- Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension
- Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation and Time Travel
- The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time and the Texture of Reality (Penguin Press Science)
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Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos (Allen Lane Science)
Buy Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos (Allen Lane Science): Michio Kaku,
Buy Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos (Allen Lane Science) Now
Allen Lane
Author: Michio Kaku, £20.00
Science Fact blows away Science Fiction
Review date: 2010-04-23 Rating: 10 out of 10
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whosoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed" - Albert Einstein.
Michio Kaku quotes this in a later chapter, it's clear he believes it because wonder and mystery pervade every page of his book. He's also a fan of science fiction and often uses examples from literature and film (like The Matrix) as a jumping board for new subjects and ideas.
I read 'A Brief History of Time' about six months ago which left so many un-answered questions in my head i've been reading everything and anything i can find on quantum physics, from John Gribbin to James Gleick. Whilst all have proved excellent bed time reading, Michio Kaku's 'Parallel Worlds' is easily the most fantastical. It took me weeks to read because i could barely read a page before my mind would embark on a fabulous day dream fuelled by Michio's fervent passion for his subject. Amongst the myriad ideas presented here, the chapter on string theory was perhaps my favourite as it explains a phenomenally complex idea in a clear and lucid manner, but there is so much content throughout, it will keep your mind racing for a very long time. In any world, this gets 5 stars.
Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos (Allen Lane Science) Reviews
Speculations on the cosmos
Review date: 2010-03-11 Rating: 8 out of 10
The cover review describes this book as 'unputdownable'. Well I could put it down OK. A lot of modern physics seems speculative and based on complex mathematical predictions that most people, including me, can't grasp. You won't find descriptions of parallel worlds. Just speculation on what they may be like if they do exist.
Do we venture into a parallel universe when we sleep or hallucinate? Hard to say and this book won't tell you. Enlightening nevertheless but possibly a little out of date now as it was first published in 2005? before the Large Hadron Collider was started up.
Dark matter and energy sound interesting but not much is revealed in this book.
A worthy read but I wish I'd borrowed it from the local library.
You can't put it down.
Review date: 2010-02-16 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is the third of Kaku's books that i've read, and is quite easily his best.
It is a book that confronts the biggest questions in cosmology and quantum theory head on, and addresses philosophical and theological implications in a sensible manner, but is nonetheless incredible for it. There is a richness of subjects here, all discussed in logically sequenced chapters, and the more you read, the more you discover.
Although this book is written for the intelligent layman, this is a popular book where Kaku, who is sometimes forced to hold back with interiewers in media appearances, 'cuts loose' with the depth of his understanding, and offers a personal take on the what the anthropic principle and Copernican principle, and the ultimate properties of this universe. The chapter on the development of Quantum Physics is as well-written and clear as any on the subject, and his anecdotes about other well-known scientists and their own journeys to their discoveries, as well as his own, are a welcome addition and flavour the largely cosmological enquiries with an historical and personal perspective, including his encounter with Richard Feynman after giving a talk on String Theory. This helps the book retain a human scale that helps appreciate the big ideas even more.
He also introduces Carl Sagan's counterpart to the Kardashev Scale, which is based on information rather than energy, but there is so much more, including a look at M-Theory and Branes, and even Richard Dawkins gets a brief mention.
The edition I have also has a glossary of terms at the back, and is the coup de grace for this very comprehensive, optimistic and wonderfully illustrative take on the cosmos.
A must-read for anyone who anyone even vaguely inquisitive about our universe.
quite hard to digest
Review date: 2010-02-16 Rating: 6 out of 10
in theory this book is brilliant. i found it easy enough to understand much of what kaku talks about and his 'lay-mans' examples of theory's were generally very helpful for someone who is no scientist and just has a mild, passing interest.
however, about half-way through it all becomes too much and as the bombardment of scientific theories continues and the list of scientists increases, i found myself hanging on to what was going on by my fingernails. string theory is just a blur and i felt like i had ingested too many theories to take in any of the last 200 pages.
i understand this book isn't advertised as General Unified Theory for the general public, hence awarding it a mid-range score, as i think if you know more about this kind of thing and have more than a slight interest in it you will thoroughly enjoy this book. for anyone else i think it's quite a tough read.
Fuel for your imagination
Review date: 2009-11-06 Rating: 8 out of 10
An excellent book on popular science. Kaku delves into a fascinating world of theoretical physics that leaves your imagination run wide! This is the world of the truly bizarre and wondrous. He provides such a good and solid introduction on the major aspects of the string theory and the almighty M-theory was well as the good 'ol general relativity without the use of any (much) mathematics. The aim here is to be as non-technical as possible, and in this he succeeds.
This is the rarest of talent, in order to condense the complex into its simplest and most accessible form. So much so that when I finished this book, I am able to form my own opinions on big questions such as the birth of our universe, the invisible world around me and many other things. You too should be well informed by the end to make your choice on which side to take.
I would recommend this to anyone who are interested in this topic. And why shouldn't you be? It is about our ultimate beginning and ultimate end.
Product Details/Specifications
Authors:
Michio Kaku
Recording label: Allen Lane
Manufacturer: Allen Lane
EAN: 9780713997286
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey decimal number: 600
ISBN: 0713997281
Number of pages: 448
Publication date: 2005-01-27
