In Fantastic, author Alan Austin-Smith attempts to answer the age old question of why some people are consistently more successful than others. Having studied many successful people, Austin-Smith presents the Fantastic Theory, a presentation of the seven characteristics that all fantastic people have. In order to be fantastic, people must stand out above the rest who are merely good enough by adopting the seven characteristics. These characteristics are known as “the other stuff” and are the secret of successful people. Austin-Smith stresses throughout the book that simply reading and learning is not enough; people must take action in order to move in the direction of their dreams. Being good is not enough; to be successful people must strive to be fantastic at what they do.