Praise for Lucky Planet

‘[Lucky Planet is] a lively and well argued antidote to a widespread view that advanced life could arise frequently and in many places in the known Universe. Waltham explains why the Earth is a much more peculiar planet than you might think, and he shows that its friendliness to life does not just apply to the here-and-now, but must equally have pertained through a history of more than 3.5 billion years: life’s survival and prospering to the point where intelligent life could emerge was a product of extraordinary and exceptional luck. A sceptical response to ideas of inevitable evolution of intelligent beings among the stars, Waltham suggests that we may, after all, be lonelier than we could have thought …’

Richard Fortey, author of
Survivors and The Hidden Landscape

‘David Waltham takes us on a delightful tour of the various factors that influence planetary habitability and the evolution of advanced life. That he thinks the prospects for it are unlikely is all the more reason for us to go up to space and take a good look!’

James Kasting, Penn State University, author of
How to Find a Habitable Planet