Rating: 
Summary: What a wonderful "Life"
Review: Science is cold.Precise.
Logical.
At least that's the image we get most of the time when we read about science. What's usually missing is a sense of the passion. The inner fire that drives scientists to devote their lives to studying tiny parts of a much larger picture. The pay isn't very good, job security is non-existent (unless you have tenure) and you're looking at a minimum of a decade of training before you start. You don't last in science unless you have the passion.
And passion is what drives Richard Fortey's book, Life. Ambitiously subtitled: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth, Fortey has produced that rarest of oddities ... a scientific page-turner.
The reason his book is so engaging is that it's so personal. The book starts on Spitsbergen Island, with Fortey at the start of his career as a scientist. Continually referring to elements from his own life and career, Fortey then starts us on the odyssey of life itself. From its mysterious creation to its evolution into recognizeable forms, Fortey presents a rich pageant of life's mystery and majesty. For the rest of my review, come to exn.ca/printedmatter
Rating:
Summary: Fitting title for a rewarding read
Review: Successfully melding personal adventure with good science and skilled narrative techniques,
Fortey's book compels attention. "An Unauthorized Biography" is a telling catch phrase
conveying the idea that paleontology is a dynamic science. New ideas emerge almost with
every fossil discovery and dogmatic thoughts have no place in the science. As a professional
paleontologist [ i almost said "practicing", but his approach is far to serious for that!]. he has
all the qualifications to relate this story. With the growing number of general level books on
the development of life being released recently, it's difficult to choose among them. This book
certainly ranks among the top choices.
Quite simply, this book is what it claims to be: a history of 3 500 million years of earth's plant
and animal inhabitants. Fortey achieves masterful balance between presenting general
themes with illustrative details. In one example, he shows the value of mites in soil
development and what their loss would mean to global environment. The unspoken message
about the use of pesticides is a silent outcry for us to recognize such details.
Merged with the scientific work of many researchers are Fortey's accounts of his personal
experiences as a paleontologist. His scenario of the scientific conference makes compelling
reading for anyone wishing to grasp the underlying themes of scientific conflicts. Reaching
beyond his own work, he introduces us to many noteworthy colleagues. Few are criticized
for the value of their work, but their personal habits are subjected to pointed comments.
None of these are out of place; Fortey clearly mourns the loss of colleagues who would have
continued producing welcome results had they not been lost. On the other hand, some
contemporaries are given short shrift: although Graham Cairns Smith's proposal of clay
crystals providing the template for replicating molecules is well described, his name appears
neither in the text nor the brief bibliography.
Fortey's chapter on mammalian evolution among the finest in print. His awareness is global,
not limited to a few well-known sites. He ranges over both time and place with skilled ease,
giving the reader vivid pictures of scenarios in life's past. He's comfortable with geology,
biology and genetics. In particular, the Australian conditions over time are well drawn, an
exception to many of the books of this genre. Australia, of course, brings up the issue of
marsupials contrasted with placentals. The adaptive strengths of marsupials should have
given them a competitive edge with placental species, but remained mostly isolated on the
island continent.
Rating: 
Summary: Fortey fails to find the middle ground...
Review: The title of this book, "Life: A natural history of four billion years of life on Earth," was a great selling point for me. As an invertebrate zoologist I have an ongoing interest in learning more about where life came from, how it is interrelated, and how and when the diversity of life around us came into being. Of course, no one has definitive explanations for those kinds of topics, but I was looking forward to reading Fortey's views on the natural history of life.
As I began reading I soon became disillusioned with Fortey's approach. If he wanted to write his autobiography, wedged in here and there among his main topic, why in the world didn't he tip off the reader by having a better subtitle? I did press on and complete the book, and found it to have meaningful content and thought-provoking ideas, but after all was said and done I was left wanting.
Fortey deserves commendation for undertaking such a massive topic, in 322pp no less! As I read through his account in search of information that would provide me with a clue to the framework he uses to understand the natural history of life on earth, I felt like I hit speed bump after speed bump in the form of occasionally interesting, but often meaningless, diversions. I'm sorry, but I could really care less, for example, what a hotel traditionally frequented by paleontologists serves for breakfast, or Fortey's personal reflections on Australian ponds where "the jolly swagman rested his tuckerbag"!
Don't get me wrong, those are wonderful literary side steps in this largely scientific work, but for me they were only distractions rather than useful contributions to the work.
Fortey does do a great job in some areas...for example, he does a super job of tying together plate tectonics and continent formations, break-ups, and movements as they affect the history of life. He also does a grand job of telling the basics of what kinds of things one can learn about life and the state of the earth from the fossil and other geologic records. But even so, there is too little meat here for the scientist, and there is too little support in the form of graphs, illustrations, etc., to allow most non-professionals to keep up with what's happening. That point is evidenced by the fact that Fortey introduces many little-known, though important, animals by their scientific names, but provides no supporting illustrations to let the reader know or confirm what Fortey is talking about.
There are a few chapters that, in my opinion, Fortey got "right." Those are the chapters he said that he was loathe to write -- the chapters about dinosaurs. Fortey did a masterful job of describing this period of history, as well as the underlying major controversies and players behind those controversies. He did not accomplish those things in most of the other sections of the book.
