The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire

Gee has a knack for making science come alive with a vivid image and witty phrase … Brilliant * The Times *
Hugely informative and entertaining … Gee’s scholarship is impeccable and lightly worn … I can’t think of another author who could pull off [his] straight-talking, detached yet jovial style. He is such an amiable guide to our doom * New Scientist *
Highly engaging * The Observer *
Absorbing … Gee’s easy style makes this not just an informative but also an enjoyable read – John Gribbin, Literary Review
Gee’s wide-ranging book, The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, achieves something unlikely: electrifying gloom * Prospect *
Fascinating * Forbes *
At once chatty and ambitious * The New York Times *
The wake up call our species needs … a strangely engrossing read, addictive because of its continuum of interesting facts … garnished with wit and humour * The Conversation *
A wide-ranging look at the human past and the possibility of our species’ extinction … serious but nonetheless entertaining * Kirkus Reviews *
A sweeping account of humanity’s evolutionary history and possible future. Gee writes engagingly while maintaining scientific rigour’ * H-Net *
Henry Gee wrote my favourite book of last year and has now written my favourite book of this year. How he manages to expand my mind, and my knowledge of life on earth, while making me giggle at our own forthcoming extinction, well, t’aint natural. Put this at the head of your reading lists immediately, people. Before it’s too late – Eric Idle
Exhilarating … With the witty and conversational style that won him the Royal Society Science Book prize, Henry Gee tackles the existential question of humanity’s future. Measured and enlightening, Henry Gee is a sage – Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
Like Jared Diamond meets Arthur C. Clarke with a dash of Douglas Adams, this deserves to be widely read and debated – Philip Ball, author of How Life Works and Critical Mass
A fascinating, deeply researched study of our evolutionary journey and a wonderfully enjoyable adventure – Michael Bond, author of Wayfinding
Beautifully crafted, superbly researched, witty, with lashes of humour … Compulsory reading for all humans, mandatory reading for politicians – John Long, author of The Secret History of Sharks
Thought-provoking, and backstopped by the latest research. Gee is a terrific writer: graceful, intelligent, witty – Harry Turtledove

Henry Gee is a senior editor at Nature and the author of several books, including The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, Jacob’s Ladder, In Search of Deep Time, The Science of Middle-Earth, The Accidental Species, and A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth, which won the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize.

He has appeared on BBC television and radio and NPR’s All Things Considered, and has written for The Guardian, The Times, and BBC Science Focus.

He lives in Cromer, Norfolk, England, with his family and numerous pets.

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