Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: A previous reviewer preferred Grinspoon to Carl Sagan, who was criticized for his condescension. This book shows how it is possible to go too far in the opposite direction. Grinspoon often is clever in approaching his subjects. Unfortunately, in lightening his work with flip language and pop culture references, he undermines the credibility of what might have been a significant book rather than an entertainment. Lonely Planets begins with a lightweight history of thinking about the universe and the possibility that life may be scattered through it. Grinspoon's quick reviews of planetary exploration, comparative planetology, and panspermia will be useful to those who have not studied those subjects. He devotes a large section of the book to a discussion of what life is and how it might exist in other environments. His slant on these issues is more original than most. Grinspoon briefly describes SETI and the paradox associated with Fermi (he was not the first to think of it), concluding that it is premature to rule out any present or past alien presence in our solar system.
Grinspoon give us a humorous treatment of ufology, and a somewhat less whimsical approach to astrotheology. His recognition of Russian cosmism is welcome, but his attempt to outline his own version of natural philosophy will leave most readers confused. The author intrudes too much into his subject matter through his frequent self-references. Too often, he sounds like an insider whose personal connections are as important as his ideas. His assumption that all of his readers share the musical tastes of Baby Boomers ignores the other seventy-one per cent of the population.
Rating:
Summary: Abduct Me, Please
Review: David Grinspoon is a protégé of Carl Sagan, and has quite ably taken it on himself to continue his mentor's quest for making science palatable to the masses. Grinspoon may have even beaten the master here, as he can ably combine science, culture, and religion without Sagan's Achilles Heels of condescension and strict anti-spirituality. In this fascinating book, Grinspoon takes us on a fantastic voyage of speculative thought mixed with real science concerning the possibilities of intelligent life in the universe. This is a true return to "natural philosophy" as Grinspoon is not afraid to tackle the larger spiritual and existential issues that are usually frowned upon by scientists. After a pretty interesting history of belief in extraterrestrials, Grinspoon offers an excellent summary of all the branches of science that are involved with this new field of "astrobiology," or the study of possible alien life. Comparative planetology, physics, and geology play a large role in determining how many worlds out there would be capable of supporting life (Jupiter's moon Europa is the current local favorite). From biology we find that we don't really know exactly what life is, and we should not necessarily expect aliens to be dependent on water and oxygen. The final parts of the book, dealing with religion, psychology, and sociology (including some debunking of ufology and other fads) show that we cannot expect aliens to be similar to us in any of those areas, and they may be so different from us culturally, mentally, and physically that we may not even recognize them as other intelligent life forms, especially when they are likely to be more advanced than us. Grinspoon has taken great pains not to sound like a stiff scientist but like a regular guy who can rap with the masses, a mission that he sometimes takes a little too far. We get language like "our punk little moon" and "you follow, G?" as well as at least two footnotes mentioning pot smokers and an endless supply of cheesy jokes. Also, the tail end of the book slows down a bit with some rather drifty explorations on the meaning of humanity in the universe and how we would react to alien life. But in the long run, Grinspoon is a brilliant thinker on all matters of science and humanity, and he is a true natural philosopher rather than a mere scientist. As for those possible aliens, I beg them to come for a visit. It's getting boring around here. [~doomsdayer520~]
Rating:
Summary: Abduct Me, Please
Review: David Grinspoon is a protégé of Carl Sagan, and has quite ably taken it on himself to continue his mentor's quest for making science palatable to the masses. Grinspoon may have even beaten the master here, as he can ably combine science, culture, and religion without Sagan's Achilles Heels of condescension and strict anti-spirituality. In this fascinating book, Grinspoon takes us on a fantastic voyage of speculative thought mixed with real science concerning the possibilities of intelligent life in the universe. This is a true return to "natural philosophy" as Grinspoon is not afraid to tackle the larger spiritual and existential issues that are usually frowned upon by scientists. After a pretty interesting history of belief in extraterrestrials, Grinspoon offers an excellent summary of all the branches of science that are involved with this new field of "astrobiology," or the study of possible alien life. Comparative planetology, physics, and geology play a large role in determining how many worlds out there would be capable of supporting life (Jupiter's moon Europa is the current local favorite). From biology we find that we don't really know exactly what life is, and we should not necessarily expect aliens to be dependent on water and oxygen. The final parts of the book, dealing with religion, psychology, and sociology (including some debunking of ufology and other fads) show that we cannot expect aliens to be similar to us in any of those areas, and they may be so different from us culturally, mentally, and physically that we may not even recognize them as other intelligent life forms, especially when they are likely to be more advanced than us. Grinspoon has taken great pains not to sound like a stiff scientist but like a regular guy who can rap with the masses, a mission that he sometimes takes a little too far. We get language like "our punk little moon" and "you follow, G?" as well as at least two footnotes mentioning pot smokers and an endless supply of cheesy jokes. Also, the tail end of the book slows down a bit with some rather drifty explorations on the meaning of humanity in the universe and how we would react to alien life. But in the long run, Grinspoon is a brilliant thinker on all matters of science and humanity, and he is a true natural philosopher rather than a mere scientist. As for those possible aliens, I beg them to come for a visit. It's getting boring around here. [~doomsdayer520~]
Rating: 
Summary: Two Parts Strong, One Part Weak
