Astrophysicist and folklorist Dr. Moiya McTier channels the Milky Way in this approachable and utterly fascinating autobiography of the titular galaxy, detailing what humans have discovered about everything from its formation to its eventual death, and what more there is to learn about this galaxy we call home.

After a few billion years of bearing witness to life on Earth, of watching 100 billion humans go about their day-to-day lives, of feeling unbelievably lonely, and of hearing its own story told by others, the Milky Way would like a chance to speak for itself. All 100 billion stars and 50 undecillion tons of gas of it.

It all began some 13 billion years ago, when clouds of gas scattered through the universe's primordial plasma just could not keep their metaphorical hands off each other. They succumbed to their gravitational attraction, and the galaxy we know as the Milky Way was born. Since then, the galaxy has watched as dark energy pushed away its first friends, as humans mythologized its name and purpose, and as galactic archaeologists have worked to determine its true age (rude). The Milky Way has absorbed supermassive (an actual technical term) black holes, made enemies of a few galactic neighbors, and mourned the deaths of countless stars. Our home galaxy has even fallen in love.

After all this time, the Milky Way finally feels that it's amassed enough experience for the juicy tell-all we've all been waiting for. Its fascinating autobiography recounts the history and future of the universe in accessible but scientific detail, presenting a summary of human astronomical knowledge thus far that is unquestionably out of this world.

Listening Length

6 hours and 43 minutes
Author

Moiya McTier
Narrator

Moiya McTier
Audible release date

August 16, 2022
Language

English
Publisher

Grand Central Publishing
ASIN

B09SBSPWTQ
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	6 hours and 43 minutes
Author	Moiya McTier
Narrator	Moiya McTier
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	August 16, 2022
Publisher	Grand Central Publishing
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B09SBSPWTQ
Best Sellers Rank	#48,246 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #54 in Astronomy (Audible Books & Originals) #113 in Biographies of Science & Technology Leaders #143 in Physics (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

141 global ratings

5 star		55%
4 star		22%
3 star		12%
2 star		3%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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MNS-bookworm

Fun and Approachable

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 28, 2022

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book a great deal. It's a 4.5 out of 5. I learned things I didn't know about the current state of astronomy and laughed out loud several times at the not so humble narrator. Giving the Milky 🌌 Way a voice helped make the concepts approachable but like some other reviewers, I though it was a tad overdone, thus the 4.5. Despite that, if you're interested in learning more about our galaxy, this is a fun and interesting way to do that.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kelly Gottschalk

Smart and Sassy Astronomy for Everyone

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2022

Verified Purchase

Moiya McTier utilizes her unique loves of astrophysics and folklore to tell the story of the Milky Way in sassy, snarky tones that make what can be a difficult subject to understand relatable to the casual space geek. I can't remember ever laughing while reading an astronomy book, and there were points during this book where I howled with laughter. McTier both anthropomorphizes the galaxy and its companions, including a long-festering distaste for Larry (aka the Large Magellanic Cloud), the discomfort and shame of Sarge (aka the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy) and an adoration for Andromeda, while simultaneously pointing out how self-absorbed and puny humans can be. McTier covers not just the science of the universe and the Milky Way, but also delves into astronomical discoveries over time, and the mythologies that early civilizations had about the galaxy and night sky, making the story feel even more comprehensive in nature. Readers should take note that while this may look like a fiction book, it is non-fiction. As someone who has always had a love for astronomy and outer space, this is a perfect book for the fun, conversational way it conveys information about space. If you love the idea of space but find textbooks intimidating, this book is for you. If you're a teenager and want to read a book about space that namechecks Beyonce and "those hunky brothers from Australia" this book is for you. If you're uptight and think all books about astronomy should be dry, boring and only readable by people with a doctorate in astronomy or astrophysics this book probably isn't for you - but it wasn't meant to be, you stick-in-the-local neighborhood Larry! I absolutely loved this fresh, fun take on the Milky Way, the universe and physics in general.

10 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

An approach that goes on far too long

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

Told from the viewpoint of the galaxy as a sentient being, the reader is constantly derided on how ignorant humans are and have been. This approach got old on page one, and it continued all the way to the last page. There’s a lot of great information throughout the book - including notes that include tidbits on ancillary topics - but if I’m always told how vain, filthy, puny, etc. I am? Well, the cuteness disappears, and it gets really tiring and distracting.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lena

Funny, Quick, and Smart

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2022

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This is an honest science book on the one hand and on the other, a companion to great storytellers of humorous mythology such as Stephen Fry in his Mythos Trilogy. If you love Mythos, you should love this book! Similar tone while maintaining educational relevance. This would be a great book for teens uninitiated to the field or wizened professionals looking for a light(er) read. Any and all would enjoy.
The book doesn’t shy away from more difficult topics, however, they’re approached in a way that neither infantilizes nor over assumes the readers background to the subject.

I preordered this book following Dr. McTier’s guest episode on Queer Movie Podcast where she plugged the new release. The author was a delight to listen to in podcast form - funny and relatable. I myself am hoping to mix myth and science in my future, and I also hope to graduate from Harvard. If you’re reading this Dr. McTier, know that I am so very grateful for the space you’ve made for others to follow behind you. I hope one day to thank you in person. Keep going. ❤️

5 people found this helpful

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Todd

Didn't really work for me

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 23, 2022

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The author tried to write from the Milky Way's point of view in a tongue and cheek way to help explain some of the physics associated with our Universe. I applaud her for trying something new to explain these tough concepts but for me the metaphors often fell flat, or the disparaging of humans detracted from the explanations. Much of the information the author tried to explain is math and it's very hard to explain math with words. Additionally, it's hard to put a lot of substance in any of the explanations when physicists and astronomers don't understand dark energy and dark matter which represents something like 90% of the universe. I think scientists really need to do an honest assessment of what they know and don't know. There are a lot of theories flying around out there without a lot of evidence to support. As I said above, I applaud the attempt, but it didn't help me grasp the information any easier (that could be just me and it might work for others, though).

19 people found this helpful

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James Lindstrom

A Concise Introduction to the History of the Galaxy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 21, 2022

Verified Purchase

The Milky Way by Moiya McTier is an excellent one volume introduction to the history of our galaxy. Once you accept the narrative voice of a galaxy that barely has time for something as transient as humans, you'll find yourself pulled in by the ease, clarity, and depth of McTier's way of telling a story and in fact conveying the most up to date state of our understanding of the galaxy and the formation of the universe itself. The illustrations are very nice and compliment the text well. Star maps or pictures of celestial phenomena would be a nice addition in later editions. The author seems to be at her best when she considers the galaxy through the light of human folklore and mythology. This is a fun and easy book to read. You'll be surprised at how much you'll learn, and how quickly and easily.

One person found this helpful

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