As someone totally new to the world of cephalopods I found this book fascinating. I love that Danna Staaf doesn't talk down to the reader, instead invites them into the lives of the Monarchs of the Sea.

Good look at fascinating creatures

I enjoyed this book. Dr. Danna Staaf has created a fun read. All the science is well-explained and Staaf writes with a good sense of humor. There is some clever wording in the book and some puns. I also like that Staaf includes a little about her own journey in the book. I feel that it creates a closer bond between writer and reader. The art in the book is excellent. The one fault with the book is that some of the notes at the end contain clarifying information but most are citations. I think that the clarifying notes should have been on the relevant page. Aside from that, it is an excellent book. I recommend it for anyone interested in biology.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

A very informative book about the sea creatures the lie in the deep. It is easy enough to understand, but deep enough to give a broad picture. It reads very quickly and for anyone who is interested in learning more about cephalopods, both living and extinct, this would be a great book to pick up!

My review:

Monarchs of the Sea by Danna Staaf was a really interesting look at cephalopods, their evolution and development.

I didn't know a lot about cephalopods before I started this book, but as it says, there's 500 million years of history, and it really does have a look at how they have changed over time!  

I'm not planning on getting a pet octopus in a tank, but it showed what amazing creatures they are!

If you enjoy science and natural history books that are well written and will explain things to you, then this is a great book to dive into!

 Monarchs of the Sea  was published on 15th September 2020, and is available to buy on  Amazon  and  Waterstones .  I’ve found a link to where you can search for  local bookshops , including independent!

You can follow Danna Staaf on her  website and  Twitter .

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley, and to  The Experiment  (the publishers) for this book.

Cephalopods are incredible denizens of the sea who are often overshadowed by its other inhabitants. Staaf has written a wonderfully informative narrative that takes the reader from their humble origin millions of years ago to the modern era. She has a nice style that is down to earth for the most part. The jargon does pick up as the chapters go along and sometimes definitions are left on the cutting room floor. But it's pretty lay person friendly. I enjoyed that the book clearly shows how the study of past life forms is convoluted with sometimes no concrete answers. All you have is best guesses, though sometimes later finds provide better guesses/answers. Overall, a great informative book that looks at these endlessly fascinating creatures.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't able to finish the eARC of this book that I was gifted by #netgalley and #theexperiment as I really didn't feel an electronic copy was doing the book justice.

This is one of those rare books that I really needed to feel the weight of in my hands. I wanted to be able to mark pages and flip back and forth; to make drawings from some of the beautiful illustrations throughout the book; to curl up in a chair with the actual book rather than read over a laptop screen.

Having studied a science based degree, I know too well how dry some zoology books can be - this, however, was an absolute delight to read.

I will DEFINITELY be waiting for this book to be released so I can buy a hard copy and enjoy dipping in and out of it at my leisure. Coincidentally, it's released on my birthday, so I'll be dropping some heavy handed hints to my nearest and dearest over the coming weeks.

Thank you Danna Staaf for a fantastic book.

Monarchs of the Sea: The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods by Danna Staaf is by far one of the most comprehensive studies of ancient Cephalopods! I have already found it to be very useful. So much so, that I highly recommended that others put the book on their MUST READ lists! The author's writing is very tight and extremely comprehensive! She has opened up a major area of study that has not been documented. These creatures have survived so many Extinction Events here on Earth! The fact that they came long before the dinosaurs and are still here today... Holy Moly!! I loved that the author and scientist had the guts to say that Earth was likely seeded with life from Mars! WOW!! That it a major deal to me!

Every kid wants to find out about Dinosaurs. It takes something special to want to read and study creatures that came long before the dinosaurs. A very interesting read and study! One that I will highly recommend to others.

Monarchs of the Sea is a fascinating and factual look at cephalopods past and present by Dr. Danna Staaf. Originally published in 2017 as Squid Empire, this reformat and re-release by The Experiment is due out 15th Sept. 2020. It's 256 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

There are a handful of popular science and zoology writers who have the gift of writing layman accessibly and interestingly on their topics of expertise. Dr. Staaf is another such. This book is factual, science based, well annotated, but never dry and never devolves into pedantry or pedagoguery. I can imagine that she would be a capable teacher.

It's well laid out and follows a logical format. The introduction includes a very short author bio and some of her background in which I saw my younger self mirrored. She was "the girl with a pet octopus" and I was always the kid with the weird pets (snails, beetles, bees, snakes, etc.) too. The chapters are arranged more or less chronologically, a basic introduction covers some cephalopod physiology and habitat, followed by the rise of prehistoric examples.

The discussion of early cephalopods includes lots of diagrams explaining the different evolutionary innovations and adaptations which gave advantages to those early species from shells with enclosed air chambers to provide buoyancy, water-jet propulsion movement, and neurological advances. There are, today, four basic groups of cephalopods extant: squid, cuttlefish, octopi, and nautili and the author discusses each in depth both in historical context and more thoroughly in the modern day.

The author also does a good job of realisticailly presenting the conservation challenges of species which have lived hundreds and hundreds of millions of years and are now facing catastrophic losses because of climate change, pollution, loss of habitat, and other man made problems. The book is exhaustively annotated, providing rich resources for further reading.

For readers who have Rachel Carson, Richard Dawkins, and Stephen Jay Gould on their bookshelves, this will be a fascinating read. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Educational, fun, and funny, I loved reading Monarchs of the Sea. Staff's humor appealed greatly to me, whichout detracting from the information provided. I learned more about the histories, anatomies, and lifestyles of cephalopods than I ever knew I didn't know. This book is smart and informative without being overwhelmingly technical or dense. Definitely would recommend to anyone remotely interested in this fascinating branch of the animal kingdom.

Language: None
Drugs: None
Sex: Mild, non-human
Violence: Mild, only the violence of nature

Thank you to the publishers for sending me this proof.

I found this book fascinating, and this is a passion of mine. I loved the scientific narrative throughout this book, however that being said this is a highly in depth coverage of cephalopods is very easy to understand.

Staaf writes with a Wonderfull humour and some excellent puns. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone with an interest in Marine Biology.

Monarchs of the Sea is probably one of the most fun educational texts I have ever read. Danna Staaf writes about topics that could be considered very boring in a truly engaging and entertaining way. This reads in no way like a textbook, but is absolutely packed with information. I learned a lot about cephalopods and chuckled quite a bit throughout the book at the author’s humorous commentary peppered in.

For someone to compile all this information and convey it to the reader in such a charming manner is impressive. It is both informative and captivating, with a heavy dose of humor tucked in. I would recommend this gem to anyone with an interest in sea creatures or nature overall, particularly if you are looking to read a work of nonfiction written in a way that is absolutely 100% NOT boring.

Everything you could ever want to know, shared with engaging style. This is remarkably accessible given the depth and complexity of the content, and should appeal to a wide range of readers. Staaf's enthusiasm is contagious, and you'll look at these creatures in a whole new light.