A history (mostly pre-history) of North America, beginning with the formation of the continent and the extinction of dinosaurs, following waves of life, human and otherwise, populating the frontier, and putting the human story in the context of sixty million years of migration. I found the prehistory more interesting, and the account of humans as relentlessly depressing as I was sure it would be.. ( )

If Nature itself has a nature, it's the desire for balance. In a fascinating chronicle of our continent's evolution, Flannery shows, however, that this desire must forever be frustrated. Flannery starts his tale with the asteroid collision that destroyed the dinosaurs, ends with the almost equally cataclysmic arrival of humankind and fills the middle with an engaging survey of invaders from other lands, wild speciation and an ever-changing climate, all of which have kept the ecology of North America in a constant state of flux. We see the rise of horses, camels and dogs (cats are Eurasian), the rapid extinction of mammoths, mastodons and other megafauna at the hands of prehistoric man, and the even quicker extinction of the passenger pigeon and other creatures more recently. Flannery also spotlights plenty of scientists at work, most notably one who tries to butcher an elephant as a prehistoric man would have butchered a mastodon, and another who had the intestinal fortitude to check whether meat would keep if a carcass were stored at the bottom of a frigid pond, the earliest of refrigerators. This material might be dense and academic in another's hands, but Flannery displays a light touch, a keen understanding of what will interest general readers and a good sense of structure, which keeps the book moving, manageable and memorable.

An Ecological history of North America and its peoples

Flannery's 80 million year history of North America desperately needs illustrations. Six horned creatures, giant armadillos? For all of that it's a tour de force, but the six part television series is waiting to be made. There's interesting bits to quibble over though, he dismisses the possibility of pre-Clovis settlement for instance in the kind of off hand way that reminds me of tone taken by climate change deniers. Well I can't see the television series ever taking off. The Americans would never accept an Aussie telling them about their own pre-history, and frankly the rest of the world isn't going to be that interested. If only Steve Irwin was still with us.... ( )

This was awesome. One of the best natural history books ever. It's an amazing blend of geological, biological, and social history. It's concise and well-paced. It is an absolutely gripping story as Flannery relates the rise and fall of species and climates with such epic sweep that you feel like God watching it happen. Just great. Nothing like it. Stephen Gould would've been proud. I gave this to my wife to read. If you only read one natural history book in your lifetime - this is the best summary you could choose. ( )