To sum things up, Fortey did what a water color painter, Terry Madden, tells his students to do -- that is, to use the largest brush you can manage. Fortey used a large brush supported by limited detail work here and there -- not enough detail to make this book a must have for professionals, and too little on the explanation side to make this an essential book for the non-professional.
If you are looking for a great book that provides a synopsis on the natural history of life on earth, there are better offerings. If you are looking for autobiographical accounts of scientists or works where the author likes to sidestep and let you in on his daydreams and poetic reflections, this book may suffice for you.
It seems to me, though, that Fortey failed to identify his audience, as well as his ultimate goal in writing the book. There are good parts, and disappointments.
Failing to find the middle ground resulted in what was, for me, only about a 3-star experience.
Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College, IN
Rating:
Summary: Fortey fails to find the middle ground...
Review: The title of this book, "Life: A natural history of four billion years of life on Earth," was a great selling point for me. As an invertebrate zoologist I have an ongoing interest in learning more about where life came from, how it is interrelated, and how and when the diversity of life around us came into being. Of course, no one has definitive explanations for those kinds of topics, but I was looking forward to reading Fortey's views on the natural history of life.
As I began reading I soon became disillusioned with Fortey's approach. If he wanted to write his autobiography, wedged in here and there among his main topic, why in the world didn't he tip off the reader by having a better subtitle? I did press on and complete the book, and found it to have meaningful content and thought-provoking ideas, but after all was said and done I was left wanting.
Fortey deserves commendation for undertaking such a massive topic, in 322pp no less! As I read through his account in search of information that would provide me with a clue to the framework he uses to understand the natural history of life on earth, I felt like I hit speed bump after speed bump in the form of occasionally interesting, but often meaningless, diversions. I'm sorry, but I could really care less, for example, what a hotel traditionally frequented by paleontologists serves for breakfast, or Fortey's personal reflections on Australian ponds where "the jolly swagman rested his tuckerbag"!
Don't get me wrong, those are wonderful literary side steps in this largely scientific work, but for me they were only distractions rather than useful contributions to the work.
Fortey does do a great job in some areas...for example, he does a super job of tying together plate tectonics and continent formations, break-ups, and movements as they affect the history of life. He also does a grand job of telling the basics of what kinds of things one can learn about life and the state of the earth from the fossil and other geologic records. But even so, there is too little meat here for the scientist, and there is too little support in the form of graphs, illustrations, etc., to allow most non-professionals to keep up with what's happening. That point is evidenced by the fact that Fortey introduces many little-known, though important, animals by their scientific names, but provides no supporting illustrations to let the reader know or confirm what Fortey is talking about.
There are a few chapters that, in my opinion, Fortey got "right." Those are the chapters he said that he was loathe to write -- the chapters about dinosaurs. Fortey did a masterful job of describing this period of history, as well as the underlying major controversies and players behind those controversies. He did not accomplish those things in most of the other sections of the book.
To sum things up, Fortey did what a water color painter, Terry Madden, tells his students to do -- that is, to use the largest brush you can manage. Fortey used a large brush supported by limited detail work here and there -- not enough detail to make this book a must have for professionals, and too little on the explanation side to make this an essential book for the non-professional.
If you are looking for a great book that provides a synopsis on the natural history of life on earth, there are better offerings. If you are looking for autobiographical accounts of scientists or works where the author likes to sidestep and let you in on his daydreams and poetic reflections, this book may suffice for you.
It seems to me, though, that Fortey failed to identify his audience, as well as his ultimate goal in writing the book. There are good parts, and disappointments.
Failing to find the middle ground resulted in what was, for me, only about a 3-star experience.
Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College, IN
Rating: 
Summary: An entertaining read
Review: There really is alot to like about Richard Fortey's book about the first 4 billion years of life on Earth. His style is very readable. I liked his uses of metaphors and similies when describing what an ancient animal looked like or did. While not a textbook and definately a bit thin for the amount of time he covered, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in our ancient past.
And while I do recommend the book, there are a few minor problems here. The first one was the fact that there is no table to know what time period he is referring to. I had to find one online, which is not that hard to do. Also, near the end of the book, Mr. Fortey seemed to be more interested in the conflicts between the scientists than the history of life at times. I understand that our knowledge of fossils and the new ways of dating and analyzing fossils causes us to re-examine older finds, but he basically didn't outline any development of the dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic. Instead, he focussed more on the experts' fights with one another. I thought he did that too with the mammals during the Cenozoic, although not as much.
But those are minor problems that should not cause anyone to shy away from this book. It is a good, well written book that any non-expert can read and understand.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining read
Review: There really is alot to like about Richard Fortey's book about the first 4 billion years of life on Earth. His style is very readable. I liked his uses of metaphors and similies when describing what an ancient animal looked like or did. While not a textbook and definately a bit thin for the amount of time he covered, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in our ancient past.
