Evolving the Alien/The Science of Aliens (BOOKS!)

I have just oredered these 2 books from Amazon. I ordered "Evolving" after a word of mouth comment from someone whose thoughts and intelligence I respect and "science of" because it was going cheap.

I am wondering if any of you peeps have read either of these books and what you can tell me about them.

I am normally quite a heady reader, although I enjoy all books that are well written and thought provoking, if they are in any way patronising or blatently sensationalist or untrue then I get angry and end up chucking the book across the room or at times, out of the window.

So, do you fancy giving a brief review? Maybe let us know what you got from the books?

If anyone is interested, I will do my own brief review after I have read each one.

Thankyou!


FYI

The Science of Aliens

"Generates a sense of wonder, 20 January, 1999

Reviewer: [email protected] from Cornwall, UK

Dr Clifford Pickover's book "Science of Aliens" evokes a sense of wonder often absent in much so called science *fiction* these days, especially the political wranglings of humans dressed in funny rubber make up kits in Star Trek, X Files or Babylon 5.
He discusses issues such as whether aliens will offer humanity immortality as means of subduing our warlike nature. Even more mind stretching is the possibility that when all matter is exhausted in the universe after 10^100 years, there will still exist a "diffuse sea of electrons". He evokes questions such as: Could these be arranged into structures to contain the intelligence of immortals left over from the age of matter? Could these structures simulate universes of matter that appear to their inhabitants to be like the universe we currently inhabit? On the basis that most of the lifespan of the universe will be spent in this state, it is in fact more probable that we inhabit such a simulation than the real thing!
Dr Pickover speculates further about way life could survive in this post-matter age of the universe in "Science of Aliens".
Science of Aliens is an easy fun to read type of book. It may not be the first book to touch on each topic within it, but it does collect them together in a format and with a title to attract new readers into thinking about"

Evolving the Alien: The Science of Extraterrestrial Life

"Tribbles could really happen?, 29 March, 2003
Reviewer: gsuul from St. Albans, United Kingdom
I bought this book after reading The Science of the Discworld I and II, and was very pleased I had done so. Sometimes the science was a bit beyond me, but with careful thought I could get to grips with it. It's all very clearly explained, it's no fault of the authors' that I'm just not a science person! It is a very detailed, thorough book, that is concerned in a great part with a counter-argument to a theory that says that earth is amazingly unique and the only possible place that life could ever evolve, ever. Cohen and Stewart carefully explain that earth is the only place where humans, dolphins and bees could evolve, true, but what about other forms of life, that could survive in conditions completely hostile to us? That there could be something on Jupiter right now thinking "how could anything live in an atmosphere with so much horribly poisonous oxygen" is the basic idea of this book.

They use fictional aliens to show what could (and couldn't) possibly exist, and also include a theory as to how tribbles could actually have evolved. This also had the excellent side-effect of introducing me to a whole load of new novels that I would probably not have read if they hadn't had a mention in this book. There is also a short story running throughout the book about a pair of aliens who run holidays to earth, which illustrates how hard it would be to recognise extra-terrestial intelligent life even if it were sharing a beach with us. All in all a very informative and interesting book that opened my mind up to a whole new range of possibilities for alien life that I had never even considered. "


[Edited on 3-3-2004 by triplesod]

is no-body interested in good books anymore?

Originally posted by triplesod
is no-body interested in good books anymore?

you never read them how would you know they are good?

Originally posted by triplesod
is no-body interested in good books anymore?

Booookkk? What's a book? Hey, somethings coming on the tube!

But seriously, I really only read books on physics, psychology and philosophy with the ocasional cyber horror novel.

Originally posted by Jonna

Originally posted by triplesod
is no-body interested in good books anymore?

Booookkk? What's a book? Hey, somethings coming on the tube!

But seriously, I really only read books on physics, psychology and philosophy with the ocasional cyber horror novel.

You will find thatr these books are in fact everything you mentioned, minus the "cyber horror"

Anxiously awaiting your review...haven't heard of them before, but then, there are a lot of new alien books I haven't gotten to yet.....

Originally posted by Gazrok
Anxiously awaiting your review...haven't heard of them before, but then, there are a lot of new alien books I haven't gotten to yet.....

Well, I havent been able to put it down so far (cept today for the match Man United 2-1 Fulham).

It is quite a hefty book, so you will have to wait another week or so probably.

BUt i can already tell you that it is definately worth getting your hands on Gaz.

I'm positive you will be able to find it in your American Amazon.

I am sure that, like me, you will see many of these posts in a different light after the first few chapters.


Great book

Triplesod, can you check if the "Evolving the Alien: The Science of Extraterrestrial Life"-book has anything about silicon-based life. As you may or may not know, I'm doing an ATS research project on silicon-based life and the description of the book suggests it might talk about this as well.

Originally posted by amantine
and the description of the book suggests it might talk about this as well.

it does. But to what extent, i cannot tell you yet.

I will let you know when i can.

well post us a book report buddy