Review: David Grinspoon writes with a friendly, conversational style, which takes the dryness out of the science; sometimes he is even glib. But now and then I wondered whether or not this guy really was into partaking of a little weed now and then; or if he is (was) the ungeeky geek his prose style and ubiquitous footnotes would have me believe. Part of me thinks, why not? Another part of me thinks, who cares? The problem is that his style is unusual for a popular science book. He is without doubt a serious planetary scientist with many outstanding credentials; and this book successfully mixes erudition and youthful glibness. The style suggests to me that this book is aimed at not only the non-scientists among us, but the younger non-scientists out there. Maybe I'm too old and cynical, but the style wore thin after a couple hundred pages. I still love the content, and the interesting discussions on the nature and difficult origins of organic life; and recommend highly the first 290 or so pages. But the last part of the book, called Belief, sometimes seemed to be a balancing act between wanting to believe in some things currently outside the realm of hard science, and scoffing at such things. Part Three seems to be trying to build upon natural philosophy, which Grinspoon highly regards (as the title attests); but he tries too hard to speculate in a meaningful, scientific way. His attempts to bring fringe elements, like UFO enthusiasts, and even fringe science like SETI (which I think is hopeless), into his discussion just don't seem to gel. If he'd found a way to make this section 30 or 40 pages instead of 130 pages, he might have ended the book on a noble note, rather than getting himself, and the reader, bogged down in a pointless refutation of pseudo-science. For all that, I still give Lonely Planets four stars for the brilliance of the first two thirds of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific book
Review: I believe that Lonely Planets reflects the very latest in scientific thinking on extraterrestrial life, but then how would I know? Science and math are not my strong suits. What I do know is that it's a lively, intelligent story of nine little planets (give or take) and how they grew. Civil and respectful to those whose beliefs he disputes, Grinspoon offers history, science and belief in three separate sections but unifies them nicely. He maintains a cautious optimism for the possibility that we may one day see advanced life-forms from other planets, while raising the question (among many others) of how much can we possibly know to expect from such ET life? The scope of the book is fittingly staggering, from the big bang first night to the closing down of the solar system in the next millenium. I learned many new things--things that are new to me, at least, but again, science is not my field. Though it might have been if Grinspoon had been my teacher. The tone throughtout is like the science teacher you always wished you had; seriously fun, seriously fascinated in a way that conveys and communicates itself to you. I'll close by saying this is the best popular science book I have ever read. But that's not saying a lot. Although, it's not saying a little either.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific book
Review: I believe that Lonely Planets reflects the very latest in scientific thinking on extraterrestrial life, but then how would I know? Science and math are not my strong suits. What I do know is that it's a lively, intelligent story of nine little planets (give or take) and how they grew. Civil and respectful to those whose beliefs he disputes, Grinspoon offers history, science and belief in three separate sections but unifies them nicely. He maintains a cautious optimism for the possibility that we may one day see advanced life-forms from other planets, while raising the question (among many others) of how much can we possibly know to expect from such ET life? The scope of the book is fittingly staggering, from the big bang first night to the closing down of the solar system in the next millenium. I learned many new things--things that are new to me, at least, but again, science is not my field. Though it might have been if Grinspoon had been my teacher. The tone throughtout is like the science teacher you always wished you had; seriously fun, seriously fascinated in a way that conveys and communicates itself to you. I'll close by saying this is the best popular science book I have ever read. But that's not saying a lot. Although, it's not saying a little either.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating, mind-opening and enjoyable book...
Review: I did not expect to have my mind changed on the possibility of extraterrestrial life through reading this book, but it was...again, and again, and again. Grinspoon is a serious scientist with an open mind and a terrific sense of humor, who manages to cover a broad and evolving field of viewpoints with respect and appreciation, and a healthy dose of skepticism, for all. After a fascinating tour through the history of the science (and wishful thinking) of the human search for extraterrestrial life, Grinspoon explains why there is good scientific reason for believing not only that there is life out there, but (and this one surprised me, but the logic convinced me) that there is likely to be technological sophistication out there far, far in excess of our own. On the other hand, he is equally convincing in showing how the scientific ideas about extraterrestrials is full of human- and earth-centered biases, and that we really have no idea at all what to look for. On still another hand, he shows why there are some signals that we can reasonably anticipate--a planet with an atmosphere inexplicably out of chemical equilibrium, for example--that might make more sense than the current focus on water. Turning to the UFO crowd, Grinspoon looks intriguingly at the way their belief structure is similar to that of scientists, and how it differs. He finds that some "ufology" is truly bunk and hucksterism, but also maintains that we should not write it all off--in fact, he regrets that the hucksters may bias scientists to ignore some important evidence on Earth. One of the great mysteries for scientists is why, if even the most conservative assumptions about alien life are correct, it has remained invisible to us on Earth. Grinspoon is perhaps at his best on this question, and true to his open-minded style, when questioning the question. But just when he starts to go into the big philosophical issues, he comes out with a remark like, "How should I know? Do I look like the Dalai Lama?" and we are reminded that the science is inherently one of speculation, and that a dose of humor is the most important ingredient of all. Grinspoon has applied the humor liberally, and with an expert hand.
