Maybe it's the fault of the editor and not the author. However the author set out to write a science book for the general reader but the book reads like the worst kind of science text book. Concepts and laws that I am already familiar are described in a confusing and unclear manner.

Anecdotes are left hanging 'Tragedies still occur, however... One well-publicized disaster was that of Chris and Chrisy Rouse, a father and son team with considerable diving experience, who died of decompression sickness in 1992 while exploring the wreck of a German U-boat.' That's all the author says. Not what happened or why, or went wrong and why. What the anecdote is illustrative of or what connects the anecdote to the preceding paragraph.

The science is sound, but presented in such a muddled manner as to be over complicated and off putting. 'The lowest barometric pressure at which the normal oxygen concentration of the lungs (100 Torr) can be maintained when breathing pure oxygen is about 10,400 metres...' The paragraph sets out to tell us the lowest barometric pressure and gives us the answer in altitude. Useful information can, of course, be extrapolated from this but in a book written for the general reader I wouldn't expect to have to.

If you are medically qualified and want to begin to extend your knowledge and interest into this subject area then this book would be a good springboard for further reading. If you are a more general reader, I recommend you seek out an alternative.


Too Scientific for the Average Reader   April 4, 2005
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I am currently "ploughing" my way through Life at the Extremes and have to say that I'm more than a little disappointed. This is not the first book of this type that I have read, and having thoroughly enjoyed the last one I bought Life at the Extremes looking forward to a 'dam good read' ... but this was not the case! Frances Ashcroft blinds us with too much science and her example story's are brief and skeletal! Having worked in medicine (albeit animals) for 10 years, I would say that I have a fairly confident knowledge of the workings of the body, yet still I'm finding Life at the Extremes a struggle. I would hate to have to read it knowing absolutely nothing ... it smacks of a Higher Biology text book!

If this subject interests you I would definately recommend that you read Extreme Survival by Dr Kenneth Kamler, this is far more understandably and his examples of outstanding feats of survival are full and interesting. A far more enjoyable read.


great stories and good science   October 30, 2001
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I love this book.
It is a fascinating insight into how the human body copes with extremes of heat and cold, heights and depths, etc. Frances AShcroft explains how our biology copes with these extremes.

And it is not just the biology. The book is full of little stories. There are stories that make me squirm, and say "Stop! Don't tell me any more!" And then I just have to read the next one. And there are other stories that cause me to wonder, like the scientists who carry out experiments on themselves, experiments that lead to all sorts of suffering.

The great thing is this: while I am reading all these stories about life at the extremes, I am also absorbing a lot of basic information about how our bodies work normally, almost without realising I am learning. I was talking to someone about this book, and I started to rabbit away about what happens in an aircraft if it suffers explosive decompression - I was surprised at what I was able to tell my pals.

This book is full of wee stories, gruesome, outrageous, fascinating, inspiring.
It is a brilliant source of tales to tell in the pub.
It is very informative about human physiology, and also history.

To Paul and Shula who gave me this book for my birthday - thanks indeed. Its great.


Most enjoyable read; clear reasons for stressful situations   September 1, 2000
Fascinating examples of stressful situations in which humans may find themselves, with the physiological explanation presented in a highly accessible fashion. Extremely well-written, very much for both non-scientists and scientists, but particularly useful for the sportsman or woman who would like to know why their body reacts as it does to a range of conditions such as high or low pressure, excess or paucity of oxygen, extreme heat or cold, and so on. Great fun!