engaging。 It reads like an engaging immersive novel。 You can almost imagine yourself there。 A big read but we'll worth it ！ Thought this book would be a bit dry and academic but was very surprised。 Think it will take me a long time to read this book as it is quite academic in the respect it is a big educational read but it is so engaging。 It reads like an engaging immersive novel。 You can almost imagine yourself there。 A big read but we'll worth it ！ 。。。more
Krista
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