Customer Reviews

Expedition: Being an Account in Words and Artwork of the A.D. 2358 Voyage to Darwin IV

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Barlowe has created a rich and exciting world for his readers. We discover this world alog with his main character, who is an intrepid and earnest researcher and artist. Barlowe does not simply spell out every detail of this world, but makes conjectures based on the available data, thus preserving the illusion that this is an actual account of a place that exists.
This book is the template for the new Discovery Channel special on alien worlds. I recommend this book to anyone interested in beautiful art coupled with a fantastic story.

This is the best work for Alternative evolution yet! I actually like how he made the animals look nothing like things on Earth because they evolved from a completely different orgin.It is even better that it's movie adaption Alien Planet. In alien planet it said that they have eyes, but very weak ones, probably just strong enough to pick up biolights, but not strong enough to have complex vision. I like how they ended up with sonar. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is as big an evolutionary science nut as I am!

Expedition is a book in the style of Dougal Dixon's "alternitive zoology" books, with the main diffrence being this book takes place on a completley alien world, Darwin IV.
The book itself is amazing. The writing, while not as bad as some reviwers say, is'nt up to Dixon's books, but the artwork is truly where Expedition shines. Darwin IV and it's alien inhabitants jump off the pages, even if some of the creatures look pretty "out there". I highly reccomend Expedition to any fan of scientific fiction.

I'm a fan of science fiction, but before reading this book, hadn't been too exposed to sci-fi art. Barlowe is a gifted host in the fantastic world of science fiction art. I read this book over a period of three or four days, and couldn't wait to get back to it. The pictures are amazing, and the story is gripping. Barlowe is an incredible artist and storyteller, and I hope to see more of his work in the future! Highly recommended.

To compare this work with his earlier books, Expedition is a certain step up. All of the creatures of Darwin IV are beautifully rendered with complete backgrounds and vivid text that communicates the truly mantic zoology of this pristine planet. Each of the chapters is centered around a specific creature or terrain, and is written in personal narrative, with numerous sketches of the minor details. Highly recommended because of the beautiful imagery and Barlowe's thoughrough understanding of and ability to manipulate the basics of biology.

Expedition is an absorbing, detailed, elaborate, and fully convincing account of a futuristic voyage to Darwin IV and an observation of it's fauna. The illustrations contain excellent detail and have an almost photographic quality. While reading this book, I was totally emersed.

Barlowe outdoes himself with this book. A gorgeous treatment of a fictional journey to another world. The paintings are all incredibly breathtaking, and the science and logic behind them is impeccable. A must buy.

Barlowe grabbed my attention decades ago with his aliens book, but since that he moved on. Expedition is amazing, a masterpiece as it goes against most established cliche's and chauvinisms about how alien life is supposed to be. Barlowe puts a lot of though in his designs and the result truly fascinating. The guy can't write though.
When leafing through the D-IV book, set aside your preconceptions about alien worlds and let it sink in. Surely, real alien life will be even stranger, but the stuff in this book is already transcendental for 99% of earthlings. Barlowe scrutinously studies his own preconceptions, exorcizes them and dreams up weird alternatives.
Good news he's busy with a sequel, and I bet that's gonna be even better. Let's hope he get's someone else to write the explanatory sidebars.

This book is amazing and far outpaces the nearest competition in the 'lets imagine if' category of illustrated science fiction. barlowe's artwork is center-stage and exquisitely detailed. my only complaint is that the book should have been at least 3 times larger...i wanted more creatures and siphonovores! maybe barlowe will read this and get to work on a re-visit to darwin or another new planet (hint hint!)

Expedition was created with pure imagination, yet the wildlife that inhabit the dream world of Darwin IV are all quite plausible. With breathtaking art, an intriguing story-line, and detailed maps/diagrams, Barlowe's dream flows into your own imagination. Unfortunately the book is too light and leaves the reader wanting more. Perhaps a sequel or series is in order, however, it would be thrilling to see these creations in motion on the silver screen.