Cover Image: Beyond the Known

Beyond the Known

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Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this!

The author, a SpaceX manager, has written a wonderful work of man's exploration. I learned so much from this and have now added 4 new titles to my TBR pile as I wanted to learn even more. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in exploration science. It will satisfy your curiosity. The book was extremely "readable".

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Beyond the Known was a book I requested on NetGalley because it had the promise of space talk in the title. I love space, astronomy, NASA, and anything dealing with the cosmos. I also love history, so much to my delight, this book covers everything on this list, and more.

The book details human exploration through time up until now. I was pleased to discover that it not only covered Western expansion and exploration, but Eastern expansion and exploration as well. There’s a lot of interesting facts thrown in there as well, such as Vikings not getting scurvy by accidental well-balanced diets. That’s not the kind of facts you get taught in school.

Rader then takes us into the speculative future where robots could potentially seek out new worlds, the ability of having spaceships capable of reaching even our closest stars, and where we could have colonies on the Moon and Mars. He also delves into why, after all this time, is space exploration needed.

“Breakthroughs don’t come along if we just sit around waiting for them.”

Pushing ourselves to explore the unknown has always been a hallmark of humanity. While there are still things to be known about Earth, we can’t help but look up at the stars and think “I wonder what’s out there?” It’s something that will take time, money, and many failures. However, we cannot let failures stop us. Failures teach us something important too. Rader emphasizes the importance of continuing to explore the unknown just for these reasons.

This was a fantastic read. It was very approachable and like having a conversation directly with the author. I’m also glad that there were references in the back so that I can learn more on some of the topics mentioned. I strongly suggest this if you’re a history buff or a science/space buff. Let’s put it this way: if you love the Star Trek: Enterprise title credits, you’ll love this book.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book as an eARC.

I also have discussed this book on my Twitter account, @HannahMVestal. Below are the links to some of my tweets about Beyond the Known.

https://twitter.com/hannahmvestal/status/1188313775297966081?s=20

https://twitter.com/hannahmvestal/status/1187710906584719360?s=20

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I knew this would be interesting and informative, but I was pleasantly surprised by how readable/accessible it was. It flowed very well and didn't lose me at any point.

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Beyond the Known is an examination of how humanity's need for exploration has shaped our progress through history and how it will eventually take us into the unknowns of space. Written by SpaceX mission manager Andrew Rader, it's a book that reads less like hard science and more like wide-eyed awe of what our species has (and will) accomplish. This has become one of my favorite non-fiction finds of 2019 so far.

Rader breaks down the book into four main epoch's of explorations: Classical, European, Scientific Advancement, and the future of space travel. The book progresses at a breakneck speed, gleefully covering incredible topics that could (and probably do) have full length books written on them: the rise of the Greeks and their influence on the world, pre-Columbus discoveries of the Americas, advanced civilizations in North America, China's rise and fall as an exploratory power, and the impact of diseases in the New World being some of my favorites. Rader's chapter on the future of space travel is also particularly well informed, coming from someone so well positioned to speak on the subject.

Rader's writing style never gets bogged down in too much scientific detail to turn off the layperson, and his excitement and knowledge shine through in the paragraphs which makes this a very easy and fun read for anyone interested in human history.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Scribner.**

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This is a well written book making for an engaging read that is more like fiction at times. The author breaks down the book into four parts in chronological order. The first three are on the discoveries made by early and more recent explorers and how they helped shape the world that we live in. The last section is devoted to the last great untapped area of exploration - space where a great deal is still left for future endeavors. 

I recommend this book for those looking for an engaging read on the how our world was shaped by exploration and the opportunities for the future.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.

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Beyond the Known is a interesting and informative book. The author has done his research and the book is well written.

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This wonderful book is a history of man's exploration of everything since modern humans departed from the Rift Valley in Africa to the future of space travel. Everyone simply must read this very informative and well written book. Andrew Rader packs more startling information in this one book than any other that I have ever read. Mr. Rader has a real gift for expressing his very broad range of knowledge and putting everything in a readable and enjoyable form. You MUST read this book!

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