Death by Black Hole

And Other Cosmic Quandaries

By: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

“[Tyson] tackles a great range of subjects…with great humor, humility, and—most important—humanity.” —Entertainment Weekly

Neil deGrasse Tyson has a talent for guiding readers through the mysteries of outer space with stunning clarity and almost childlike enthusiasm. Here, Tyson compiles his favorite essays that he wrote for Natural History magazine across a myriad of cosmic topics, from astral life at the frontiers of astrobiology to the movie industry’s feeble efforts to get its night skies right.

Tyson introduces us to the physics of black holes by explaining the gory details of what would happen to our bodies if we fell into one, examining the needless friction between science and religion in the context of historical conflicts, and noting Earth’s progression to “an insignificantly small speck in the cosmos.”

Renowned for his ability to blend content, accessibility, and humor, Tyson is a natural teacher who simplifies some of the most complex concepts in astrophysics while sharing his infectious excitement for our universe.

©2007 Neil deGrasse Tyson (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Tyson takes readers on an exciting journey from Earth's hot springs...to the universe's farthest reaches....witty and entertaining." (Publishers Weekly)
"Smoothly entertaining, full of fascinating tidbits, and frequently humorous, these essays show Tyson as one of today's best popularizers of science." (Kirkus Reviews)
"[Tyson] demonstrates a good feel for explaining science in an intelligible way to interested lay readers; his rather rakish sense of humor should aid in making the book enjoyable." (Library Journal)

Enjoyed it a lot

If you could sum up Death by Black Hole in three words, what would they be?

Educating, fun, amazing

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Makes complicated stuff simple to understand. Narration is brilliant.

What about Dion Graham’s performance did you like?

He makes this book even better than it would have been had I read it myself.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I heard it twice. I think I'll hear it again.

Tyson is Outstanding

Tyson packs an incredible amount of scientific knowledge and history into this book in a format that is both easy to comprehend and extremely interesting. He covers an incredible range of topics and wraps up with some excellent thoughts on the importance of opening our minds to science and discovery.

Fascinating subject matter

Neil deGrasse Tyson makes it cool to be a space geek. He is the epitome of the rock star scientist, and he plays that role very well. His book (though dated now) covers a range of fascinating subjects that will appeal to the space geek in all of us. He makes very complex subjects (relatively) easy to understand. This book is actually a collection of essays, all of them enjoyable.

Then there's the narration. Dion Graham does a fine job for the most part, but someone REALLY needs to teach him how to read Roman Numerals. He also makes a few deliberate mispronunciations that ground my mental gears when I'd hear them. Other than that the production quality is fine. If you're curious, or just want to satisfy your inner geek, buy this book.

I love it until the end

I love cosmology--took a class several years ago. This book helped to put it all in a perspective that was more easily understood and enjoyable--I didn't have to do any of those tedious calculations to determine how far away the stars were! I also learned a lot that wasn't even known at the time I took the class. The material was presented in a manner that was scientific with a twist of humor. The narrator delivered those lines perfectly.

My big disappointment was the God discussion at the end of the book. The assertion that those of us who believe in a spiritual being and/or intelligent creation are ignorant was insulting, to say the least. Just because God has never been proved doesn't mean there is no divine being. No one can "prove" love, but do we deny it exists?

That last chapter ruined (for me) an otherwise engaging and informative book. I enjoyed imagining the universe's many wonders as they were described.

Entertaining and fascinating

Where does Death by Black Hole rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the better ones and certainly worth the credit

Who was your favorite character and why?

There were no characters, it's nonfiction

Which character – as performed by Dion Graham – was your favorite?

Dion Graham is an awesome narrator, very funny and entertaining

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole thing kept my attention, taught me things, and entertained me, but I wouldn't call it moving.

Any additional comments?

Check it out if you're interested in space. It's worth your time.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

“Death by Black Hole” is an exploration of the universe; i.e. how it was formed, where life comes from, whether life exists on other planets or in other universes, how the world might end, what a black hole in space is, and what would happen to the human body entering a black hole. Neil deGrasse Tyson, in writing "Death by Black Hole", asks the public--can you hear me now?

Neil deGrasse Tyson has become a well-known Astrophysicist and translator of the science of cosmology because of NOVA TV presentations, and interviews on Comedy Central's “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report”.

Tyson explores the history of cosmology beginning with scientists like Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, Einstein, Durac, Hubble, and many other names known and unknown by the general public. “Death by Black Hole” is interesting but not revelatory.

Excellent performance

Dion Graham sounds a lot like Neil deGrasse Tyson. By the end of the book I had forgotten that it was not the author narrating the book.
If I have a quibble, it is that an unabridged version need not be totally unabridged. When the text contains pronunciation guides (e.g. "V'ger, pronounced vee-jer"), it really isn't necessary to read the whole thing aloud.

great

my new favorite book ever. so many thoughts that I have daily in here. keeps things in perspective. live it love it love it

phenomenal, if you're the intended audience.

This is a collection of essays, not one continuous story. That said, the performance was great and the content is awesome. This "book" gives you a glance at Neil before he was the pop culture icon he is today.

Good, but a little dry at points

Overall very good, with small portions of dry lists of facts that belabor certain points. We get it! The universe is big!