2/3 of the way through, and I just can’t anymore. So many badly-written sentences that I need to reread more than once, so many non-sequiturs, and now in the “Arbitrage” chapter on the “Museum of Alien Life”, just too much nonsense that would be fine in a Star Trek episode (I love Star Trek), but not in a purported nonfiction book about the possibilities of other life in the universe and humanity’s reaction to the discovery of it. I just don’t have the patience to read this book anymore, even though there’s not much left to it.

This is a wide-ranging and thoughtful book provokes the reader into taking a step outside of themselves. You are led on a journey of reflection, considering the long meandering path that led us to 'here' and conjecturing how this might look to an external observer. The book offers an unusual perspective and more than justifies the time invested in reading and ruminating.
Many thanks to NetGalley and to the author & publishers for access to this e-ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

We always the universe from our perspective… but what about if you turn that notion on its head? David Whitehouse does this and does so superbly., it’s an accessible easy to understand tome about our universe and how we will inevitably at some point communicate with other species in the universe. A powerful and incredibly thought provoking read.

An interesting philosophical look at the notion of non-human consciousness. As we hurtle through the anthropocene, as human-first thinking causes us to deplete our natural resources and destory our one and only home through selfish exploitation, this book asks the question — what will non-humans think of us?

First things first: "The Alien Perspective" was absolutely brilliant. David Whitehouse has delivered a real gem here. It's written in a very engaging way, and offers plenty of scope for the reader to make up their own minds as to the existence (or not) of extra-terrestrial life. It's not often that a non-fiction book has me uttering so many oohs and ahhs, but this one did... It also left me with an unexpected feeling: hope.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.