Customer Reviews

The Planets

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Dava Sobel's newest offering deviates from the historical path of her previous work, but the stellar prose that remains in The Planets will inevitably pull in any who wander too close. This book touches on the social, religious and intellectual aspects of the solar system from antiquity to January 2005, but cannot properly be called history; Sobel simply stuffs the most interesting stories and facts about each celestial body into a slim 231 pages (plus a glossary and a brief appendix of factual details). Of course, interesting stories and facts about the planets could easily fill a book many, many times as long. The beauty of The Planets is that Sobel (who has clearly culled from an enormous pool of potential content) selected only most fascinating and unusual to include. Few but historians of planetary astronomy and the most dedicated trivia buffs are likely to be bored by too much they already know, even though nearly everything comes from published sources. And even if the contents are old news, Sobel's packaging is a joy.

The Planets is organized into thematic chapters that, for the most part, read like separate essays. The introduction and conclusion give the context for Sobel's longtime and continuing passion for the Planets; the former is not particularly riveting, but does not detract. The chapters-there are ten including the Sun and the Moon, with Uranus and Neptune sharing one-bear titles indicating the overarching theme of each, though each theme is stretched far enough to allow a feeling of continuity as the book proceeds outward from the Sun to the edge of the solar system.

Beginning appropriately with "Genesis," Sobel's Sun chapter is perhaps the least novel (as well as the shortest). Sobel gives an overview of basic facts and trivia about the Sun, while beginning and ending with invocations of creation and drawing a few parallels between the scientific and religious stories. Mercury's "Mythology" has the easiest theme (mostly Greek, though it dabbles in other cultures), but Sobel makes it interesting by telling the scientific history of the planet through anecdotes of scientists applying the same mythological themes to their work. The integration of science and culture is even smoother in Venus' chapter, simply themed "Beauty;" highlights include poetry on Venus by scientists and literary figures alike (and what sophisticated history of science is complete without a William Blake reference?). Our own pale blue dot offers a change of pace; Sobel tromps through a brief history of the developments of Earth's "Geography," dispelling a number of common historical myths in the process. "Lunacy" vaguely revolves around Moon superstitions but is mostly filled with interesting facts.

One of The Planets' best chapters is "Sci-Fi," which is told entirely from the perspective of a 4.5 billion year old Martian rock that crashed into Antarctica sixteen million years ago. The rock tells its own story and that of Mars, explaining how its home planet has been the object of such fascination among Earth natives through science fiction. Jupiter has the honor-or shame, depending on one's perspective-of bearing the theme of "Astrology." Given it's role in the careers of Galileo, Kepler and so many other early astronomers, historians of science should appreciate Sobel's choice for the king of the planets, despite whatever offense contemporary astronomers may take. Saturn's "Music of the Spheres" addresses the numerological aspects of the history of planetary astronomy, opening with a discussion of Gustav Holst and interspersed with other musical references. Uranus and Neptune share "Night Air," which tells their stories of discoveries mostly through the eloquent correspondence of 19th-century American astronomer Maria Mitchell. "UFO" is nominally Pluto's chapter, but as the name suggest, Pluto is odd planet (if it can even be considered one) out, more similar to other recently discovered Kuiper Belt objects than its traditional brethren. Discussion of such discoveries segues into the conclusion, which brings planetary astronomy up to the ongoing investigation of Saturn and its moon Titan.

General readers will take a lot from this book: a head full of scientific knowledge about the planets, details and anecdotes about how that knowledge was produced, and an appreciation for their historical cultural significance as well. But the greatest gift Sobel grants the reader is a small piece of her enthusiasm; The Planets makes you want to, if not become an astronomer, at least do more reading on the subject.

Why, I asked myself, would Dava Sobel pick a subject as done to death as the planets of our solar system after mining such rich veins of prose ore as the race to measure longitude accurately and Galileo from his daughter's point of view? The answer - this fantastic author can take the overdone and give it new life! In The Planets, Dava Sobel takes the reader on a tour of planetary astronomy and the 9 objects currently classified as major planets plus the Sun and the Moon with 12 very different chapters and no feeling of having read a few chapters in an astronomy textbook. Chapters 7 [SCI-FI (Mars)] and 10 [NIGHT AIR (Uranus and Neptune)] have the most interesting points of view. Chapter 7 is narrated by ALH84001, the famous Martian meteorite that contains possible signs of life, and Chapter 10 is written as a long letter from aging astronomer Caroline Herschel (sister of the discoverer of Uranus) to American astronomer Maria Mitchell. This is the kind of book I'd recommend to an avid reader who usually avoids books on science. I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend to anyone with an interest in astronomy and history. I'm getting my copy of The Planets into my high school library as quickly as possible.

I read this book looking to find insight into the most up-to-date info on the solar system, hoping to learn more beyond my layperson knowledge. Instead of a generalized grand tour or a data-rich analysis, I made my way through a highly stylized, poetic ode to the celestial bodies, with a smattering of mythology, popular culture, and some scientific history.

