Otherlands

A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds

By: Thomas Halliday

Narrated by: Adetomiwa Edun

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

2022 James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, Short-listed

“Immersive . . . bracingly ambitious . . . rewinds the story of life on Earth—from the mammoth steppe of the last Ice Age to the dawn of multicellular creatures over 500 million years ago.”—The Economist

LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE • “One of those rare books that’s both deeply informative and daringly imaginative.”—Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Prospect (UK)

The past is past, but it does leave clues, and Thomas Halliday has used cutting-edge science to decipher them more completely than ever before. In Otherlands, Halliday makes sixteen fossil sites burst to life.

This book is an exploration of the Earth as it used to exist, the changes that have occurred during its history, and the ways that life has found to adapt―or not. It takes us from the savannahs of Pliocene Kenya to watch a python chase a group of australopithecines into an acacia tree; to a cliff overlooking the salt pans of the empty basin of what will be the Mediterranean Sea just as water from the Miocene Atlantic Ocean spills in; into the tropical forests of Eocene Antarctica; and under the shallow pools of Ediacaran Australia, where we glimpse the first microbial life.

Otherlands also offers us a vast perspective on the current state of the planet. The thought that something as vast as the Great Barrier Reef, for example, with all its vibrant diversity, might one day soon be gone sounds improbable. But the fossil record shows us that this sort of wholesale change is not only possible but has repeatedly happened throughout Earth history.

Even as he operates on this broad canvas, Halliday brings us up close to the intricate relationships that defined these lost worlds. In novelistic prose that belies the breadth of his research, he illustrates how ecosystems are formed; how species die out and are replaced; and how species migrate, adapt, and collaborate. It is a breathtaking achievement: a surprisingly emotional narrative about the persistence of life, the fragility of seemingly permanent ecosystems, and the scope of deep time, all of which have something to tell us about our current crisis.

©2022 Thomas Halliday (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Written with gusto and bravado . . . In a genre that can tend toward cookie-cutter sameness . . . Halliday has honed a unique voice. . . . Otherlands is a verbal feast. You feel like you are there on the Mammoth Steppe, some 20,000 years ago, as frigid winds blow off the glacial front.”—Steve Brusatte, Scientific American

“Halliday’s brilliantly imaginative reconstructions, his deft marshalling of complex science, offers a thrilling experience of deep-time nature for pop-science buffs.”—Library Journal (starred review) 

“Halliday takes an energizing spin through Earth’s past in his magnificent debut. . . . This show-stopping work deserves wide readership.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

Great book brilliantly read

My overall take of this book is simply that it's fantastic. I love listening to books about various periods of time in the geologic past but I've never really been able to get much of a feeling sense of how life on this planet flowed from one period to another. I'd hear about certain developments in the Triassic, for example. Then certain other developments in the Oligocene, and some thing else in the Permian, etc, etc. But I was never really able to build a big picture in my mind of why what happened when it did and how that influenced what followed and was influenced by what came before. Until listening to Otherworlds, that is. By beginning with the present and moving step-by-step into the past, the author (Thomas Halladay) is able to move the listener from what is basically familiar to that which is a bit less familiar and finally to that which is almost completely unfamiliar by creating a very real picture of each period. He does this by focusing on one period in each chapter. That is, by moving from the Pleistocene at the start of the book to the Pliocene in the next chapter and on back through time until reaching the Ediacaran.
This is a wonderfully written book and it was read with professionalism and clarity by Adetomiwa Edun. For me, this is an A++ book.

3-stars "Pretty Good"

Found it hard going as an audiobook. Would be better read. The science terminology at times is a bit dense though not insurmountable. The descriptive language can be creative, it requires slowing down and letting sink in, he doesn't repeat for emphasis so you either absorb the sentence right away or it's lost. For these two reasons, the unstoppable grind of the audiobook format makes it harder going. The structure is pretty simple and each of the 16 chapters (point in time) is a standalone work. If your dedicated, 2 or 3 listens will reward. One problem is there is no thesis, it's like: here is a lake 10 million years ago and there are insects buzzing and fish jumping and strange trees. Next. Reminds me of general-topic books about "the ocean" or "salt", anything goes and ends up as an encyclopedic dump of predigested learning. 3 stars, "Pretty good".

Great content, but mispronounced words kept breaking the 4 wall

The number of improperly pronounced words detracted from the content of this book. I know I’m nit-picking, but it’s a scientific volume and should be read properly. Notable examples: cephalopod & Pangea. Otherwise quite enjoyable.

A Time Traveling Treasure

One word for this audio book is incredible. Thomas Halliday is a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist. He holds a Lerverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Birmingham. He is truly a professional in his field and takes you on an imaginary trip through time from 20,000 years ago all the way back to 550 million years into the past. You will get to visit 16 different times and locations on the Earth and its species that roamed, swam or flew during those times. This book is written from a scientist's point of view, and because of the detail required can take multiple listens, but the time invested is well worth it. The narrator Adetomiwa Edun reads as if he had written the book. The detail to pronunciation for all the varieties of plant and animal names is spot on. This audio has now been elevated to my favorites and will be relistened to many times over. To be able to experience a time past in such exquisite detail could only be presented by a professional such as Thomas Halliday who lives and works in this world. I highly recommend this if you have a deep interest in our planets past and how the species that survived eventually led to us. This is truly a time traveling treasure!

Frustration with mispronunciation

The book is quite original in its approach at telling the story of earth’s history in reverse, but the narrators continual mispronunciation of even common scientific terms was very frustrating. I struggled to understand whole sections until I realized he was just butchering words. For example “Pangaea” was pronounced “pang-ee-yah” and this isn’t a difference in British vs American English.

Insightful

While much of this book requires absolute attention, that effort is well worth it. The author leads us not only on the fantastical Environmental history of earth, but also on the optimistic view of humankind’s effort to defeat harmful climate change. I sincerely hope this work makes it into college courses.

Very Approchable Natural Science Overview

I was a little uncertain if I could "handle" this type of book as I usually listen to autobiography or fiction - this is certainly different material as you generally feel like you could jump in at any chapter and enjoy it just as much as listening beginning to end.
The language is quite scientific but the material is not dry - very colorful and richly descriptive it challenges the mind but does not lose you. Narrator being very good and the book's quality makes an impact. There is a building crescendo in the last third.
I'd highly recommend this to people who are interested in natural science and the history of our world - very educational. It does have advanced terminology but the great writing keeps you engaged.
I feel like getting the print copy and looking for images to go with the text but I'm really glad I heard the audiobook.

Great, creative concept, yet bogs down in detail

This book for all its brilliance & creative presentation of facts & timelines is difficult to engage. The last chapter was a nice overview & thoughtful. I wanted to like this book, yet not my cup of tea.

Fantastic for all readers

I was worried this book would be way too niche for me to keep up with, but it was a great introduction (and very thoroughly researched) to the world of our planet’s yesteryear.

90% great

If you're here for history and science, skip the preachy epilogue.

Narrator butchered a few words in critical areas, really removing you from the picture that's being painted.