Rating:
Summary: Definite brain food
Review: I have always been interested in things about the planets and how life began so I just love this book. It's pretty easy to read and understand considering all the scientific words and ideas used. Plus it even injects some humor to it all which I loved. I think that anyone who has ever been interested in where we came from and how the earth began would love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Lonely, Perhaps, But Still Looking
Review: I picked up "Lonely Planets" on a whim, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Grinspoon is a planetologist first, and the best part of this book lies in the author's descriptions of Venus (which he has studied intensively in his own career), Mars, Europa and other moons and planets in our solar system. Mars and Venus are probably but not certainly lifeless, but Europa--well, there's an interesting world, which may have a liquid ocean and life beneath a miles thick layer of ice. Scientists think enough of the possibility that they crashed the aging Galileo space probe into Jupiter's atmosphere rather than run the risk that it might someoday collide with (and possibly contaminate) Europa. The balance of "Lonely Planets" reviews the history of philosophical and scientific thinking about the prospect of life on other worlds, the conditions that might give rise to life, the prospect of intelligent life evolving on other worlds (or even on this one), and the means by which "advanced" civilizations might communicate with each other. The questions raised are thought provoking. Is life on Earth a unique phenomenon, or is it possible (likely?) that life also developed on other worlds? Is all life (or at least the life in this part of the galaxy) related by virtue of accidental or intentional "panspermia"? If life exists elsewhere, is it likely to be carbon-based, or will some other element do the trick? Does life always evolve toward intelligence as we understand it, or does it usually remain simple and gooey? If there are advanced civilizations on other worlds, why don't they call or write? Are we not cute enough (or smart enough)? Maybe other forms of intelligent life just aren't talkative--or if they are, we can't figure out how to communicate with them, or them with us (when was the last time you had a chat with a whale or dolphin?) Are alien visitors already here, or are people just imagining things? Grinspoon does a good job of illuminating these and other fascinating questions. His style is conversational and friendly, which is not a bad trick for a rocket scientist. On the whole, a good, approachable introduction to what may be the most important scientific question of our time. If we conclude that there is life on other worlds, that's amazing; and if we learn that there isn't any life on other worlds, that's amazing, too.
Rating:
Summary: Lonely, Perhaps, But Still Looking
Review: I picked up "Lonely Planets" on a whim, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Grinspoon is a planetologist first, and the best part of this book lies in the author's descriptions of Venus (which he has studied intensively in his own career), Mars, Europa and other moons and planets in our solar system. Mars and Venus are probably but not certainly lifeless, but Europa--well, there's an interesting world, which may have a liquid ocean and life beneath a miles thick layer of ice. Scientists think enough of the possibility that they crashed the aging Galileo space probe into Jupiter's atmosphere rather than run the risk that it might someoday collide with (and possibly contaminate) Europa. The balance of "Lonely Planets" reviews the history of philosophical and scientific thinking about the prospect of life on other worlds, the conditions that might give rise to life, the prospect of intelligent life evolving on other worlds (or even on this one), and the means by which "advanced" civilizations might communicate with each other. The questions raised are thought provoking. Is life on Earth a unique phenomenon, or is it possible (likely?) that life also developed on other worlds? Is all life (or at least the life in this part of the galaxy) related by virtue of accidental or intentional "panspermia"? If life exists elsewhere, is it likely to be carbon-based, or will some other element do the trick? Does life always evolve toward intelligence as we understand it, or does it usually remain simple and gooey? If there are advanced civilizations on other worlds, why don't they call or write? Are we not cute enough (or smart enough)? Maybe other forms of intelligent life just aren't talkative--or if they are, we can't figure out how to communicate with them, or them with us (when was the last time you had a chat with a whale or dolphin?) Are alien visitors already here, or are people just imagining things? Grinspoon does a good job of illuminating these and other fascinating questions. His style is conversational and friendly, which is not a bad trick for a rocket scientist. On the whole, a good, approachable introduction to what may be the most important scientific question of our time. If we conclude that there is life on other worlds, that's amazing; and if we learn that there isn't any life on other worlds, that's amazing, too.
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