Eternity: Our Next Billion Years [Hardcover]

Michael Hanlon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0230219314 | ISBN-13: 978-0230219311

It has become received wisdom that our world is doomed, that we live in the End of Days. Bleak predictions by psychics and scientists alike portend extreme weather, droughts, famines and floods that will overtake humanity within the century, or sooner. If not global warming, then supervolcanoes, meteoric impacts, nuclear war, bioterrorism, or natural plagues will get us. But whatever happens, Michael Hanlon believes that humankind will go on...and on. The shape of things to come will be strange, and somewhat terrifying, but will very likely seem banal to the people who inhabit it in the future. Humankind may be thrown back to the Stone Age on hundreds of occasions and may come close to extinction. But recovery will follow--each time more rapidly than the last. The world of 10,000 years hence, let alone 100,000,000 years hence, will be strange and almost unrecognizable. But no matter how battered and re-born, it will still be our world, populated by us through eternity. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...this is a well-researched, engagingly written and thoughtfully constructed book -- one that manages to be imaginative without bursting the constraints imposed by current scientific thinking.' - Dr Paul Parsons, BBC Focus 'an extremely stimulating read.' - GF Willmetts, SF Crowsnest Praise for The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 'Adopting Adams' witty, punchy style, Hanlon's guide is a fun and vivid read. The science twinkles a little more than usual in such a zany setting...he tackles a wide range of cutting-edge topics with depth and authority.' Nature 'Good stuff...It's great the way Hanlon flits from one topic to another, weaving a web of scientific and technological ideas...his light style is ideally fitted to exploring the products of Douglas Adams' mind.' www.popularscience.co.uk

About the Author

Michael Hanlon is one of Britain’s most successful science writers. He has been Science Editor at the Daily Mail for many years; prior to this he was at the Daily Express, the Independent and Irish News. He contributes regularly to magazines such as the Spectator and appears on TV and radio as a science pundit. He has headlined several science festivals and written three critically acclaimed popular science books before this one: The Science Of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (Macmillan, 2005), The Real Mars (Constable, 2004) and The Worlds of Galileo (Constable, 2001).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230219314
• ISBN-13: 978-0230219311
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,123,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read, great dinner discussion with other geeks, May 26, 2010

By 

Ikai Lan - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eternity: Our Next Billion Years (Hardcover)

I thought this book was an incredibly fun read. It's broken into two sections: plausible speculation about the next hundred years, then WILD speculation about the next thousand, ten thousand and million years. The first half of the book is fairly depressing: in short, the rich will likely get richer, the poor will suffer more. On the bright side, Hanlon presents his arguments for why non of our doomsday scenarios will pan out and is very optimistic about our short term survival.

The second half is the fun half. It reads like a string of science fiction short stories, spanning topics from machine sentience, human civilization discovering lost relics from our "ancient" society and the social implications, first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence, and more. I've found the topics to be great geek discussion ammunition at dinner or over beers.

The book moves at a brisk pace, but is very accessible. I disagree with an earlier review about this book being boring and repetitive. It moves quickly and is an absolute blast to talk about.

3 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Silly and superficial, January 16, 2009

By 

Mark Pearce (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eternity: Our Next Billion Years (Hardcover)

This is a very silly book, reptitive and unsatisfying. Does not live up to the hype of the cover. Give it a miss is my recommendation

1 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Idea, January 26, 2009

By 

Scott Taylor (North America) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eternity: Our Next Billion Years (Hardcover)

I haven't read this book, nor do I plan to. (Although I might give it a skim should I come across it in a library or bookstore by accident.) Even so, I give this book five stars...not because of its content, which probably is superficial, repetitive, and banal, as mentioned elsewhere...but because of the power of the concept, which comes through loud and clear even just from the book summary. I give credit to the author for a great idea for a book, even if he himself was not up to the task of its realization. Without a doubt, future authors will at least see the title, and become inspired themselves to produce more convincing works expanding on the concept of placing humankind's journey in the context of the history of the universe.