FEBRUARY 2018 - AudioFile
Here we have a popular science approach to a heavy topic, and narrator Adjoa Andoh could hardly be better. Author Chown takes on the force of gravity, "the weakest force in the everyday world yet . . . the strongest force in the universe." Andoh approaches the material in a way that is very British: learned-sounding, expressive, and emotionally uplifting. She uses accents for variety, giving Einstein a German accent, for example. This is a fine history of gravitational science, pre- and post-quantum, with some speculation about future discoveries as we enter the further realm of dark matter and dark energy. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
09/11/2017
Science writer and former Caltech astronomer Chown (What a Wonderful World) details nature’s most familiar force in this sleek, well-paced account of gravity. Meticulously organized and researched, the book is split into three epochs: Newtonian, Einsteinian, and quantum. Chown opines on moments in the lives of Newton, Einstein, and others through the use of historical records and assorted quotations. He describes how “Newton alone created a system of the world, which united the Earth and the heavens in one theoretical framework.” In Newton’s system, gravity is an “invisible string that holds onto the planets and stops them flying off to the stars.” Centuries later, Einstein redefined gravity as warped space-time—Newtonian physics was wrong, but remained, in Chown’s words, “a fantastically good description of the everyday world.” Quantum mechanics, beautifully clarified in Chown’s dexterous prose, shows that nature on the smallest scale is noncontinuous: “Grainy, like a newspaper photograph inspected close up.” Newtonian and quantum theories describe the universe in all but extreme scenarios, yet are a “severe straitjacket” on any unified-theory candidate, such as superstring theory. Chown explains how energy demands have stymied further experimentation on the standard model, but readers will be curious and excited about future theories that may prove to be “as stupendous as they are unguessable.” (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"A fine report on the latest piece of the puzzle that may, sooner or later, enable physicists to explain everything." --Kirkus Reviews
"Chown details nature's most familiar force in this sleek, well-paced account of gravity. Meticulously organized and researched." --Publishers Weekly
"Award-winning Chown offers nonscientists an easily digestible guidebook to everything currently known about gravity, while arguing that a better understanding of this ubiquitous force will help penetrate the deepest mysteries of our universe. In prose refreshingly free of formulas and jargon, Chown once again establishes himself as a first-rate popular-science writer." --Booklist
Dallas Morning News [praise for Marcus Chown]
In a series of artfully connected and well-crafted stories, Marcus Chown traces humanity's 2,500-year quest to understand the nature and origin of matter.
Booklist
Award-winning Chown offers nonscientists an easily digestible guidebook to everything currently known about gravity, while arguing that a better understanding of this ubiquitous force will help penetrate the deepest mysteries of our universe. In prose refreshingly free of formulas and jargon, Chown once again establishes himself as a first- rate popular-science writer.
Science [praise for Marcus Chown]
Chown's book offers readers and their inner atoms an enjoyable introduction to that history.
The Independent (UK) [praise for Marcus Chown]
Reading a well-written popular science book is one of the great pleasures of modern times, and this guided tour through life, the universe and everything affords that pleasure in abundance.
Richard Dawkins
A pretty wonderful book.
Wall Street Journal
Delightful. Chown makes his discussion of bizarre phenomena, such as the way rotation actually distorts space intelligible and entertaining.
Booklist
Award-winning Chown offers nonscientists an easily digestible guidebook to everything currently known about gravity, while arguing that a better understanding of this ubiquitous force will help penetrate the deepest mysteries of our universe. In prose refreshingly free of formulas and jargon, Chown once again establishes himself as a first- rate popular-science writer.
Wall Street Journal
Delightful. Chown makes his discussion of bizarre phenomena, such as the way rotation actually distorts space intelligible and entertaining.
Booklist [praise for Marcus Chown]
A lucid history.
Library Journal
10/01/2017
The recent discovery of gravitational waves by the LIGO Lab, a collaboration between Caltech and MIT, motivated astronomer Chown (The Magic Furnace) to write this latest book. The text is divided into three parts (Newton, Einstein, and Beyond Einstein) and features whimsical chapter titles such as "Beware the Tides of March" and "Catch Me If You Can." Each part is roughly chronological, though the author covers many eras within in each section. In doing so, he reveals viewpoints that may be new to nonscientists such as "gravity is acceleration." He also intersperses profundities with humorous references to works such as Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Chown discusses Galileo, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and scientists or astronomers in their historical context. By also exploring their personal lives, the author enhances his discussion of their breakthroughs in understanding gravity. The result is a readable, up-to-date discussion of gravity—one of the weakest but most obvious forces we experience, a force that is less distinct in the newer quantum view of the universe. VERDICT Adults and teens interested in science history and exciting new physics and astronomy discoveries will thoroughly enjoy.—Sara R. Tompson, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lib., Archives & Records Section, Pasadena, CA
FEBRUARY 2018 - AudioFile
Here we have a popular science approach to a heavy topic, and narrator Adjoa Andoh could hardly be better. Author Chown takes on the force of gravity, "the weakest force in the everyday world yet . . . the strongest force in the universe." Andoh approaches the material in a way that is very British: learned-sounding, expressive, and emotionally uplifting. She uses accents for variety, giving Einstein a German accent, for example. This is a fine history of gravitational science, pre- and post-quantum, with some speculation about future discoveries as we enter the further realm of dark matter and dark energy. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2017-08-28
A fresh look at gravity and how "we are on the verge of a seismic shift in our view of reality, one more far-reaching in its consequences than any that has gone before."Gravity's strength is minuscule, yet it dominates the universe. Science writers have not ignored the subject, but the world-shaking 2015 discovery of gravitational waves is provoking a flurry of updates. New Scientist cosmology consultant Chown (What a Wonderful World: One Man's Attempt to Explain the Big Stuff, 2013, etc.) is early out of the gate, and readers searching for a lucid popular account would do well to start here. The author begins with Isaac Newton, who showed that gravity was a universal phenomenon whose actions could be calculated by anyone. However, he could not explain how it worked, and no one (Newton included) felt comfortable with one body influencing another magically across empty space. Einstein's theory of relativity eliminated magic by explaining that any mass warps space-time in its vicinity. Following Newton's laws, all bodies move in a straight line. They appear to bend when passing through warped space-time, but they are still following the straightest path. "Because that theory recognizes that gravity is nothing more than the curvature of space-time," writes Chown, "the quest to understand gravity has been transformed into a quest to understand the origin of space and time." Relativity theory predicts gravitational waves, but they are incredibly feeble. Einstein doubted humans could detect one, but success would reveal so much new knowledge that physicists could not resist trying. The author spends less time on the mechanics of gravity wave detection than the implications, concluding with discussions of string theory, quantum mechanics, black holes, dark matter, and the ongoing search for a deeper theory. This is de rigueur for popular books on cosmology, but Chown's effort is more comprehensible than most. A fine report on the latest piece of the puzzle that may, sooner or later, enable physicists to explain everything.
