A review in Publishers Weekly stated that the book had an "abundance of lavish full-color illustrations and detailed black-and-white sketches" and that the many details mentioned in the book, such as information on the planet of Darwin IV itself, and the intricate details on the behavior of the various creatures, "help maintain the illusion of realism and immediacy such a first person narrative demands".[5] In his 2005 review in The Space Review of Alien Planet, a 2005 TV special based on Expedition, space historian Dwayne A. Day described Expedition as "highly regarded".[6]
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A review in The Vindicator described Expedition as a "lavish science-fiction bestiary", but stated that the "weird creatures lack the necessary aura of plausibility".[10] This review was not the only one that found some of the creatures implausible. In his 2005 review of Alien Planet, which featured the same lifeforms, Dwayne A. Day stated that "the animals are bizarre and frequently border on the implausible" and that "they do not appear to have been developed with a single biological theory in mind". Day however also noted that they are though-provoking and that their strangeness is a good departure from the typical science fiction approach of making alien life look much like Earth life (such as using humanoid aliens). According to Day, the life of Darwin IV "makes the point that alien life, if it is detected, will challenge our abilities to understand and even comprehend it".[6] A review of Alien Planet in the Washington Post noted that "a few too many of the creatures seem like cartoonish monsters".[11] The Publishers Weekly review also pointed out the bizarre nature of some of the creatures, stating that "while superbly executed, Barlowe's visualization of an alien world falls short imaginatively and is naturalistically unconvincing. Many animals look like dinosaurs designed by a committee and discerning readers will suspect that Darwin IV wouldn't work as an ecological system, no matter how alien".[5] 2ff7e9595c
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