Extraterrestrials: A Field Guide for Earthlings

Hayward C. Blake is a high-school principal in Harbour Grace,
Newfoundland.

What do they look like? If indeed there is life in outer space, what
form does it take? Television and movies have depicted a variety of life
forms on other planets and galaxies. Some of these bear a close
resemblance to us, while others are vastly different. Their disposition
ranges from those who would befriend us to those who would cause us
great harm.

In Extraterrestrials, Terence Dickinson moves beyond the fictional
representations that Hollywood has given us to what science really tells
us about the possibility of life beyond Earth. The author examines the
different environments in the universe that may support life. One such
planet uses silicon to play the role of carbon. The “lithovore,” a
hypothetical creature from the silicon-based biology, clambers across
the crystalline “vegetation” on its home planet. Clanking along as
it walks, the lithovore appears more like a mechanical creature than the
animal life forms we are familiar with on Earth. Adolf Schaller’s
vivid illustrations capture an alien world that until now was not even
part of our wildest imagination.

This book will appeal to any young adult who has ever wondered if life
exists anywhere other that here on Earth. It is a must-have for the
science-fiction enthusiast would make an exciting addition to any
intermediate-school library. Highly recommended.