HURRICANE LIZARDS AND PLASTIC SQUID

“Hanson is an affable guide and storyteller, with a knack for analogy, a sense of humor and the natural curiosity of a scientist.”

― The New York Times

“With contagious curiosity, Hanson nimbly avoids pedantic, moralistic admonishments. Nature-lovers will be thrilled to see science so vividly described, and will marvel at the incredible ingenuity of creatures across the globe."

― Publisher's Weekly (Starred Review)

"This compelling read will spark the interest of everyone who cares about what is happening to the natural world."

― Library Journal (Starred Review)

“A masterful storyteller, Hanson interweaves his own formative experiences into the narrative…The book’s forward-looking approach seems intended to encourage readers’ curiosity about climate change, with the notion that, once suitably informed, they will feel compelled to take action.”
 ―Science

"an engaging author who has celebrated the wonders of nature in books about feathers, seeds, forests and bees, (Thor Hanson) is an ideal guide to a topic that might otherwise send readers down a well of despair."

 ―Science News

"Lighthearted in tone but wholly serious in purpose, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is . . . an outstanding introduction to a global threat."

―Portland Book Review

"Hanson supplies abundant reason to marvel at nature’s ingenuity, but also to fear for it in the face of the drastic changes we are generating." 

– Philip Ball, The Guardian (UK)

“[A] fascinating exploration of climate change, exploring the adaptation of species in different habitats. Hanson is a biologist whose passion and expertise are writ large here, as he combines personal observations . . . with the latest scientific research in a lively, engaging and optimistic assessment of the planet’s future.” 

- Hannah Beckerman, The Observer (UK)

"An original, wide-ranging and carefully researched book . . . [Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid] contains important lessons for humanity." 

- Mark Cocker, The Spectator (UK)

“Interesting and thought-provoking . . . This book is well worth reading, to embrace and take on the wider perspective that nature is more adaptable and able to change than we might realise.” 

– Simon Cocking, Irish Tech News (UK)

“Each enormously engaging essay proves what I've known for some time: Thor Hanson is a marvel whose enthusiasm for this planet is utterly contagious.” 

―Aimee Nezhukumatathil, New York Times bestselling author 

of World of Wonders

“This is arguably the most significant discussion of the biology of global warming I know, brought to us in the intelligent, wise, and beautiful prose we've come to rely upon Thor Hanson to deliver. If you read only one book on climate change this year, let it be this one.” 

―Robert Michael Pyle, Ph.D., author of 

Wintergreen and Nature Matrix

“Thor Hanson’s clear-eyed science writing meets its best topic yet in this book. While governments and publics joust over climate change, biologists  studying all the ways wild animals are already responding to it are five  steps ahead of the game. Hanson takes his readers on a tour of this  cutting edge in our rapidly-changing world. Yes, there are looming  extinctions. But before you wring your hands in despair, read this book. As it always has, life finds a way.”

―Dan Flores, New York Times bestselling author of Coyote America

"Thor Hanson is not just a scientist and writer--he is a gifted raconteur, filled with wonder and love for the wild earth. In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid Hanson brings his unique perspective to this time of ecological crisis.  Rather than just a warming planet, we find stories from the infinite  and varied tangle of life, with every being—from bacteria to  birds—seeking to adapt with ingenuity and resilience. This book bears  witness to the individual stories so often lost in climate headlines,  and invites us all to live with greater depth and awareness as we seek a  hopeful path forward."

 ―Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted 

and Mozart's Starling