The Planets

By: Professor Brian Cox, Andrew Cohen

Narrated by: Samuel West

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

A companion book to the critically acclaimed BBC series. 

The best-selling authors of Wonders of the Universe are back with another blockbuster, a groundbreaking exploration of our Solar System as it has never been seen before. 

Mercury, a lifeless victim of the Sun’s expanding power. Venus, once thought to be lush and fertile, now known to be trapped within a toxic and boiling atmosphere. Mars, the red planet, doomed by the loss of its atmosphere. Jupiter, twice the size of all the other planets combined, but insubstantial. Saturn, a stunning celestial beauty, the jewel of our Solar System. Uranus, the sideways planet and the first ice giant. Neptune, dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds. Pluto, the dwarf planet, a frozen rock.

Andrew Cohen and Professor Brian Cox take listeners on a voyage of discovery, from the fiery heart of our Solar System, to its mysterious outer reaches. They touch on the latest discoveries that have expanded our knowledge of the planets, their moons and how they come to be, alongside recent stunning and mind-boggling NASA photography.

©2019 Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Cox’s romantic, lyrical approach to astrophysics all adds up to an experience that feels less like homework and more like having a story told to you. A really good story, too." (The Guardian)

"He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things." (The Independent)

"If you didn’t utter a wow watching the TV, you will while reading the book." (The Times)

baroque and flowery verbiage

The style of this book is much more flowery and grandiose than I expect from a science book. It also came across as preachy at times. I found the affected verbiage off-putting; others may enjoy the authors' effort to share their love for planetary science, along with their vision for settling Mars.

The meat of each chapter typically had good information that was educational and enjoyable.

The narrator was good, though he seemed to reflect the flowery verbiage.

A Stellar (or at least Astronomical) Piece of Work

The level of care on display here in both the writing, where large concepts are broken down into simple ones for the sake of laypeople, and in the narration, where the narrator does an exquisite job of bringing the work to life in such a way as to make it practically breathe with calm, and calming precision, is truly remarkable... I highly recommend this book for any fans of space science, Dr. Brian Cox, or who are generally interested in learning about the wonders beyond our own blue marble

more up to date than most

well organized and paced. unlike others which cite "upcoming' missions that are in fact well underway or over, this title includes recent information. It is well presented and suitable for audio (others I have felt were print edition titles that didn't really work without tables and illustrations). Excellent value for money. I have listened 3 times within a month of buying.

A glorious description of the planets for adults!

Professor Cox' knowledge of science is rivaled only by his ability to share that knowledge in a clear, concise, and interesting manner. His enthusiasm for, and love of, the topic shines through the entire book.

Msrs is no joke

Mars is unbelievable. All the planets are amazing but Mars has some shit that Earth cant Fock with.

fascinating!

excellently crafted storyline on the topic of our solar system. even my children found it fascinating on the way to and from school every morning. would highly recommend.

excellent in all regards.

amazing material. flawless and entertaining narration. I've listened to it over and over and have never ceased to be both entertained and enlightened

Exceeds all expectations

An enthralling masterpiece for the whole family, whether you're new to astronomy or a seasoned celestial book worm. I highly recommend it.

From a Lifetime Astronomy Fan

I loved this audiobook. It was a fascinating story full of amazing facts and theories about the planets our solar system. I highly recommend it!

Loved every minute!

Exploring our solar system from the rocky inner worlds to the gas giants and then the ice planets and beyond was like an adventure listening to this book. The way the book unfolded was logical and interesting and the narration was perfect, clear and well spoken. Who knew that the discoverer of Pluto would end up being onboard the craft that was destined to explore the icy planet that is no longer a full planet in our solar system?
So many discoveries, every chapter had me riveted. Totally loved it!