I have to admit that the book was well-done, extremely well-written, and it's obvious that Sobel knows her stuff. But I just wasn't that interested. I enjoyed some of the facts she did provide, but I waited in vain for more. I wanted to spend more time with each world, and to read a summary of all the best opinions about the planets.

All in all, I would recommend this book if you want a literary take on the subject. On the other hand, if you're more like me, I would avoid it.

I have not read any of the author's other books, so I was not forewarned as to what to expect. Only half this book contains any science. The remainder is filled with distracting references to astrology and many poetic verses loosely refering to the planets. The story of planetary discovery include such important information as the discoverer's zodiac sign and how that effected their missions.

Other annoyances include her insistence on refering to Mercury as "he", Venus as "she", etc. Her disturbing fascination with her friend's eating moon dirt is hard to account for as well. One particular low point was during the chapter on Jupiter in which she gives the horoscope for the Voyager spacecraft, indicating that had NASA consulted this, they might have foreseen its problems.

In fairness, there is a bit of good science found in here, and very current as well. Although there are some clever literary devices used in the book, they are not typical for a book on science (for example, the chapter on Mars nararated by the Martian rock found in Antartica). If this book were edited down to its science, it would be about half its size.

If you are looking for something avant garde with a stream of consciousness approach to science, then you may enjoy this book. If, however, you are interested in reading an accurate understanding of the solar system, I cannot recommend it.

Both of Ms. Sobel's previous books, Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, are works of impressive scholarship and readability--two qualities that don't always go together. In fact, it can be argued that the publication of Longitude revived the genre of popular science writing; in particular, what might be called the sub-genre of "making the obscure exciting." Ms. Sobel has an ability to take a comparatively unknown person in scientific history, make him or her interesting and place him or her in the scope of the larger sweep of scientific history that is unequaled, despite her even most successful imitators. Therefore, it is no surprise that her new book, The Planets, had considerable buzz before its release. Unfortunately, this book is somewhat of a letdown.

Ms. Sobel has chosen an interesting subject: the solar system. It is surprising how little the average person knows about this conglomeration of an average star (the sun) and nine (or is it eight now?) planets of which our own earth is but a part. Certainly, the reading public is in need of a book to popularize the solar system, so to speak.

It is also true that Ms. Sobel has written an account that is interesting in many ways and definitely up-to-date. The most recent findings of our most traveled probes and deepest-seeing telescopes are recounted here, though it's amazing how quickly even the findings of a few months ago are superseded. Just last week, the discovery of two new moons of Pluto were announced. Already, it is tempting to wonder how this would have changed Ms. Sobel's approach to Pluto and Charon. The sad fact is that this book will soon be out-of-date. Still, it's hard to quibble about something like this, beyond the author's control.

What is not hard to quibble about is Ms. Sobel's approach to her material. Unlike her previous book, this one is more idiosyncratic and personal. The conceits she uses to approach each chapter change. This leads to an uneven experience which depends on how the reader reacts to these conceits. For instance, I very much enjoyed the early chapters which seemed to me to be more personal and drawn from Ms. Sobel's own love of the solar system. On the other hand, I found the chapter on Mars--told from the point of view of a Mars meteorite found on earth--and the chapter on Uranus & Neptune--told in the form of a letter by Caroline Herschel--to be irritating. And the light tone of the book as a whole leaves the reader with a sense of only have touched on the solar system superficially when, in fact, there's quite a lot of good information here.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Ms. Sobel and speaking to her briefly a couple days ago. As one would expect, she is charming and intelligent. And this book does have many charms which would likely appeal to someone who knows very little about the solar system; however, as I listened to her speak about The Planets, my only desire was to talk to her about Galileo's Daughter. It's sometimes difficult to be fair about a book when the author's previous books are so excellent; however, when a writer sets the bar high by her own work, she has to expect the expectations of her audience. And the fair judgement of this book is, it is uneven--good in places, less so in others--but still worth a read.

If you are well versed in the cosmos, you will find nothing new in Dava Sobel's book. It will be the icing on your cake of knowledge. And what luscious icing it is! If your knowledge of the planets consists of basic high school science, you will be amazed and enthralled with the beauty and mystery that is our solar system. This book is beautifully well written, easy to understand, lyrical, poetic,....I could go on and on. And, from one who has been known to buy books for their covers in the hopes that the inside would be as intrigueing as the outside, in this case I was not disappointed. The cover is a work of art; so follows the text. You'll look at the night sky with a new appreciation and sense of wonder after reading this gem.

