Part I: Introduction. No comments here, except for the fact that this reviewer is puzzled over the fact of why a probability of less than 10^(-50) are considered "impossible''. Only zero probabilities are impossible. But this is a minor quibble, and Overman only assumes point because everybody else does. The point is not really defensible to those who know basic probability.

Part II: Verbal and Mathematical Logic Relating to Questions Presented. This is a fun section on logic and what constitutes a valid argument. Overman discusses the limits on human rationalism and logic in a formal way via mention of the famous metamathematical Incompleteness Theorem by Kurt Godel. Everything is brief, concise, but by no means terse. Overman has a knack for compressing arguments into but a few paragraphs without missing any of the points.

Part III: Case Against Accident from Mathematical Probabilities in Molecular Biology. This is an excellent section that every Darwinist or naturalist must honestly face. While one can always question the mathematical assumptions behind the staggeringly high odds of certain things forming by chance or without intelligent guidance, one can not escape the fact that whatever the calculations, one is positing a lot of directing activity to nature.

Of great and relevant interest in this part is the discussion of the Miller and Urey experiments that are often cited as conclusive proof that life on the molecular level could arise through purely naturalistic forces. I cannot detect a logical flaw in Overman's arguments, and I think that his handling of the Miller and Urey experiments is magnificent. Also of great interest is the evidence for or against the theory that maintains that there was some "primordial soup'' that provided the necessary environment for the formation of the first organic macromolecules that lead to life. Overman maintains that no such evidence exists for the soup. Fascinating calculations concerning probabilities of random generations of certain types of protein and genetic sequences follow. It must be noted that one can rightfully question certain principles used in computing these probabilities (which are vanishingly small) -- but one cannot really question the fact that even averaged over the universe and over time the probabilities will still be so small as to be negligible.

Part IV: The Problem of Complexity: The Generation of Sufficient Information Content. This section is another jewel in the book. Here, Overman presents the case that energy infusion into an open system is completely inadequate to describe the generation of the information content inherent in organisms. A very informative discussion of self-organization in equilibrium and non-equilibrium systems follows. Next, Overman brings up a point that a few scientists have been proclaiming for years: the fact that nature can generate ORDER has nothing to do with the generation of COMPLEXITY! The whole book's price is worth the discussion of how various scientists confuse the terms "order'' and "complexity''.

Part V: Case Against Accident from Precision of Values in Particle Astrophysics Required for the Formation of Life. In this section, a demonstration of how finely tuned our universe is is presented clearly and in a manner that will allow one to clearly make up one's mind on the whole design versus chance question. Overman gives a beautiful discussion of how finely tuned the universe needs to be in order to produce the elements beyond hydrogen and helium. A discussion of resonance precision required for the formation of the all important carbon atom follows. One sees that not only a few things have to go right for the universe to have life, but that everything needs to be fine-tuned and set in a precise fashion that we humans have a tough time comprehending. Many other factors that contribute to life are presented as well -- the density of matter in the universe, the delicacy of the balance in the strong nuclear force, the perfect balance of the gravitational and electromagnetic forces, etc.

One of the many fascinating points raised in this book is the discussion of the anthropic principle that is often used to undercut the evidence presented for design. Overman deftly handles the anthropic principle, and, in this reviewer's opinion, renders the principle worthless and completely lacking in any explanatory power whatsoever.

Part VI is a philosophical digression that deals with the implications of a chance or impersonal beginning. Nothing new is stated here, although what is stated deserves to be stated over and over again: if we are the products of some naturalistic and random scenarios, if we are just a bunch of particle aggregates occupying some spatio-temporal subset of the universe, then we have no justification for what we call morality. We can be moral according to some standard, but we have absolutely no justification whatsoever for why our standard is worthwhile. Now of course, unpleasant consquences of a world-view or theory have nothing to do with the ultimate truth of the theory -- but it is interesting to see the implications nonetheless, provided that we acknowledge that unpleasant deductions can't be allowed to cast doubt on a world-view.

Part VII is the summary and conclusion of the book. Overman concludes that postulating chance and naturalism as the mechanism for bringing the universe and life into being ignores the data.

Final tidbits: readers should realize a few things about this wonderful book:

1. The book is not a popular-level book, but it is not a textbook either. It is a technical book written for a general audience of people who are willing to THINK and read things over and over again. But anyone who sits down and likes to critically examine arguments, this book is a treasure.
2. Overman merely contends that the evidence leads away from naturalistic processes -- any theological deductions as to the nature or the type of Designer are not addressed. So Christians who are looking for a ringing affirmation of "Yahweh did it!'' or "John 1:1-3 was right all along!'' will have to interject the comments themselves at the end of the book.
3. This book should be read over and over again to get maximum information out of it.
4. People should know their exponential notation and powers of ten to appreciate the material contained inside.
5. As far as I know, when the bluster of the evolutionary establishment is brushed aside, I don't know of any good rebuttals to the arguments presented in Overman's book. There may be some good rebuttals out there, but I have not yet found them.

Overall, this book is a great buy for those people who honestly want to try to answer the question "Are purely natural and unguided processes responsible for our universe and life?'' A good thing for the critical reader to do is read this book side by side (say) with a book with an opposing viewpoint like Richard Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker. I personally think that the critical reader will see at the very least that the Intelligent Design movement is a viable contender in the realm of metaphysics, biology, and physics.

Ultimately, this book is highly recommended for those who are interested in origins-of-life scenarios.