Otherlands

A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds

By: Thomas Halliday

Narrated by: Adetomiwa Edun

“Immersive . . . bracingly ambitious . . . rewinds the story of life on Earth—from the mammoth steppe of the last Ice Age to the dawn of multicellular creatures over 500 million years ago.”—The Economist

LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE • “One of those rare books that’s both deeply informative and daringly imaginative.”—Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Prospect (UK)

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.

Good but dense

Great premise for a book on ancient ecosystems, and well written. Pretty dense for an audiobook, however.

Great writing. A wonderful listen.

This is a great work. Great writing and storytelling. The selection of a narrator with a Indian accent is questionable. The voice of narrator doesn't seem to fit the story and is often a distraction.

I Hope That I Was Up To The Challenge

I adored the work. I call books such as this a “Neutron Star.” The author packs almost an inconceivable-amount of information into 10 hours, or so.

The narrator was clear, engaging, and quite pleasant to hear.

Powerful, beautifully written, and incredibly relevant for today

I have never read a book that so brilliantly connects previous mass extinction events throughout our planet’s history with the major environmental challenges the earth is facing today. While that alone would make this an incredibly topical book that everyone should read, its incredibly evocative depictions of bygone worlds is truly a pleasure to read in its own right. While not mincing any words on the tremendous challenges that the world currently faces, the comparison to previous epochs provides a powerful anecdote to the despair and fatalism that many have embraced in response to present climate change and mass extinction crises - unlike every other mass extinction event in the planet’s history, this is the first where the driver of mass extinction (us) has the capacity to recognize and change its actions in time to prevent the even more catastrophic events to come if we don’t change our relationship with the planet. This is a must-read book for anyone interested in past who also cares about our present and the potential futures yet to come.

perceived enthusiasm of both author and reader. Convergence of prehistoric science with current state of the planet.

as a visually impaired retired USACE Wetlands Ecologist with wide ranging scientific interests, I found the story well written and detailed. Some clarification of terms and pronunciation would have been useful for listeners not used to UK accents.