Customer Reviews

Extraterrestrials: A Field Guide for Earthlings

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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This is not your sci-fi book on aliens. This book is more like "Audbon Society Guide To Birds" of extraterrestrial biology. Dickinson and Schaller start by discussing our contemporary views of aliens and shows the fallicies behind it. They then explore places where life could be found. Then there is a discussion of biology, rules of life that would apply anywhere in the universe. Then, one by one, Dickinson and Schaller discuss possible inhabited worlds and what life might have eveolved there. Everything from gas giants to ocean worlds to ice planets are discussed. Then, inorganic life, like intellegent comets and macronulear life is discussed. Finally, to sum it up, the possibilty of contact is discussed. Throughout the book, a scientific aprouch is used, but the book is still very easy to read. Anybody interested in the possibilty of life on other worlds, and anybody who would like to see what theis life might be like, definatley should read this book.

This is the perfect book to use with middle school and high school students. I use this as a reference for cross-curricular projects with science fiction, science, language arts, and government. The background and general information is not too much for students to digest and the illustrations are fabulous. When required to come up with feasible life-forms for various planet types, the breakdown of possibilities for "alien" senses helps students to consider new approaches. The specific planet descriptions are also immensely helpful, giving students something to build on, opening their minds to the limitless possibilities of extraterrestrial life. This is the singlarly essential building block for endless projects. I wish I could afford a class set. Marvelous!

I bought this book at a book fair back in junior high probably 10 years ago. I must have read it cover to cover over a dozen times back then and the book still sits on my shelf today. Great illustrations, interesting concepts. This book is certainly worth the price and is great for children just beginning to show an interest in space, aliens and sci-fi, or for adults who simply want a book that is a simple intro into basic extraterrestrial theory. The book starts off talking about aliens in movies, and then goes into what some aliens might look like depending on the type of planet they inhabit. While the book could stand to be updated, it really is just a lot of fun.

It is not for children only as some claim.
This book is for all ages.
Nothing wrong with fables and fantasies.
They are good for the heart and the mind.
I love this book.
A great companion.
I wish a great success for this writer who is well known worldwide.

S. Mahdi, Caro, Egypt.

Cute book. Written mainly for children and young adults. It would have been nice to own this when I was a child as it clearly illustrates some basic principles of evolution/alien life/planetary physics. Eventhough it is simplistic I still value it as part of my collection for its illustrations that make your points clear to anyone who is interested in learning about this topic.

The first thing that makes this book stand out from other books in its genre is clear and original illustrations. For those with an interest in aliens it offers insights into possibilities without getting bogged down in confusing esoterica.

But that generalization is a bit of a double-edged sword. Tantalizing concepts are occasionally presented with little explanation, and relevant controversies are overlooked. In essence, the author raises questions that, even if he has no intention of answering them, he doesn't acknowledge.

This is a fun book but, I must admit, that I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for something geared towards adults (or, at the least, towards an intelligent teen). This book is specificially geared towards children (i.e., a bright 8 year old or above). It is certainly a friendly book filled with colorful (if somewhat unimaginative) drawings. As well, it covers many of the issues relevant to the subject (e.g., why movie aliens shouldn't be regarded as realistic). My only complaint, once you correlate it to its intended audience, is that it does speak authoritatively more often then it should for such a speculative topic (e.g., it claims that we can expect that most intelligent species should have a humanoid template which is, to say the least, a debatable position).

Be that as it may, I would certainly recommend it if you want to introduce a child to the topic or if you know of a child that is already interested. For adults, however, I'd give it a miss.