Moiya McTier

What an inventive strategy for spoon-feeding the masses complex concepts about space: Give the Milky Way a voice to tell its own fascinating saga. Five stars for concept. One star for overall execution. After a short time, M.W.’s holier-than-thou attitude became downright annoying. One reviewer aptly describes the demeanor as “dripping disdain.” Yes, it’s amusing in the early stages of this journey. It was tolerable a third of the way in. But by the end (and I barely made it there), I felt like I had just completed a literary spaceflight that was a thousand pages long. Kudos for attempting to serve up pop science in a creative way. I definitely learned some things. But overall, the book just didn’t work for me.… (més)

This was an interesting blend of astrology nonfiction and mythology, where the Milky Way Galaxy is the narrator speaking their story. It definitely made the material more approachable. All the information is great, good for intro levels to astronomy, and answers all the questions that tend to come up about the universe (will it end? when will our sun die? are there aliens? lol).

I don't know if this book is supposed to be YA, but I'm going to mark it as such. My reasoning being mostly for the strange butt/bulge/sexual jokes. I felt very much like I wasn't the target audience for this, which sucks, but happens. My main complaint though was that the narrative voice either wasn't indifferent enough for the consciousness of a galaxy, or it was just condescending, but not really in a fun or good way.

3/5. Would probably be more received by teens 16-19.… (més)

What a fun and interesting way to learn about our Galaxy, The Milky Way. Told from the viewpoint of the galaxy itself, this narrative is humorous, while breaking down difficult scientific facts and figures in a way that makes it easy to grasp. From the Big Bang till now, we're given a report on how, when, and where things developed in our universe. At least, as much information as the galaxy itself can relate. Very well written. I would highly recommend this book, especially for not-so-brainy people like myself who really love learning about astronomy.

I thank the Hachette Book Group for this complimentary copy. My review and opinions are my own.… (més)