JUNE 2022 - AudioFile
Listeners may not take in much on a first listening and may want to keep the pdf or an illustrated copy of this book nearby. But the ear alone is enough to somewhat profit from this sweeping history of evolution, which spans millions of years and the extinction of countless animals and plants. The detail is fascinating, and Patrick Lawlor is a forceful narrator who never lets the pace slacken. For those interested in fossil hunting, this is a first-rate story with plenty to offer. For the late listener and the insomniac, the very scope of the narrative stretches and soothes the imagination, carries one’s thoughts away from the here and now and the everyday, and opens a vision of time and space that will unburden one’s mind in minutes. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"The Rise and Reign of the Mammals is nothing short of a thriller, revealing the luck, evolutionary twists and near-apocalyptical catastrophes that have led to the mammals of today, us included." — The Guardian
"A whirlwind tour of mammal evolution. … Brusatte’s deep knowledge of the fossil record creates a rich tapestry in which each thread is a mammalian lineage. These interwoven threads dip in and out intermittently and sometimes disappear altogether in the finality of extinction, but those that remain always unspool in a bright burst of color to fill the gap.” — Science
"Beautifully told. Brusatte writes with precision and panache. From tiny fossils he conjures up vivid worlds. Seen through his eyes, the mammals are every bit as engaging as the reptiles from whom they inherited the earth. ... When the first Jurassic Park film was released in 1993, it inspired a host of budding school-aged paleontologists. Brusatte was one of them. Don't be surprised if in decades to come this lovely book leads to more of them choosing to focus on the mouse-sized mammal rather than the megalosaurus." — The Times (UK)
"For the big-picture perspective, it’s hard to imagine a better place to start than Steve Brusatte’s fun-yet-magisterial The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, detailing mammals’ 325-million-year residency on earth. ... The author of a previous bestselling book on dinosaurs, American-born, Scotland-based Brusatte has emerged as something of a star in the paleontology world. It helps that he’s young, charismatic, and has good writing chops: each of the book’s sections begins by drawing us in with a cinematic 'clip.'" — Globe and Mail (Toronto)
"[Brusatte] is a nimble storyteller and he’s chosen an engrossing story to tell. ... It’s satisfying to sit back and admire the full tapestry as presented in The Rise and Reign of the Mammals. Reading this book reminded me what I most enjoy about geology, paleontology and the evolution of life on Earth: This planet has got some epic stories.” — Science News
“Outstanding. … Employs lucid prose and generous illustrations to describe the explosion of mammal species that followed the disappearance of dinosaurs. A must for any list of the best popular science books of the year.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Terrific. ... In one engaging chapter after another, Brusatte takes readers through the long story of the little mammals that took over the world from those tyrannosaurs. It’s a fascinating story, and Brusatte fills it out with plenty of digressions about some of the people who dedicated their time to learning it." — Christian Science Monitor
"The story of the evolutionary history of mammals is told with elan in this clear, engaging book. Plenty of writers have tackled mammalian biology, but The Rise and Reign of the Mammals stands out for its brilliant balance of scientific detail and lively, efficient storytelling. Brusatte has a clear understanding of the book he is writing." — New Scientist
"Brusatte brings mammals out from the shadow of their more showy (dinosaur) predecessors in a beautifully written book that ranges from armadillos the size of cars to elephants the size of miniature poodles and makes the case for them as creature who as just as engaging as dinosaurs." — Sunday Times (London)
"Five stars. Take a journey through time to the origins of life as we know it with this riveting read. A real page-turner that proves science fact is more amazing than science fiction." — The Sun (UK)
"In this detailed, deeply researched and entertaining book the author summarises why and how mammals have managed to hold sway for so much of the last 65 million years. ... Brusatte’s real achievement is to show us that, for all its sheer weight of numbers and impact, Homo sapiens is just a single point, among millions of species over 200 million years." — The Spectator
"One of my favorite authors, one of my favorite scientists." — Ira Flatow, NPR's Science Friday
"A tour de force, charging through 350 million years of mammalian history. ... Brusatte is a great storyteller whose infectious curiosity permeates the book. He brings to life the often strange variety of early mammals." — The Explorers Journal
“This is a very beautiful story-driven, well-written book. This is like a fun novel you’re reading.” — Dax Shepherd, Armchair Expert
“The manner in which he tells the story, our story, is nothing short of prosaic prose transformed into poetry. ... Brusatte presents a myriad of facts about todays’ mammalian cohabitors of our planet that will whet your appetite and fire up your imagination.” — Times of Israel
"An epic sweep of hundreds of millions of years of mammalian evolution. ... Not sure how he does it, but Brusatte makes sections on how molar shapes evolved into can’t-miss page-turners. You won’t look at the animal world the same way again after this one." — Adventure Journal
"With the demise of dinosaurs almost 66 million years ago came the flourishing of our branch of the tree of life-- mammals. Steve Brusatte's The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, tells the epic story of how our mammalian cousins evolved to fly, walk, swim, and walk on two legs. His enthusiasm and deep knowledge infuse this lively journey of millions of years of evolution with infectious enthusiasm." — Neil Shubin, bestselling author of Your Inner Fish and University of Chicago paleontologist
"Today, mammals, especially humans, dominate life on earth, both on land and in the oceans. We think of ourselves as the apex of all life. But it was not always so, and this book is a fascinating account of how mammals survived the great extinction that destroyed the dinosaurs and evolved to their current position of dominance. A worthy sequel to The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by the same author." — Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry and Cambridge University biologist
Venki Ramakrishnan
"Today, mammals, especially humans, dominate life on earth, both on land and in the oceans. We think of ourselves as the apex of all life. But it was not always so, and this book is a fascinating account of how mammals survived the great extinction that destroyed the dinosaurs and evolved to their current position of dominance. A worthy sequel to The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by the same author."
