I could see this book not working as well if you're not interested in sci-fi or unfamiliar with the genre, as it would detract from the references made as well as some of the questions. However, personally I found the mixture of approachable science and then tying in Sci-fi to be both interesting and effective, and highlights how the latter can be used to explore the former - and that whether it is accurate or not, it can make for fascinating thought experiments. Green balances the two elements really well, and it was both fun and informative.

DNF at about 40%. This started off quite interesting but it veered into popular culture and how we see aliens and it started boring me. Not for me, sorry.

La verdad, me gustaría leer más libros de divulgación porque los disfruto mucho, pero lo cierto es que la ficción absorbe casi todo mi tiempo de lectura. Pero, afortunadamente, le di una oportunidad a The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos de Jaime Green, que sin entrar en mucha profundidad en ninguno de los temas que toca, sí que explica con mucha claridad lo que se sabe o se especula hasta el momento sobre la vida en otros planetas. Además, en un guiño a los lectores de ciencia ficción, hace muchas referencias a libros de autores como Carl Sagan, Sue Burke, N.K. Jemisin y muchos más que especularon en su momento sobre la vida alienígena. Sin poder evitar la referencia a Star Trek que parece ser una constante en cualquier investigador que quiere divulgar.


El libro está organizado de manera que resulta muy fácil de leer, con una prosa ágil y con explicaciones más o menos sencillas a temas que tienen gran complejidad. En uno de los primeros capítulos se refiere a la ecuación de Drake como la heurísitica de Drake, explicando las incógnitas de la fórmula de manera menos profunda que otros autores pero muy aclaratoria.

La autora también ha entrevistado tanto a escritores como científicos para ofrecernos los distintos puntos de vista que hay en la actualidad sobre este tema tan controvertido. Desde la creación del programa SETI a su situación actual, hablando sobre el lenguaje y la posibilidad de que un alienígena sea totalmente incognoscible a nuestro cerebro humano, las probabilidades estadísticas de un “encuentro en la tercera fase” y muchos temas más.

Me parece especialmente original el punto de vista que sobre la colonización y los encuentros con extraterrestres se puede tener desde occidente o desde otros lugares de la Tierra que ya fueron colonizados en su momento. Es una perspectiva política que no recuerdo haber visto en otro lugar.

En definitiva The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos es un libro de divulgación accesible y totalmente recomendable.

The possibility of life beyond earth is one of my favourite topics so this was a must read!
I particularly enjoyed the part about how Science Fiction deals with ideas like colonising other planets, space travel and first contact with aliens.
This book is a must for sci-fi readers!

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Duckworthbooks for granting me access to an arc in return for an honest review.

The possibility of life is an extraordinary exploration of our place in the universe questioning the possibility of aloneness. Green skilfully uses science-fiction, popular culture, anecdotes, interviews and research to deftly answer the question is there life in the universe?
This is a warm, witty, intelligent and most of all, fun read, addressing the question we've all asked, 'Are we alone?'
Highly recommended.

The Possibility of Life is an exciting non-fiction position on the years of space exploration and speculation on the possibility of life in the universe. Jaime Green presents the latest research, the history of astronomy from Galileo and Copernicus, blending it all with references to pop culture, literature and popular science-fiction TV shows. The book also examines the fascinating subject of the way space exploration affects our understanding of life on Earth. The book, written in approachable language, is an excellent source of information for those without knowledge of the topic.

This is one of those books that talks about life in the Universe, science and you read them like a novel.
Informative, well researched, easy to follow and gripping.
An excellent non fiction book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book asks some fascinating questions that I think almost all of us have considered at some time. Is there life beyond Earth? If so, will it be intelligent and will it communicate with us like on Star Trek?

To answer these questions Jaime Green has to go right back to basics: what is life anyway? Will we recognise it when we see it? Green explores everything from how life might have evolved on earth to our attempts at communication with non-human animals to representation of aliens in popular culture.

A very enjoyable and thought-provoking book that I absolutely zoomed through. Five stars from me.

Honestly, it feels like this book was written for me. Science-fiction has been my favourite genre for most of my life, and as soon as I was this book I knew I had to read it.

For something that had the potential to be something dry - Jaime Green skillfully weaves us through scientific theory to philosophy to psychology and paints a fascinating picture of that age-old question: are we alone in the universe? With personal anecdotes and interviews with scientists, psychologists and researchers, Green's writing allows us to dive deep into the questions of our own position in the universe, and how science and science-fiction shape that cultural question.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters on our assumptions on evolution and the way we could be completely wrong about so many things. It really put it into perspective how little we know, or rather how little we should take for granted our own understanding of the world, since Earth is the only thing we know.

The Possibility of Life was a wonderful book that will surely intrigue anyone with interest in science or science-fiction, and I look forward to reading anyone else by Jaime Green.

The Possibility of Life is a carefully researched and fascinating summary of all aspects of finding life in the cosmos, and how life emerged here on earth. If you're already well versed in these areas then this book probably isn't for you. But if you're looking for a overview of current science on where alien life might be found, how we'll communicate with them and what they could look like, then this is a great starter!

This book was equal parts engrossing and a slow burn for me, as I wanted to really understand the information but at the same time found that I could only read it in short bursts before my brain got too full. I remember learning about the "primordial soup" theory of life on earth's origins when I was in high school, so it was great to see how far our scientific understanding of this process has progressed and evolved over the years. The book explained high level scientific information really clearly, and the use of examples from pop culture and science fiction really enhanced these explanations.

10% in and I’m worried the The Possibility of Life is missing the… possibilities. I feel like I’m reading a book report. It’s missing warmth and, at the moment, is just delivering dry information. Due to such heavy reflection on narratives that have come before, I’m struggling to understand the narrator’s point of view. The pop-culture references are delivered in a way that fails to evoke nostalgia, further alienating me. It’s missing the relatability achieved by books like Sapiens.

Thank god for Chapter 2! Theia slamming into Earth. Finally getting to feel the joy in what the author has to say. That little note to Google a simulation has saved this book. The anecdotes and the little drawings. That’s what a book like this needs. It makes a high brow topic accessible and enjoyable. To feel the author’s wonder and awe as your own. Very nearly DNF on Chapter 1 but glad to have been able to enjoy the rest of the book.

As a self-proclaimed nerd who frequently immerses themself in science fiction, as well as science fact, I loved this book. It is a warm hug of non-fiction, scattered throughout with references (although most of them are explained - you definitely don't need a comprehensive knowledge of science fiction to enjoy it!) It felt like a conversation with a friend, laying out the facts of the search and speculating excitedly about the possibilities. Green comes at this topic with a real sense of warmth and excitement, evident throughout. I've also come away from this with a few additions to my reading list!

I've never before thought a non-fiction book may become a comfort read, but Green's hopeful but realistic approach to the topic was as comforting as it was interesting. Would definitely recommend.

The Possibility of Life reads like a history of the search for life within the universe and a guide to how or where it could possibly exist.

I loved how Jaime Green gave a little background or history on each subject before elaborating on the possibilities of existence that are out there and also its wider effect on humankind. Occasionally there were hand drawn illustrations, which I found were helpful in gaining a better understanding on some of the subject matter.

I felt that the writing was complex but still fully understandable throughout. This seems to be a rare occurrence in book of this type and make this very book accessible to a wider audience, without watering things down.

If you have any interest in the possibility of life away from earth, astronomy or just a lose interest in science then this could be a book for you.