Dr. McAlister's writing is like talking to the most enthusiastic co-worker in the lab or collection... The Inside Out of Flies contains a huge number of new, fascinating tidbits about Diptera, their morphology, ecology, physiology, and overwhelming diversity. In a clever move, the book is organized head to tail... This could be all very text bookish, but it is not. It is Erica telling you cool things... Photos are abundant, high quality, and full colour. There is also a careful balance between explanatory diagrams and Fly Eye Candy. At ten chapters and nearly 300 pages, it is not a book light on text. The readable style, however, makes it easy to pick up, be fascinated by, and then return to later... [McAlister] has what is always in style in popular science books — a genuine enthusiasm and love for a subject that she knows a great deal about.
The Bulletin of Entomological Society of Canada - Joel Gibson
(Review of UK edition) Contains so many fascinating facts that it is worth reading the book for these alone.
FAOPMA Magazine - Stephen L. Doggett
"Flies are not filthy . . . they are always cleaning themselves," notes entomologist Erica McAlister's caption for a photo of a fly maintaining its antennae — one of many eye-popping images in her erudite, irresistible natural history of the insects. She agrees with naturalist Pliny, who wrote two millennia ago that insects display nature's "exhaustless ingenuity". Consider Ephydra hians, which "scuba-dives" in alkaline lakes — using hydrophobic hairs that trap an air bubble like an external lung — to lay its eggs on the lake bottom.
nature.com - Andrew Robinson
It is hard to imagine a more ardent fly nerd than Erica McAlister... She devotes a chapter to each distinct region of fly anatomy, spotlighting bizarre organs and physiological marvels... Highly enlarged and exquisitely detailed color images add graphic impact to the author's enthusiastic text... The charm of these creatures to entomologists rests not simply on grotesquery, but on the many questions they raise about the origins and evolutionary functions of their ingenious adaptations. McAlister's writing is a powerful expression of that charm.
Natural History Magazine - Laurence A. Marschall
Flies are among the most underrated animals on our planet, but McAlister is on a mission to change that... Her adoration for flies is utterly infectious and her accessible accounts of cutting-edge research are interspersed with amusing anecdotes that will be sure to induce a giggle.
BBC Wildlife - Ashleigh Whiffin
This is a wonderful volume, of potential interest and use to a wide variety of readers interested in biology, entomology, behavior, and evolution.
Catherine Hibbittn Biology Teacher
[Review of UK edition:] On the last page of her wonderful book The Inside Out of Flies, Erica McAlister wonders if she might ever produce a popular science book that does justice to the insects that she, unashamedly, loves. Suffice to say that she has, and that she has this reviewer ordering her earlier book The Secret Life of Flies for its likely entertainment value as well as its erudition. I am among the many readers who will never look at a fly in quite the same way again and will now hesitate or desist from swatting them. Alongside the text the scanning electron microscope photographs that illustrate the many points raised are so good and so numerous that it almost becomes a coffee table book. But it is the writing (and the flies) that deserves the champagne. So much information and so much wit... 288 pages of sheer delight that should be read by anyone interested in natural history not just entomologists and not just dipterologists. It more or less throws down the gauntlet to other scientists working on other groups of animals to come up with anything as diverse, bizarre or downright interesting as flies.
The Biologist - J.D Charlwood
Erica McAlister is the flies' best friend—knowledgeable, experienced, passionate about both her chosen field and turning others on to the mysteries and magic of the Diptera... McAlister eschews anything like a standard text-book approach, telling stories instead, often about the fascinating and highly variable extremes exhibited by this large and disparate group... The result is a fresh appreciation of these arcane animals that all too often are seen from the working end of a fly swatter or can of repellent.
The Canadian Field-Naturalist - Barry Cottam
[Review of UK edition:] Not only is her subject matter engrossing and outlandish, but McAlister is also enthusiastic and witty...The Inside Out of Flies is much more than just a carnival of the bizarre. McAlister introduces plenty of serious biology here and mines the research literature for little-known but captivating nuggets... McAlister is an inspired spokeswoman for dipterology and entomology more generally, combining a heartfelt sense of wonder at the small things around us with a knack for popularizing science. The Inside Out of Flies, together with its predecessor The Secret Life of Flies, are must-read books for anyone interested in insects.
The Inquisitive Biologist
Erica McAlister is an acknowledged expert at the top of her field and a skilled writer who masterfully imparts knowledge while entertaining the reader with her enthusiasm and wit. With immense value for students and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, The Inside Out of Flies is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community, college, university, and specialist or corporate library collections.
(Review of UK edition) I'd challenge anyone who's interested in the wonders of the natural world, the amazing creative force that is evolution, who really wants to understand how all of our amazing ecosystems function, not to be gripped by Erica McAlister's The Inside Out of Flies. You don't even have to read a lot of the packed detail of its 288 pages. You could just look at the pictures, in sumptuous colour and glorious detail.
Bright Green Blog - Natalie Bennett
(Review of UK edition) Contains so many fascinating facts that it is worth reading the book for these alone
FAOPMA Magazine - Stephen L Doggett
[Review of UK edition:] On the last page of her wonderful book The Inside Out of Flies, Erica McAlister wonders if she might ever produce a popular science book that does justice to the insects that she, unashamedly, loves Suffice to say that she has, and that she has this reviewer ordering her earlier book The Secret Life of Flies for its likely entertainment value as well as its erudition I am among the many readers who will never look at a fly in quite the same way again and will now hesitate or desist from swatting them Alongside the text the scanning electron microscope photographs that illustrate the many points raised are so good and so numerous that it almost becomes a coffee table book But it is the writing (and the flies) that deserves the champagne So much information and so much wit 288 pages of sheer delight that should be read by anyone interested in natural history not just entomologists and not just dipterologists It more or less throws down the gauntlet to other scientists working on other groups of animals to come up with anything as diverse, bizarre or downright interesting as flies
The Biologist - J D Charlwood
It is hard to imagine a more ardent fly nerd than Erica McAlister She devotes a chapter to each distinct region of fly anatomy, spotlighting bizarre organs and physiological marvels Highly enlarged and exquisitely detailed color images add graphic impact to the author's enthusiastic text The charm of these creatures to entomologists rests not simply on grotesquery, but on the many questions they raise about the origins and evolutionary functions of their ingenious adaptations McAlister's writing is a powerful expression of that charm
Natural History Magazine - Laurence A Marschall
02/01/2021
Flies are not everyone's cup of tea, but McAlister (curator, Natural History Museum, London) finds them "stupendous." Following up The Secret Life of Flies , she shares her love in intimate detail, with archival drawings, detailed photographs, and scientific illustrations. McAlister discusses naming conventions and anatomy (thorax, wings, and reproductive organs), and though text and illustrations are occasionally icky (images of maggots or a fly emerging from a decapitated ant's head), they're sometimes unexpectedly beautiful (compound eyes, feathery antennae). The writing is dense but will be accessible to interested nonscientists. VERDICT Readers may not come to love these creatures, but they will likely grow to see them as more than simply germ-laden pests. Recommended for most libraries.