Dava Sobel has produced another beautifully written and engaging study, this time of her biggest subject yet: the Solar System. As with Longitude, Sobel is able to take what many people perceive to be a somewhat dry scientific subject and give it life. She begins with the Sun and works her way steadily outward to Pluto, which may or may not be the ninth planet, on the way painting elegant and engaging studies of each planet, summarizing what is known and what is still mysterious about each. Some may find her rhapsodies, particularly the story of Mars, told in first person by a meteorite, somewhat off-putting, but those who enjoy fine prose and solid learning will enjoy every word.

In the hierarchy of sciences, astronomy must be towards the top in popularity, and within that field, the topic of the planets continues to fascinate. Dating back to the era of astronomy's ancestor astrology, the planets have been a subject of interest far longer than black holes, neutron stars, supernovae or big bangs.

Dava Sobel's Planets takes a somewhat classical view of the planets, when they were the ancient wanderers against a fixed-star sky. Thus she includes the moon and sun in her collection (along with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn), but also discusses more modern-day planets as Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, not to mention the Earth, which was not viewed as a planet until Copernicus removed it from the center of the universe.

Each chapter is an essay about a particular planet (with Uranus and Neptune combined). Sobel doesn't merely describe the given celestial body but instead attaches another theme. For example, her discussion of Earth is given in the context of a history of geography and Mars in the context of the possibility of extraterrestrial life. In her chapter on Pluto, she writes about the controversy of Pluto's planethood; this tiny body would be demoted after the publication of her book.

If you are an astronomy buff, you'll not find much new material here, merely stuff you already know discussed in a slightly different fashion. While decently written, it is not perfect. As an example, due to either poor writing or an actual error, she incorrectly states that Mercury's day is equal to two of its years, though later in the chapter, she gives the correct measurement (roughly 59 Earth-days for a rotation, compared to 88 Earth-days for a revolution).

Overall, this is an okay book, worthy of a high three stars, but not of the same caliber as Galileo's Daughter (the only other Sobel book I've read). If you don't have much knowledge of the planets, this book is a creative (if imperfect) way to learn about them.

By turns lyrical and technical, this little gem of a book is an elegant introduction to the wonders of our solar system. Ms Sobel artfully weaves threads like myth, music, and beauty into the fabric of chapters on the sun, the moon, and the nine planets (the twin planets Uranus and Neptune are covered together in one chapter). Tucked away here and there are many fascinating little nuggets. I was amused to learn that each of the Voyager spacecraft carries a record with Chuck Berry music for the enlightenment of any extraterrestrials they may encounter on their journeys. And what a remarkable coincidence it is that Sir William Herschel, discoverer of Uranus, lived to the age of 83.7 years, exactly the period of time it takes for the planet he discovered to orbit the sun once!

On the final page, Ms Sobel states her hope that her book "has helped someone befriend the planets, recognizing in them the stalwarts of centuries of popular culture and the inspiration for much high-minded human endeavor." She has certainly succeeded in doing that for me.

I must confess prior ignorance of Sobel's vaunted lyrical writing style, since this is the first work by her of which I have partaken. (Note: I am reviewing the unabridged audio book, read by Lorna Raver. While the narrator does a splendid job, the source material is seriously lacking.)

This is typical of her writing: "Scattered its atoms to the Jovian winds ... well-inside the eighth house, the mansion of death" (about the Galileo probe plunging towards Jupiter). Huh? This is not only silly, but inaccurate as Jupiter is gas (liquid) giant and the probe would not have atomized in the atmosphere as she writes so prettily.

Sobel's "The Planets" is an adorably poetic and peripatetic jaunt through the solar system, never dwelling for long on any meaningful topic, but altogether willing to spend 10 minutes (or 10 pages) on silliness such as relating Martian history in the first 'person' of a meteorite.

Sprinkled with little factoids that are seldom placed in greater context, this (audio) book left me uncertain about its real purpose and audience. Many persons with an interest in astronomy will want more protein, more information, a more disciplined approach ... something that they can learn from. This is entertainment, not education. Of particular annoyance is Sobel's use of footnotes and references, almost fraudulent in their frequent appearance, as they would seem to bring a weighty seriousness, a scholarly credibility, to this most un-academic work.

Another laudatory reviewer misdirected attention from its deficiences by contrasting it to "a hard science textbook, filled with charts and numbers and scientific formulae". Well, Cosmos by Carl Sagan had few charts and numbers and scientific formulae, was intended for a wide audience, yet was highly engaging and wonderfully informative.

Sobel's work is intended for the "Don't Know Much About Astromony" crowd who don't want to know much and prefer a cutely told tale -- sprinkled with pretty words -- to anything that would make them think too hard. If that is what you seek, then this book is for you. If you have more than a passing interest in astronomy and our solar system, look elsewhere. Actually, why not visit your local library and look for "Astronomy - Earth, Sky and Planets" by Prof. James B. Kaler, and issued by the The Modern Scholar (TMS), the educational products label of Recorded Books. It's only 2 hours longer than Sobel's science fluff, you will learn a great deal more, and it will not cost you anything (apart from a trip to the library).