After Man: A Zoology of the Future

I bought my copy of this book in 1992 and not a day goes by since then that I haven't stopped imagining myself what the animals of the future world will look like. Unfortunately there aren't many scientists thinking about this side of zoology and evolution, so when I see a book about this kind of subject I snap it up like a flash! I was highly disappointed by Animal Planet's "The Future is Wild", but NOT this book! This book thrills me to no end. It only has a relatively few pages, but it has inspired a whole world of imagination for me! My favorite animals in this book is hands down the predatory rats. To look in this book is to view the "real" Age of Mammals in the way it should be. I refer everybody who views my webpage (about future mammal evolution) to this book, and I hope they enjoy it as much as I do.

What would happen if mankind disappeared and the animals of Earth went back to following the rules of evolution? This book will show you. Each part of the book deals with another region of the Earth; deserts, glasslands, polar regions and so on. See meat-eating predators evolved from rats and bats, large grazers and browsers developed from fast breeding rabbits and the sea going creatures descended from penguins.Like the book 'Man After Man', the book starts off with science chapters that in this case do their best to explain evolution, the food chain and the history of life on Earth.Unlike 'Man After Man' it is not set up like a story, but a true non-fiction text book, like one you might have in a class room or while out camping. It also has maps and gives you information on the environments and what changes have happened to the Earth during the 50 million years. With just over 120 pages and full of color pictures, I wish there had been more! 'Man After Man' felt longer because it had more text and less pictures.

"After Man" is one of the most engaging, creative books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. While one might think from its outlandish illustrations that it is a book for children, this is simply not the case. That's not to say a ten or eleven year old wouldn't enjoy this book, but there's plenty an adult can take away from it as well.Beginning with a basic review of the principles of biology and evolution, Dixon proceeds to apply them across a range of environments on an Earth 50 million years removed from mankind. The result is a menagerie of remarkable creatures. Remarkable in that they are frequently unique, even bizarre, but even more remarkable because they represent the result of a familiar creature's evolution. Dixon's world isn't a fantasyland, every creature in it holds true to the principles he so effectively explains in the first chapter. Moreover, they all fill an important ecological niche; he hasn't created 150 pages of carnivores. Rather, he presents a balanced, albeit limited, ecosystem that sheds light on the state of our own environment today.Beautifully illustrated and highly engaging, "After Man" is a must read for anyone interested in evolution and anthropology. Furthermore, this book is educational without being heavy handed. One by no means needs to be an expert to learn from and enjoy this very unique work.

This book is an acheivement in the combination of natural history and science-fiction. Dougal Dixon has taken animals that we take for granted today and turned them into the major wildlife players 50-million years from now. These creatures are amazing. My favorite is the phalanx, a wolf-like rat of the future.

The first time I saw "After Man" was in sixth grade. Our science teacher used it for a project, where we designed a 'creature' of our own - however, it was returned to the library before I read it, and I thought I would never see it again - I was estactic when I found "After Man" in my public library. The book was much better than I had ever remembered, and besides being educational, it's beautifully illustrated and just plain fun! If this book can't spark your interest, you're in trouble. :) I also find it to be a good 'idea resource' for my fantasy writing - it gets me thinking and gives me seeds of ideas that I use to create plausible animals.