BEASTS BEFORE US The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution

Our understanding of mammal evolution is still, well, evolving. Researcher Elsa Panciroli has been directly involved in cutting-edge work in this field, and her audiobook is enlivened by anecdotes and first-person stories. She is articulate and witty, and Ruth Urquhart's narration highlights these qualities. Like the author, Urquhart is Scottish, and her expressive brogue adds authenticity to her performance. But although the work is ostensibly aimed at a lay audience, it includes a lot of jargon that will be difficult for a listener without a background in paleontology: Terms that pertain to geological eras and taxonomy fill almost every paragraph, often without being clearly defined. In the end, this is likely to appeal to specialists more than the general science listener. D.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2021]