The Elegant Universe

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

By: Brian Greene

Narrated by: Erik Davies

Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

"[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

"[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

"[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

A unique author!

I don't think anyone can include more information in one sentence than Brian Greene. He mentions discovering scientist, a very helpful quote, the author of the quote (and perhaps the source), all while he explains the physical properties of a something. Love him!

Starts light and gets complicated

When I first decided to listen to this book, I figured it would be fluffy reading similar to other TV specials on string theory. Thankfully I was wrong. While this book starts light, the author does make attempts to drive into tricky and deeper material while still working to make it understandable to the average reader. I will likely have to reread this book a few times to get more out of it as sometimes I found myself forgetting details he went over chapters ago. All together a good read, however.

Exceptional

Excellent book, easy to read. It becomes difficult at the end but you would have benefited a lot from it. Highly recommended if you're interested with physics, universe, etc..

really really fabulous book

I've read numerous books on quantum physics over the years and none have been so beautifully explained as they have been in this book. Thank you Brian Greene.

Great read, even for novices such as myself

The author did an excellent job communicating very challenging concepts. If you enjoy this book, I’d recommend The Infinity Puzzle and, of course, A Brief History in Time. I think this was my favorite of the three though.

I am part throw and no proper discussio of acelera

Every particle in universe started at same speed at begining. If I notice a smace ship catchinin up with me one of us has accelerate.

Fine book, but robotic narration

I enjoyed how the book would set up and make you question then explain why it's weird. My main issue is that the narration is dry; I honestly thought it might have been recorded by a Google bot. Overall, I enjoyed the book even the outdated parts.

Brian makes the most complex ideas in history accessible to people with an IQ of 125.

Everything was a great experience for me to reflect and learn. Brian thanks for putting in the time to be an ambassador rivaling Sagan.

Cogent Explantions and Argumrnts

An excellent job of parsing the complex subjects surrounding Super Symmetry Syting Theory, it's predecessors and development.

I dislike math and skipped Physics in high school in favor of Advanced Biology, but I able to follow at least the gist of theories. Greene makes it fascinating and easy (relatively 😄) to follow and the strong, clear narration conveys it very well.

Great read fir those inclined.

Very interesting, and equally difficult to follow

While the topic is hugely interesting and thought provoking, it is also so fringe, relatively speaking, that the concepts on which the theory is resting are at times overwhelmingly difficult to comprehend. In spite of this, Brian Greene does is utmost to explain this in a way that makes it, albeit chunky and strange, edible to the laymen. It is a long book, and it will melt your brain countless times, but if you pause, rewind and listen to those hard sections a few times, eventually you feel like you understood.