Worthwhile Update

It’s now 20 years since the BBC broadcast the original series of The Planets, a lot has changed since then; a wealth of new discoveries due to ongoing exploration. It’s now the perfect time for an update on the information provided by the original TV series and accompanying book. I bought this audiobook on the morning it was released and listened to all 8 hours in one session. Reassuringly the audiobook is narrated by Samuel West, who provided the narration to the original 1999 TV series which I’ve always been a huge fan of, so there’s a nice continuity to that. This book covers everything we already knew about our solar system 20 years ago, even briefly reiterating some of the same facts; however, so much has happened in the past 20 years, that the bulk of the text prioritises those new discoveries. All of the most important facts are here and Brian Cox being co-author, there’s more than a shadow of tongue-in-cheek grumbling about priorities and general laziness among current world leaders and their attitudes toward science and Earth environment issues among other things; and rightly so. I’ve been closely following astrophysics and space discovery all of my adult life as well as educating myself about the history of scientific discovery. It’s astonishing just how much we’ve learned in the past two decades alone, this book collects all of this together interspersing it with the relevant historical background. I enjoyed this book so much and by the time I’d finished it, I still felt I wanted more, so ordered the hardback too, as I feel the text alone can’t possibly do the book justice.

Good Stuff but is an Audiobook The Best Format?

I enjoyed this, I did know that I was no expert on our solar system and as it turned out I really didn't know very much at all! It's a genuinely fascinating subject, I had no idea quite how complex or indeed dynamic the solar system really is. Cohen, and it really is much more him than Cox I think, tells some great stories about the fate of Venus for example and the marauding force that Jupiter once was beating in and out of the inner Solar system! Some of this is quite inspiring and I'm off to try and find the TV series on catch up somewhere.

And there's the rub really. I suspect apart from a level of detail, which at some stages verged on being quite technical, the TV series with its visuals is going to be far more effective. Also, if you are in two minds about whether audio or print is the right format take a look at the Amazon page for the book as that looks impressive with great colour visuals which may help to bring this alive more than the audio. This looks like a case where if ever an audiobook could do with some supplemental material this really is it.

Samuel West does a good job of narrating, and the stories of some of these planets are really quite remarkable. The complex sequence of events and factors that created our Earth are, to me at least, absolutely mind-blowing. Talk about being lucky, us humans just don't know that we're born! And I have to say I loved Cohen's suggestion for dealing with anyone still in denial over climate change, maybe a little extreme but it made me smile!

So, this is good stuff, if like I was, you really don't have much insight into how our solar system was formed so I am happy to recommend it on that basis. Even if you know a little there is a goodly amount of up to date science included so there's likely something in this for most people.

It is worth a think though whether the TV series or the print book or indeed both would make for a better investment in time and money than the audio.

Absolutely brilliant!

A fascinating book. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to indulge myself in such rich information about our amazing universe. It’s beautifully spoken too. A book that I want to listen to again!

Captivating!

This was such an interesting book! The narration was excellent, and the content was really thought provoking. Ive bought the hardback so that I can enjoy the visuals. 10/10

Fantastic - a tribute to all the people who have dedicated themselves to discovering our solar system

Might have preferred the lovely Brian to narrate and it was slightly repetitive in parts, particularly on the principles behind the Greenhouse effect. I wonder if this was because of the way it was co authored?

But I love the TV show and I love the book. I particularly like the mission details and I am in awe of the people behind them. Our solar system is clearly an amazing place and so too is the ingenuity of the people behind it’s continued discovery and long may it continue.

Fascinating

It really excite and fascinate me with solar system life. It contains great knowledge explained very simply.

A trip to remember

Fascinating. Can't go out during lock down? Take a trip into space. The idea of something as small as a car travelling for millions of miles, arriving at the exact target and sending back masses of information is mind blowing. RIP Cassini-Huygens.

Love it

Inspirational, educational and entertaining! I’ve listen to it several times and I cannot get bored of it!!

Awesomely Educational and Interesting

A brilliant book with so much information about our planets. I thought I knew quite a lot already but I've learned so much more. I would definitely recommend

Oh so wonderful

This is a good book in many ways. But its marred by far too much waffling speculative wonderment about space, time & the galaxy. We know what Brian Cox is like on the telly. And thats what you get here. Samuel West is an excellent reader in general, but his softly spoken tones in this case just amplify the star struck meanderings of the book's authors. Cohen is better as a writer but beware that Cox is not just here for show, he wrote half the book too. We know space is great & everything. Next time a bit more facts please & a lot less starry eyed drivel.