And while I do recommend the book, there are a few minor problems here. The first one was the fact that there is no table to know what time period he is referring to. I had to find one online, which is not that hard to do. Also, near the end of the book, Mr. Fortey seemed to be more interested in the conflicts between the scientists than the history of life at times. I understand that our knowledge of fossils and the new ways of dating and analyzing fossils causes us to re-examine older finds, but he basically didn't outline any development of the dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic. Instead, he focussed more on the experts' fights with one another. I thought he did that too with the mammals during the Cenozoic, although not as much.
But those are minor problems that should not cause anyone to shy away from this book. It is a good, well written book that any non-expert can read and understand.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic expose of Evolutionary Theory...
Review: This is is the perfect book for every Creationist!
This book does a perfect job of exposing Evolutionary Theory for what it really is. In order to get to the bottom of what he is really saying, you must read the entire book!
The expose of slime matts having to have existed for nearly a billion years was fantastic!
This is a must have for every Christian household! Higly recommended. Wish I could give it 10 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Fitting title for a rewarding read!
Review: This kind of book gives popular science a bad name. I believe popular science should tell you something about science, albeit in an entertaining and accessible way. While the book is entertaining for the most part, I came away feeling as if I had not learned much at all.
A much-cited criticism of the book is that the author digresses into many personal anecdotes. This is true. Many are entertaining, a few are even enlightening, but too many take up space in a book that is already too short to do justice to the topic. For example, Fortey spends two pages telling us what he thought of Thailand while he was doing fieldwork there. We discover that the food was hot enough to make his nose run, but that blowing your nose in public is taboo in Thailand. Such conflict! He hides scraps of rolled-up newspaper in his pants pocket to deal with this crisis. The climax of the story: a female lounge singer touches him on his thigh, is startled by a roll, and wonders what it might be. Being a scientist myself, reading this made me feel like I was cornered by an awkward colleague at a cocktail party and was desperately trying to avoid another self-indulgent anecdote. This is one example of many that you will have to wade through to get to some natural history.
On a happier note, Fortey does a reasonable job conjuring up images of worlds long past. He can describe the tropical jungles of the dinosaurs or more exotic landscapes well enough to give you some idea of what it would feel like. Even here, however, he often throws in a lame simile: "...where now there beats a sun that melts ice as fast as a hot frying pan melts butter". Cringe.
I did learn a few things, however. The section describing the geological evidence for a meteor that causes the extinction of the dinosaurs was a high point. If you don't already know something about what the Cambrian Explosion is (I did), you will learn that too. I suppose any book on the subject will inevitably have some sparse educational value. It is telling, however, that there is no chronological chart that lays out the many geological periods, eras, and so on that we encounter in this book. Also, many species, classes, and orders are mentioned without any definition about what sets them apart. A tree of relationships would have been nice. Evidently, Fortey is not much concerned that we learn or understand any of this.
Overall, Fortey underestimates and disappoints his audience. The book feels like it is supposed to entertain fidgety teenagers with glitz rather than inform educated adults.
[Reviewer's Background: I am an atmospheric scientist, but someone who has never taken a course in paleontology. This is the first book I have read on natural history.]
Rating: 
Summary: light-hearted book is serious disappointment
Review: This kind of book gives popular science a bad name. I believe popular science should tell you something about science, albeit in an entertaining and accessible way. While the book is entertaining for the most part, I came away feeling as if I had not learned much at all.
A much-cited criticism of the book is that the author digresses into many personal anecdotes. This is true. Many are entertaining, a few are even enlightening, but too many take up space in a book that is already too short to do justice to the topic. For example, Fortey spends two pages telling us what he thought of Thailand while he was doing fieldwork there. We discover that the food was hot enough to make his nose run, but that blowing your nose in public is taboo in Thailand. Such conflict! He hides scraps of rolled-up newspaper in his pants pocket to deal with this crisis. The climax of the story: a female lounge singer touches him on his thigh, is startled by a roll, and wonders what it might be. Being a scientist myself, reading this made me feel like I was cornered by an awkward colleague at a cocktail party and was desperately trying to avoid another self-indulgent anecdote. This is one example of many that you will have to wade through to get to some natural history.
On a happier note, Fortey does a reasonable job conjuring up images of worlds long past. He can describe the tropical jungles of the dinosaurs or more exotic landscapes well enough to give you some idea of what it would feel like. Even here, however, he often throws in a lame simile: "...where now there beats a sun that melts ice as fast as a hot frying pan melts butter". Cringe.
I did learn a few things, however. The section describing the geological evidence for a meteor that causes the extinction of the dinosaurs was a high point. If you don't already know something about what the Cambrian Explosion is (I did), you will learn that too. I suppose any book on the subject will inevitably have some sparse educational value. It is telling, however, that there is no chronological chart that lays out the many geological periods, eras, and so on that we encounter in this book. Also, many species, classes, and orders are mentioned without any definition about what sets them apart. A tree of relationships would have been nice. Evidently, Fortey is not much concerned that we learn or understand any of this.
Overall, Fortey underestimates and disappoints his audience. The book feels like it is supposed to entertain fidgety teenagers with glitz rather than inform educated adults.
[Reviewer's Background: I am an atmospheric scientist, but someone who has never taken a course in paleontology. This is the first book I have read on natural history.]
