| View Larger Image | Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence | Hardcoverby Seth Shostak (Author)
| List Price: | $27.00 | | Price: | $17.82 | | You Save: | $9.18 (34%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Hardcover | | Publisher: | National Geographic | | Edition: | 1st Edition | | Page Count: | 320 Pages | | Publication Date: | March 17, 2009 | | Sales Rank: | 111,461th |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9781426203923
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Aliens are big in America. Whether they’ve arrived via rocket, flying saucer, or plain old teleportation, they’ve been invading, infiltrating, or inspiring us for decades, and they’ve fascinated moviegoers and television watchers for more than fifty years. About half of us believe that aliens really exist, and millions are convinced they’ve visited Earth.For twenty-five years, SETI has been looking for the proof, and as the program’s senior astronomer, Seth Shostak explains in this engrossing book, it’s entirely possible that before long conclusive evidence will be found.His informative, entertaining report offers an insider’s view of what we might realistically expect to discover light-years away among the stars. Neither humanoids nor monsters, says Shostak; in fact, biological intelligence is probably just a precursor to machine beings, enormously advanced artificial sentients whose capabilities and accomplishments may have developed over billions of years and far exceed our own.As he explores what, if anything, they would tell us and what their existence would portend for humankind and the cosmos, he introduces a colorful cast of characters and provides a vivid, state-of-the-art account of the past, present, and future of our search for extraterrestrial intelligence. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 18 reviews)
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The search for ET in a down-to-Earth approachable book by Shawn Muller (Kansas City)  5 Stars
October 31, 2009
Dr. Shostak should be applauded not only for his ongoing efforts in the search for ET, but for writing down his personal take on the history & future of SETI. He has a playful, humorous writing style which lends itself to making this book an entertaining and fast read.
Whether you are new to the subject of SETI or an old hand, you're sure to gain new insights from this book!
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Life is like a box of chocolates by Pecos Bill (Gaithersburg, MD United States)  4 Stars
October 19, 2009
I just want to say up front that I'm dinging him 1 star for his overuse of analogy. The man loves analogies approximately as much as Piers Anthony loves puns. On the bright side, this does keep the book from being too dry. For example, the book "Guns, Germs and Steel" is a very scientific and dry read and "Confessions of an Alien Hunter" could have easily ended up the same way, but the author took a lighter, more casual approach that keeps it more interesting than a straight factual presentation would have been. (But seriously, waaay too many analogies.)
I see someone else has dinged the book for stating a lot of material that's not "new". I don't think it's fair to ding the book for that. Yes, if you are a SETI fanboy and have been following the story of SETI for years and have an autographed copy of both "Cosmos" and "Contact" sitting on your shelf at home, this book is probably not going to offer many, if any, surprising revelations. It's a story of and a casual scientific overview of the search for life on other planets, including a lot of historical and modern speculation on the subject. If you're a fan, you already know all this. You know about the history of astronomers seeing canals on Mars and the history of radio astronomy and so forth. I still enjoyed the book, though, because it's nice to hear everything I already knew echoed back from a source on the inside -- sort of a summation and confirmation of the story I already knew.
However, if you're only lightly familiar with the topic of SETI, then you're in for a real treat: a highly readable book that will get you caught up on the basics of virtually everything about the search for life in the universe.
Recommending this book to a devoted fan of SETI may be a bit like recommending "The Universe in a Nutshell" to a physicist: you probably already know it all, but maybe you'd enjoy reading someone else's take on it.
But if you're a casual outsider, look no further. In fact, I'd say that's a pretty good comparison -- if you don't know much about physics and would like to, pick up "The Universe in a Nutshell". If you don't know much about the search for life in the universe and would like to, pick up "Confessions of an Alien Hunter". They are full of good information, presented in a format that doesn't require a degree in astrophysics to understand.
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Great Book for The Great Search by Heath L. Campbell (Nashville, TN) 5 Stars
October 19, 2009
"A SCIENTIST'S Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence" with emphasis on Scientist's.
I feel compelled to place this title first, mainly because people who ask me "what are you reading?" and when I tell them, they seem to think it's about UFO's. Quite to the contrary, this book is NOT loaded with fanciful claims or bogus evidence concerning "little green men."
My response to them is simple: This book is written by a scientist, and concerns the past, present, and future of the science based search for ET. Seth Shostak dedicates several chapters to the non-sensical UFOlogists and conspiracy theorists, debunking and shredding their shoddy views with highly accurate science based fact.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, except UFOlogists and conspiracy theorists. I suppose they can read it as well, but with a firm understanding that their views will be tested with science that cannot be dismissed with "personal accounts" and non-existent evidence.
However, anyone with an inkling of science understanding is sure to love this book.
Great job Seth!
Here's to the good search!
Heath
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A clear, readable, understandable, informative, interesting and fun read by Richard P. Taylor (Mason, Texas) 5 Stars
October 09, 2009
Seth Shostak has done a wonderful job explaining the background, why's, what's and how's of SETI. It is more than just about SETI as he, reasonably, discusses UFO's and why it is so important for us to listen up! It is the best thing I have ever read on SETI and left me with knowledge and understanding of the SETI history, current programs and the future of our search for other intelligent species. He brings enjoyment to the reader by having some fun with references to Star Trek and other Sci-Fi stories. He even covers the technical and financial aspects of the search in a way that is very understandable. He deals with the criticism of the SETI program in a fair way as well.
I would highly recomend this book, even to people who have given little thought to SETI, as a way to increase their view of humanity, the wonders of the universe and the idea that we should continue to learn.
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Fascinating and comprehensive by Myron Marx MD (San Francisco, CA USA) 5 Stars
August 07, 2009
What a marvelous book! Seth Shostak writes about the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The book is comprehensive and reviews not only the history and current status of this endeavor, but most interestingly, the rationale behind how the search is being conducted currently.
Seth also discusses why, in his opinion, the search is likely to be successful in the next few decades, how the signal will be confirmed and how the world will likely learn of this momentous discovery.
What separates this book from so many other books on science and astonomy is Seth's easy writing style and warm sense of humor and irony which brightens every page.
This book is highly recommended to all who love science and astonomy and is interested in the mind-boggling concept of hearing from and perhaps communicating with intelligent beings elsewhere in the galaxy. Fascinating from start to finish.
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