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drguildo's review against another edition
2.0
More dense and convoluted than I think a popular science book should be and also could have been better written, but it also provides insight into a clearly fascinating topic and so I cannot fault it entirely. Maybe if the author had narrowed his focus it wouldn't have come across as so jumbled.
gargantua's review against another edition
The book oscillates between being too simple and being too esoteric way too often. At one moment it presumes I don't know the first alphabets of the subject matter, at another it assumes I know the subject matter like I am pursuing a PhD in it. I had picked this up as a cosmology enthusiast and it fails to keep a grip on me with such high variance in the degree of content.
dee9401's review against another edition
2.0
This seemed like a cool book, given my lay person's love of astronomy, high-energy physics and cosmology. I think a combination of the author and the reader (me) led me to give this book only an "ok" rating. Rees writes in an easy open style, but occasionally throws in some big words or theories, but doesn't go into explaining them in the depth I'd like to see. Perhaps that's because it would exceed the intended mass audience of his book. But, to be fair, if he went into massive detail, I'd be blown out of the water. I know enough to be dangerous, but not enough to thoroughly understand the physics. I remember, vaguely, reading The First Three Minutes and though that that author was able to easily bridge the gap between a lay reader and an amateur scientist.
This book will give you enough to sound impressive on the cocktail circuit, but if you get questioned, this won't be material that will help you fill in the blanks.
This book will give you enough to sound impressive on the cocktail circuit, but if you get questioned, this won't be material that will help you fill in the blanks.
readingslug's review against another edition
didn't finish it because it's out of date
naomi_hyde's review against another edition
3.0
The book centres around six crucial numbers, without which our universe would not exist.
I found this book intriguing and it really made me aware of how extraordinary out planet is; the author reiterated the importance of these six vital numbers by pointing out that if the numbers were slightly higher or lower than their current value, then the universe as we know it would be completely different. It emphasised how special life is and how wonderful the universe is with all its diversity. Rees explained many physical phenomena well, but at times I found it somewhat confusing and difficult to follow. One major criticism is that the book reiterated obvious facts, such as how our universe began, which was explained at the beginning of the book. Also, I felt that at times it was a bit repetitive and that I was not learning anything new, but at other times within the book, I felt the explanation was rushed and unclear.
Overall, I quite liked this book, and I would definitely read it again to enhance my understanding. This book highlighted and promoted the fantasically special place that is our universe.
I found this book intriguing and it really made me aware of how extraordinary out planet is; the author reiterated the importance of these six vital numbers by pointing out that if the numbers were slightly higher or lower than their current value, then the universe as we know it would be completely different. It emphasised how special life is and how wonderful the universe is with all its diversity. Rees explained many physical phenomena well, but at times I found it somewhat confusing and difficult to follow. One major criticism is that the book reiterated obvious facts, such as how our universe began, which was explained at the beginning of the book. Also, I felt that at times it was a bit repetitive and that I was not learning anything new, but at other times within the book, I felt the explanation was rushed and unclear.
Overall, I quite liked this book, and I would definitely read it again to enhance my understanding. This book highlighted and promoted the fantasically special place that is our universe.
jewishdrummerboy's review against another edition
4.0
“There are three great frontiers in science: the very big, the very small and the very complex. Cosmology involves them all.”
Very interesting, if not a bit outdated (published in 1999).
Very interesting, if not a bit outdated (published in 1999).
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