This is a cheerful and convivial look through the history of humanity's search for life "out there". It isn't an "ancient aliens" style book of nonsense, but rather a steady walk through what has actually happened - and what we hope might happen.

It is a beautiful PDF which has been gorgeously typeset and lushly illustrated. So many fonts! Sure, it isn't brilliant for eInk but excellent for a tablet or any other full-colour screen.

The language is unpretentious and accessible. It's probably aimed towards the space-obsessed teen market, but I found it delightful.

The authorities were decidedly unchill about all this philosophizing, however, and Anaxagoras was condemned to death for impiety—a charge based on his rejection of religious teachings—after he kept insisting the Sun was a hot and large natural object, not some hunky god driving a chariot across the sky.

There aren't any inline references or footnotes - and links to images would be nice - but they're all all stuffed at the end if you want to find more.

It would have been nice if some of the examples were a little more fleshed out:

Many cultures have imagined themselves as the descendants of celestial objects, or believed that they will ascend to the skies to join their ancestors after death.

But it is an excellent jumping off point for anyone who wants to expand their horizons. The book isn't really in any chronological order so jumps around a fair bit. Full of fascinating titbits - especially radio silence day - and avoids the trap of sticking to just the USA cultural hegemony,

A great starting point for anyone who wants to get quickly acquainted with our (so far futile) attempts to discover alien life.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy - the book is on sale 30th September 2025.