Neil Shubin
"With the demise of dinosaurs almost 66 million years ago came the flourishing of our branch of the tree of life— mammals. Steve Brusatte's The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, tells the epic story of how our mammalian cousins evolved to fly, walk, swim, and walk on two legs. His enthusiasm and deep knowledge infuse this lively journey of millions of years of evolution with infectious enthusiasm."
Nature Lib
Vivid. … This is scientific storytelling at its most visceral, striding with the beasts through their Triassic dawn, Jurassic dominance and abrupt demise.
Scientific American
The ultimate dinosaur biography. … Despite our cultural obsession with dinosaurs, there is much to their story that has been left untold until now. … Brusatte weaves together the origins of dinosaurs, their rise to global dominance and their dramatic demise. He anchors the tale in riveting fossil discoveries from around the globe and his own love affair with these remarkable life-forms.
Sunday Times (London)
The Science Book of the Year.
New York Times Book Review
If John McPhee’s love affair with rocks in Annals of the Former World floats your boat… you’re going to love The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs. Brusatte skillfully brings dead dino bones to life as he shares—no, gushes about—his personal journey as a young fossil hunter and the people he’s met along the way. … The geek in me loves the tsunami of fine details flooding the page, written in the breezy style of a rising star millennial scientist. … The beauty of this book lies in the details... and in the stories of the scientists who dig them up. [The] emotional connection, and Brusatte’s collection of personal stories and characters, make his book special.
Washington Post
Scintillating. ... Brusatte’s mastery of his field, formidable explanatory powers and engaging style have combined to produce a masterpiece of science writing for the lay reader. I would add that you’ll find Rise and Fall fascinating even if you don’t give a damn about dinosaurs—but first, show me someone who doesn’t give a damn about dinosaurs.
Washington Post
Scintillating. ... Brusatte’s mastery of his field, formidable explanatory powers and engaging style have combined to produce a masterpiece of science writing for the lay reader. I would add that you’ll find Rise and Fall fascinating even if you don’t give a damn about dinosaurs—but first, show me someone who doesn’t give a damn about dinosaurs.
JUNE 2022 - AudioFile
Listeners may not take in much on a first listening and may want to keep the pdf or an illustrated copy of this book nearby. But the ear alone is enough to somewhat profit from this sweeping history of evolution, which spans millions of years and the extinction of countless animals and plants. The detail is fascinating, and Patrick Lawlor is a forceful narrator who never lets the pace slacken. For those interested in fossil hunting, this is a first-rate story with plenty to offer. For the late listener and the insomniac, the very scope of the narrative stretches and soothes the imagination, carries one’s thoughts away from the here and now and the everyday, and opens a vision of time and space that will unburden one’s mind in minutes. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-05-14
Another outstanding work of paleontology from the author of The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs fascinate everyone, and Brusatte, professor of paleontology and adviser to the Jurassic World film franchise, has named more than 15 new species. However, mammals are his first love, and this delightful account will convert many readers. According to the popular belief, dinosaurs ruled the Earth until they were wiped out by a meteor strike 65 million years ago, whereupon mammals succeeded them. This is correct except that mammals not only succeeded dinosaurs; they existed alongside them back to their beginning. In fact, both share a common ancestor that appeared perhaps 325 million years ago. This small lizardlike creature evolved into two major lineages, one eventually becoming reptiles (including birds), the other mammals. Readers who remember high school biology know that mammals have warm blood, hair, and mammary glands that produce milk. Such true mammals did not appear for 100 million years, and these features do not fossilize well, but Brusatte excels in explaining how paleontologists figured matters out. Only mammals chew; most have complex teeth. Birds and reptiles swallow food whole; their teeth, when present, look alike. Mammals have three tiny bones in their ears, which allow them to hear better than other vertebrates, which have only one. Ancient mammals and pre-mammals were small. Their surviving bones were fragmentary and their teeth nearly microscopic, so early paleontologists sifted tons of dirt to detect minuscule fossils until the present century, when new sites, especially in China, have revealed spectacularly complete skeletons, often including hair, feathers, and embryos. Many readers consider humans the most interesting mammal, closely followed by extinct behemoths such as mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. Brusatte, however, gives humans “about the same attention as horses and whales and elephants. After all, we are but one of many amazing feats of mammalian evolution.” Throughout, the author employs lucid prose and generous illustrations to describe the explosion of mammal species that followed the disappearance of dinosaurs.
A must for any list of the best popular science books of the year.
