The Elegant Universe

Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

By: Brian Greene

Narrated by: Erik Davies

"[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat." --George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.

Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.©2003 Brian Greene; (P)2008 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"The Elegant Universe is compulsively readable.... Greene threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for black holes." -New York

"[An] important book.... The Elegant Universe presents the ideas and aspirations-and some of the characters-of string theory with clarity and charm." -Scientific American

"As good as it gets.... [A] thrilling ride through a lovely landscape." -Los Angeles Times

"[Greene] writes with poetic eloquence and style.... [He] does an admirable job of translating a wholly mathematical endeavor into visual terms." -The Washington Post Book World

"[Greene's metaphors oftten provide beauty and power.... The Elegant Universe is a rewarding read." -Discovery Magazine

"String theory is the hottest idea to emerge in physics since Stephen Hawking gazed into a black hole.... [Greene] explain[s] it in terms that anyone can understand." -San Francisco Chronicle

Will excite you about string theory

He mentions that he wrote this book for the retiree who didn't have time while working to understand the new advances in physics. I was that guy. He does a great job. I've listened to his other books and am amazed how he goes to great pains and creates new analogies in explaining complex physical principals. Each of his books stand on their own and he avoids repetition.

The book will excite you about string theory, but you will be dismayed by the current lack of progress in string theory since the book was originally written.

String theory

Though I'm a 79 year old non-tech, this book gave me a good over view of super string theory. It humbles me.

More Brian Greene!

This book has been another critical piece to tying all these major physics theories together and making them easily understandable.

well communicated, complex

surprisingly good in audio instead of text. definitely had to pause, replay, and take breaks. glad that I'll be able to read it again in a couple months. definitely getting the full set by Greene

Well Written, Good Narration

The Elegant Universe is very well written. The author gives good examples and analogies to better understand the complex thematic.

The narrator was an excellent choice. His voice is very smooth and calm and the narration is very well paced, so that you can easily follow and concentrate on the content.

A little criticism goes however to the production. First, as already mentioned, this book is complex and you need to concentrate on what is being said. Now, imagine being deeply in thought and suddenly there is a big explosion. The producer thought it would be a great idea to put "Big Bang" explosion sounds in between the chapters which is very annoying and disrupts the concentration. It could even make you jump since you do not know when the chapter ends unless you are reading along with the book.
Second, there are a lot of names of scientists from all over the world. I wish the pronunciation of these names would have been researched better. For example, the German physicist Karl Schwarzschild, was pronounced throughout the book as "Schwarz(s)-child", instead of "Schwarz-schild" (engl. for shield), although the correct division of the word can be found also in the book. To me this was quite irritating and lessened my concentration on the actual content.

Due to the complexity of the book some parts might need to be listened to more than once, especially if this is not your field of expertise.