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THERE was a time when 3-metre-tall kangaroos ripped branches off trees, and mammoths and mastodons shook the Earth as they trailed between watering holes. Then these enormous creatures disappeared – but why?

In Once and Future Giants, Sharon Levy does a marvellous job of explaining the complex and competing theories behind these mass Pleistocene extinctions, while capturing the fervour and enthusiasm of the scientists who dedicate their lives to solving the mystery. From the arrival of Homo sapiens hunters to the changing climate and vegetation, she tours the factors that may have contributed to the giants’ demise, while making it clear that consensus remains elusive.

As well as taking us back in time, Levy immerses us in the worlds of modern megafauna, showing the surprising ways they alter their environment – and how the changing world, in turn, affects them.