In the original Persian tale, ‘The travels and adventures of three princes of Serendip’, there were three princes, but in this book that number has been reduced to only one, the author, Jim Estes. In the tale, the prince(s) travelled and had various adventures, making ‘… certain discoveries. Their adventures resulted from the use they made, and that other people made, of their keen wits; and their discoveries … often proved valuable to those whom they encountered. … In all these adventures they conducted themselves with great courtesy and modesty’ (Merton & Barber, 2004, The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA).

Estes, a distinguished marine ecologist, may or may not have known of this Persian tale when he named this book but its description fits perfectly. Serendipity tells the story of the author's development as a scientist and the discoveries he had along the way. Throughout his long career serendipity influenced what Estes did, from failing the military's physical exam during the Vietnam War to a chance meeting with the ecologist Bob Paine. All of these incidents changed the path of his research and in some cases his career.

With a focus on sea otters in the north-east Pacific and their role as predators in the nearshore ocean, Estes' work was seminal in establishing the fact that sea otter predation on sea urchins is the powerful force maintaining kelp forests and that in the absence of otters, urchins eliminated the kelp. The majority of the book focuses on the author's fieldwork, and the methods, people and science that brought Estes to his famous conclusions about sea otters. He follows a few other lines of his research, finishing with his conclusion about the importance of top-down regulation of ecosystems. The book is mostly about ecology and science rather than conservation but there are clear lessons to be drawn from the material presented.

As Estes remarks, few scientists write about the events that shape their work—something that he has corrected in this book. As with the Princes of Serendip, Estes is a courteous and collaborative scientist whose work has helped frame the science of predator–prey ecology. The author's target for the book is students and young professionals, who will learn that most careers are decidedly non-linear, and heavily influenced by chance and the ability to seize opportunity.