Brilliant

Such a good combination of easy to understand science and fascinating history. the narration is clear and easy to follow, and the book is neither too short or too long. highly recommend!

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Great writer, Great work!!

This eloquently performed piece of writing is full to the brim with well balanced, well researched facts on a subject that not many know about but is one that affects us all. Dr Simon Clark paints an astounding picture of the past and doesn’t gloss over it’s ugly pasts. He recognises the privilege of some and the incredible triumphs of others. I look forward to more of his work in the future as he is a true talent.

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Excellent

follow Simon on YouTube he's brilliant, explains things well and is highly highly recommended

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Enthusiastic narration and well written

I follow Simon on YouTube for his climate change videos and he always has an enthusiasm that makes everything he talks about very engaging. I didn’t know very much about the atmosphere before listening to this book, but his clear love for the subject is infectious and rendered a potentially dry subject very interesting. He is also excellent at narrating (you really can feel his joy). I really hope this book gets adapted by the BBC or PBS as he would make a fantastic science presenter (he already is but he should reach a wider audience).

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Enthralling and blown away

Incredible synopsis of atmospheric science and story telling of the highest quality. The structure and beauty of the language used to present this story was a joy.

The narration by the author himself was similarly of the highest quality. He is definitely a gifted teacher on this topic.

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A good listen!

As a person who watched Simon Clark’s YouTube videos and listens to the Wikicast, I have been looking forwards to this book for a long time. I was scared that it would be too technical to me, as physics is one of my weakest academic areas and I’ve always struggled with the meteorology parts of my courses on climate at uni the most, but it was good. It mixed formal and informal narration making it easy and fun to follow. I guess it helps that I’m used to listening to Simon talk a lot in podcast or video form haha.

There were a couple aspects regarding ethics and the colonial history of science that I wish Simon would have expanded on, but in the end it is a natural science book more than a social one (even if I believe that they intersect more than they are presented as doing).

Anyway! I would definitely recommend giving this a read if you are interested in learning about atmospheric science or some climate change basics.

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A compelling journey through the history of climate science

If you are already familiar with Simon Clark from YouTube you will find his narration and story telling very familiar and accessible.

This is a very broad area of science, to which he brings his characteristic style to and takes the listener along for an enlightening story.

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A lovely & accessable trip through our atmosphere

A lovely and accessable trip through our atmosphere, focusing on the key historical and scientific discoveries that have led to the understanding we have today.

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Outstanding

I initially bought the audiobook in a 2-for-1 promotion, listened to it straight through once, then again in installments. I also bought the Kindle version so I can easily follow up on links and references. It is superb. Comprehensive yet concise, with barely a wasted word. I've been down endless rabbit holes for the last fortnight, chasing up references. Simon also has a great YouTube channel. He has a gift for explaining complex material without oversimplifying. This is his first book - hopefully, the first of many.

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Best popular science book on atmospheric science.

I absolutely devoured this book. Both the narrative and the performance were excellent. Clark takes you on a journey through the atmosphere but diverges off to so many interesting lines of thought, which only enhances this book. The first half of the book is generally for setting up the fundamental knowledge about the atmosphere, which is clearly explained. The author achieves this by telling the amazing stories of the early natural philosophers and victorian aeronauts who first theorised about the atmosphere.

During the second half of the book, Clark highlights the enormous complexity of the atmospheric system by delving into complex and lesser known topics which depend upon understanding atmospheric science. I enjoyed hearing about my own research field of outdoor sound propagation receive some attention, as it too depends on understanding the atmospheric giant. Clark still manages to explain each complexity in clear and understandable ways by using thought experiments.

I guess my only critique is that it was too short. Best book I've read this year.

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