A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Chapters

"Back in early modern England, scientists (called ‘natural philosophers’ at the time), set up a Royal Society to discuss their work. Their first meeting took place on 28 November 1660. Not only is the Royal Society still going today as an “independent scientific academy….dedicated to promoting excellence in science for the benefit of humanity” they also have a book prize that picks out popular science books for the general public. This year’s winner was A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth , a book that covers 4.6 billion years in 12 relatively short chapters. It’s by Henry Gee, an editor at Nature . The Royal Society also has a kids’ science book prize which is excellent. A panel of scientists draw up the shortlist, but it’s children who vote the winner from the final six. This year’s winner will be announced in March 2023; last year’s winner was I am a book. I am a portal to the Universe by Stefanie Posavec and illustrated by Miriam Quick."

"A fantastic title. Do you know, I see this book almost as one long poem. The style might not be to everyone’s taste, but I think everybody would agree that it’s amazing. The use of language is breathtaking. You feel like you’re part of this extraordinary evolutionary process, both physical and biological. He stops it from just being drearily descriptive, and takes you on this wave of fantastic imagery—describing what was happening so that you can see it. Even if it’s some sort of ancient organism producing carbon dioxide or other biochemical process, it’s all done with such dynamism! You almost feel tired at the end. It’s very, very good. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . The last chapter is ‘The Past of The Future’, and it’s as if he’s writing from the perspective of the end of the universe and you do get the feeling that it’s inevitable, but not in a gloomy way. We all care about global warming… but this is just the beginning. He tells us not to despair, and that life is still going on, but you do get the sense that—goodness me—this is such a tiny, tiny period amid the massive timescale of the universe. The concept of a stable world is gone. I think a lot of people will love this book, but some might not be able to take it. It’s very full-on."