As a writer who frequently delves into the genres of science fiction and fantasy, I have, in the past, conjured up various types of aliens as story characters. Depending upon the specific parameters and requirements of the tales, I have attempted to make them as realistic as possible, or at least explain them well enough so that readers would be able to accomplish the willing suspension of disbelief that is necessary for consuming and enjoying fiction. However, I’m not a scientist, let alone an astrophysicist. Beyond high school classes, the only science I have learned is from books that I picked up and read on my own. It is helpful, therefore, to have some rudimentary guidelines from someone familiar with the basic details of how the universe is put together.

Tyson expresses his interest in the subject when he declares in the book’s very first sentence: “Ever since childhood I’ve wanted to be abducted by aliens.” What follows is an overview of what aliens might be like if they really do exist out there – based on what we know of basic irrefutable universal truths. Don’t worry: there are not many actual equations or complicated explanations; Tyson keeps his arguments cloaked in terms a layperson would understand. He discusses what aliens might look like to us, what we might look like to aliens with various types of senses apart from the ones we possess, what forms alien technology could possibly take, what powers aliens might have that we don’t, and what evidence there really is that aliens are out there.

Take Me to Your Leader remains lighthearted throughout. To illustrate the concepts he is explaining, Tyson draws numerous examples from popular culture: Star Wars, Star Trek, the DC universe, the Marvel universe, the Alien movies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The War of the Worlds, The Twilight Zone, The Simpsons, The Flintstones, and many others. These pop culture references not only provide examples with which most people are familiar, but it is also great fun to find out if various superhero abilities and technological capabilities we read about in novels or watch on movie screens are actually scientifically valid. You might be surprised about what can and cannot be accomplished for real (at least theoretically) in this vast intricate universe of ours.

It is a short book, easy to read, and, as I mentioned, Tyson invariably keeps things on the light side. Those of you with scientific training probably know most of this already, but you may nevertheless enjoy reading about how the principles you have learned are correctly or incorrectly utilized in popular books and films. As for me, I am familiar with the basic concepts Tyson discusses, although perhaps not the details. And I don’t really care, when I am reading science fiction and fantasy, whether the author conforms to all the rules. I’ll put up with a lot of deviation from reality for the sake of a good story. The main pleasure for me while reading this book is the trip down nostalgia lane, the recollections of growing up reading and watching the fantastic stories that Tyson uses as examples.