Listen to a sample
The Co-Creation
- Author
- Olivia Judson
- Narrator
- Olivia Judson
- Publisher
- John Murray Press
- Publish Date
- 3 December 2026
- Run Time
- 12 hours 25 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
In her twenty-year journey to answer these questions, Olivia Judson has travelled to all seven continents and dived in several seas; she has made mental journeys to other worlds - the Moon, Venus, Mars; she has travelled back in time, haunted the rock collections of natural history museums, read scores of books and thousands of papers. The Co-Creation proposes a radical new way of understanding life on Earth: not as a story written in genes and DNA, but as one driven by energy.
Judson divides the history of our planet into five great epochas - rock, light, oxygen, flesh and fire - each marked by the unlocking of a new source of energy. Through these transformations, she argues, Earth evolved from a barren, asteroid-pummelled wasteland to the unique planet we inhabit today.
However, just as Earth made life, life itself became a powerful geological force that reshaped Earth - shifting the positions of continents, upheaving mountain ranges, changing the colour of the sky and causing vast oceans to open and close.
The Co-Creation reveals we are not merely occupiers of this planet, but integral to its very existence.
Critics Review
-
'A fascinating and original account of the history of life... full of new insights about evolution and history, and even more importantly- with new viewpoints'
YUVAL NOAH HARARI, author of Sapiens
-
'A landmark work of science writing.Wildly ambitious and utterly compelling, Olivia Judson has chronicled the greatest narrative of all-the full history of life, Earth, and the intimate, perpetual dance between the two.'
ED YONG, author of I Contain Multitudes
-
'A triumphant return for Dr. Tatiana...At turn luscious, heady, and strange, The Co-Creation updates the Gaia hypothesis with modern physics and a neo-Victorian sweep of ecology that would make George Eliot proud. Judson places us just as we are: not on the Earth, but made of it.'
CAT BOHANNON, author of Eve
-
"A majestic grand tour of the history of our planet, The Co-Creation provides a fresh and exhilarating view of what life itself is and how it arises and evolves."
PHILLIP BALL, author of How Life Works
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
'An epic poem worthy of Gaia herself. Withvivid writing, enchanting detailand colossal scale, Olivia Judson brings to life the flows of energy that animated our world, from the first cells through global glaciations wrought by bacteria, to the planet-sculpting of animals and our own high-octane lives. Building layer upon layer, under the watchful eye of her Planetary Accountant, Judson has written amarvellouspaean to our living rock.'
NICK LANE, author of The Vital Question and Transformer
-
'Olivia Judson takes on the deepest mysteries of life and emerges witha vision as surprising as it is awe-inspiring. Thisbeautifulbook tells the earth's story as it has never been told before-a planet tumultuous and creative, continually remade by the lifeforms it spawns.'
JAMES GLEICK, author of Faster
-
'A highly readable, important, and new way of thinking about life and Earth. The Co-Creation is excellent.'
TIM FLANNERY, author of The Weather Makers
-
'An exceptionally clear history of the amazing dance of organics and inorganics that constitutes this living Earth in its current moment of co-evolution. What we are together is illuminated by this knowledge, andthis is not only helpful as we figure out what to do as a civilization now, but delightful in and of itself. Highly recommended!'
KIM STANLEY ROBINSON, author of The Ministry for the Future
-
'Epic in scope, rigorously researched, and intellectually thrilling,The Co-Creation is an extraordinary feat of synthesis and scholarship and a masterwork of science writing. Olivia Judson illuminates the fundamental connections between energy, evolution, life, and Earth with unprecedented clarity, memorable metaphors, and profound insights. Judson has crafted nothing less than the most compelling proposal for the origin of life that I have ever encountered, an incisive explanation of what makes living things unique, and a brilliant new framework for understanding the eons-long evolution of our living planet. This book should be read closely, shared widely, and cherished by all.'
FERRIS JABR, author of Becoming Earth
-
'Captivating...The satisfyingly sprawling latest by evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson (Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation) takes the reader on vividly sensuous time-traveling trips to various points in pre-history . . . conveying a giddy sense of wonder that sweeps the reader along in its wake.'
KIRKUS (starred review)
-
'Judson's fascinating natural history of the world-and all the life on it . . . Judson's hypothesis offers a new way of thinking about how we got here, what came before, and why the incredible ecosystems that sustain us are so very important.'
LITHUB
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Olivia Judson
- Narrator
- Olivia Judson
- Duration
- 12 hours 25 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 December 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399843317
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- John Murray Press
- Genre
- Nature and the natural world: general interest
Synopsis
Where did we come from? What does it mean to be 'alive'? And what is our place in the cosmos?In her twenty-year journey to answer these questions, Olivia Judson has travelled to all seven continents and dived in several seas; she has made mental journeys to other worlds - the Moon, Venus, Mars; she has travelled back in time, haunted the rock collections of natural history museums, read scores of books and thousands of papers. The Co-Creation proposes a radical new way of understanding life on Earth: not as a story written in genes and DNA, but as one driven by energy.Judson divides the history of our planet into five great epochas - rock, light, oxygen, flesh and fire - each marked by the unlocking of a new source of energy. Through these transformations, she argues, Earth evolved from a barren, asteroid-pummelled wasteland to the unique planet we inhabit today.However, just as Earth made life, life itself became a powerful geological force that reshaped Earth - shifting the positions of continents, upheaving mountain ranges, changing the colour of the sky and causing vast oceans to open and close.The Co-Creation reveals we are not merely occupiers of this planet, but integral to its very existence.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.