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juushikaTitle: After Man: An Anthropology of the Future
Author: Dougal Dixon
Illustrators: Diz Wallis, John Butler, Brian McIntyre, Philip Hood, Roy Woodard, and Gary Marsh
Published: New York: St. Martin's Press, 1981
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 124
Total Page Count: 85,550
Text Number: 245
Read Because: personal enjoyment, downloaded
Short Review: 50 Million years after the decline of man, the world's geography has changed and a whole new variety of animals have evolved to inhabit its ecosystems. Bookended by summaries of evolutionary science, the heart of After Man is a fictional, colorful overview of the animal species of the future. The book's scientific summaries are dry, although useful and fairly succinct, and some animal designs grow repeditive—but for the most part Dixon's invented species are sometimes impressive, sometimes clever, but almost always intriguing, and so After Man is a book to capture the imagination and despite its faults is a fascinating, absorbing read. I recommend it.
Man After Man may have been written to be After Man's cousin, but that sequel is far inferior, dragged down by an emphasis on genetic engineering, repetitive humaniod creatures that fail to capture the reader's imagination, and underwhelming art. Rest assured, this book has none of those weaknesses. I first read it as at thirteen; a decade later I'm more aware of its faults—primarily that the lagomorphs which have replaced ungulates grow repetitive in design and ecological role, but also that the scientific summaries are dry and too transparently alluded to in the theoretical evolutions—but After Man remains the fascinating, creative book that it was all those years ago. Dixon's science may not be solid (I wouldn't know), but his imagination intrigues. Well illustrated, succinctly described, familiar enough to feel real yet alien enough to fill the mind with wonder, the creatures in After Man simply fascinate, and that makes the book enjoyable and memorable. It's hardly perfect, but it's certainly worth a read.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Man After Man and After Man are both out of print and it looks like copies range between $150-300.
Author: Dougal Dixon
Illustrators: Diz Wallis, John Butler, Brian McIntyre, Philip Hood, Roy Woodard, and Gary Marsh
Published: New York: St. Martin's Press, 1981
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 124
Total Page Count: 85,550
Text Number: 245
Read Because: personal enjoyment, downloaded
Short Review: 50 Million years after the decline of man, the world's geography has changed and a whole new variety of animals have evolved to inhabit its ecosystems. Bookended by summaries of evolutionary science, the heart of After Man is a fictional, colorful overview of the animal species of the future. The book's scientific summaries are dry, although useful and fairly succinct, and some animal designs grow repeditive—but for the most part Dixon's invented species are sometimes impressive, sometimes clever, but almost always intriguing, and so After Man is a book to capture the imagination and despite its faults is a fascinating, absorbing read. I recommend it.
Man After Man may have been written to be After Man's cousin, but that sequel is far inferior, dragged down by an emphasis on genetic engineering, repetitive humaniod creatures that fail to capture the reader's imagination, and underwhelming art. Rest assured, this book has none of those weaknesses. I first read it as at thirteen; a decade later I'm more aware of its faults—primarily that the lagomorphs which have replaced ungulates grow repetitive in design and ecological role, but also that the scientific summaries are dry and too transparently alluded to in the theoretical evolutions—but After Man remains the fascinating, creative book that it was all those years ago. Dixon's science may not be solid (I wouldn't know), but his imagination intrigues. Well illustrated, succinctly described, familiar enough to feel real yet alien enough to fill the mind with wonder, the creatures in After Man simply fascinate, and that makes the book enjoyable and memorable. It's hardly perfect, but it's certainly worth a read.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Man After Man and After Man are both out of print and it looks like copies range between $150-300.
