Flights of Fancy

Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution

By: Richard Dawkins

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins

Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

The wonder of flight. The science of evolution. From both, Richard Dawkins weaves a fascinating account of how nature and humans have learned to overcome the pull of gravity and take to the skies.

Have you ever dreamt you could fly? Or imagined what it would be like to glide and swoop through the sky like a bird? Do you let your mind soar to unknown, magical spaces?

In Flights of Fancy, Richard Dawkins explains how nature and humans have learned to overcome the pull of gravity and take to the skies. From the mythical Icarus, to the sadly extinct but spectacular bird Argentavis magnificens, from the Wright flyer and the 747, to the Tinkerbella fairyfly and the Peregrine falcon. But it is also about flights of the mind, about escaping the everyday - through science, ideas and imagination.

©2021 Richard Dawkins (P)2021 Head of Zeus

Another fantastic book by Richard Dawkins.

If you are already a Dawkins fan, you know how well he writes. If you haven’t been introduced to his work, this is as good a book many of his other masterpieces. He will walk you through, step-by-step, comparing human designed flights and the various forms of evolutionary developments of biological flights on our planet. Buy it. Listen to it. Enjoy it. And share the knowledge.

Fascinating History of Animal Flight

Flights of Fancy would be an excellent introduction to Dawkins to a first time reader. It's an excellent, succinct, and to-the-point book about the history of flight (and gliding) in the animal kingdom, including the relatively short history of human flight.

While relatively short by Dawkins' standards, less than five hours in audio divided in to short chapters, the book is packed with a ton of great biological information and interesting observations, all read to you by the world's preeminent evolutionary biologist. As always his prose is smooth and satisfying, and he manages to sprinkle some humor in here and there for good measure. When it comes right down to it, it's really amazing that animals can fly so efficiently considering the amount of energy required and physical traits needed to overcome the Earth's gravity.

After looking at the previews of the Kindle and print additions I regret not buying the physical version of the book. The illustrations are fantastic and numerous. I'll have to spend a lunch hour at Barnes and Noble with it to take them all in.

Richard is 81 now and I hope he has some more books in him. I've seen him speak in person twice, in Rochester MN and Dallas. My wife and I flew to Dallas in 2018 and bought the meet and greet passes for his appearance with the great Carolyn Porco. It was a thrill for me to chat with him and get a picture of the two of us. He is one of humanity's brightest minds.

Dawkins at his best

Always love his insights, intellectual integrity, and no nonsense approach to telling the truth. All with almost childlike wonder

5 Stars For a reason

I thought I was pretty well informed about flying but every few minute of listening I learned something new, we’ll written, well read by the author, I listened to it in one sitting and I’m starting over to absorb even more.

Could Have Been Better

Seemed like most are from 'The Ancestors' Tale'. But a good combination of basic Physics of flight and evolution. But could have been better if it contained little more advanced topics and contents.

What a wonderful book

I'm well above the target age group, but was looking for something to listen to at work. This is exactly the type of book I would have LOVED to own as a young person. It explores the questions of how flight works, what it's for, and how it originates, giving just enough information on each topic to spark fascination without getting bogged down. Analogies and examples simplify complex topics and make them easy to understand. Dawkins is an exuberant narrator whose love of nature and science is clear and infectious. this is a great book and I will probably end up sending it as a gift to a few people.

Sparks interest and curiosity

Dawkins yet again, never fails to educate his topics so articulately to his readers. I also recommend reading along with the physical book to enjoy the amazing artwork along the way.

Thank God for Richard Dawkins!

Dawkins excels at popular science books, and this is quite possibly his best effort to date. He explains very complex systems in ways that even an idiot like me can understand. He is truly a gift from God.

Now my favorite Dawkins book

Richard Dawkins writes and speaks eloquently comparable to Carl Sagan. He’s able to convey complicated ideas in a way palpable to the average listener.

It's alright.

It's ok.
It's a collection of fun facts related to biology, evolution, human history and the science of flight. I'm not 100% sold on "flight" being a suitably cohesive theme to make all this work together as a logical whole.
It's not bad, but wouldn't be the first Richard Dawkins book I recommend to people.