Taxi from Another Planet is an intriguing and well written collection of essays and conversations between the author, Dr. Charles S. Cockell, and various taxi drivers he's encountered over the years. Released 30th Aug 2022 by the Harvard University Press, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is an engaging and whimsical meandering contemplation of life as we know it and what could be out *there*, presented by a well know astrobiologist (whose doctorate, from Oxford, was in biophysics - so clearly a guy who knows some things) as discussed with various taxi drivers. The language is easily layman accessible and the more complex scientific concepts contained here are explained simply and understandably. It's not an academic treatise, there are no annotations, and the bibliography and chapter notes are brief and not academically rigorous or demanding.
It stands on its own whimsical merits as the ruminations of an unusually clever and curious guy pondering the universe in which we all live. I found it both charming and sometimes surprisingly profound. I also really liked that despite his being a clearly academically gifted individual, he never took the focus on himself in these conversations. There was no judgement stated or implied toward the taxi drivers and the book really is a group of recollections of conversations about the possibility of life outside the Earth.
Four stars. Admittedly a niche book, but a delightful one.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment