Celebrating Horror’s Future: Book Review - Alien Earths by Lisa Kaltenegger
Genre: Non-Fiction – Science
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
I’m going to be honest: chunks of this book went a little over my head! There’s a lot to absorb here, and in fairness to Kaltenegger, she’s made it as accessible to a layman audience as she could. The bits I did understand (most, in fairness!) I was absolutely fascinated by, and it’s credit to the author that’s she able to take these concepts and ideas and distil them in a way that’s understandable to a wider audience.
Alien Earths is all about hunting for life on other planets, and dives deep (deep!) into the methodology used, the science of space, and how scientists are pushing us into the final frontier. As well as all the science here, she discusses her own life and work, really putting a human face to an otherwise, well, what could have been a fairly dry book. It works, and makes the book almost part memoir. These sections, too, I found completely engaging, as Kaltenegger discussed her interactions with other scientists, the conventions she attends, and even the sci-fi genre. She also goes into the type of interdisciplinary collaboration that’s required for almost anything nowadays (though here, of course, specifically in regards to life on other planets).
Space is a fascinating subject in itself, and I think even with an almost 300-page book detailing what we know, there’s still so much to uncover. Kaltenegger demonstrates how far we’ve come, and how far we have left to go, while maintaining an infectious level of enthusiasm for the subject throughout. There were moments I found myself gasping, completely rivetted by the subject.
If you have any interest in space and the possibility of other lifeforms out there, you really want to read this one.
It’s also worth noting, there’s a whole wealth of information here that could be used by people writing sci-fi, interested in the future of space exploration…and even some stuff that could be lifted for sci-fi horror! If that’s an area you’re interested in writing in, this book can provide plenty of inspiration.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter: @elleturpitt
Bluesky: @elleturpitt.bsky.social
I received this ebook from Penguin via NetGalley for review consideration.
