The Fabric of the Cosmos

Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality

By: Brian Greene

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

From Brian Greene, one of the world’s leading physicists, comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely different way.

Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past? Greene uses these questions to guide us toward modern science’s new and deeper understanding of the universe.

From Newton’s unchanging realm in which space and time are absolute, to Einstein’s fluid conception of spacetime, to quantum mechanics’ entangled arena where vastly distant objects can bridge their spatial separation to instantaneously coordinate their behavior or even undergo teleportation, Greene reveals our world to be very different from what common experience leads us to believe.

Focusing on the enigma of time, Greene establishes that nothing in the laws of physics insists that it run in any particular direction and that “time’s arrow” is a relic of the universe’s condition at the moment of the big bang. And in explaining the big bang itself, Greene shows how recent cutting-edge developments in superstring and M-theory may reconcile the behavior of everything from the smallest particle to the largest black hole. This startling vision culminates in a vibrant eleven-dimensional “multiverse,” pulsating with ever-changing textures, where space and time themselves may dissolve into subtler, more fundamental entities.

Sparked by the trademark wit, humor, and brilliant use of analogy that have made The Elegant Universe a modern classic, Brian Greene takes us all, regardless of our scientific backgrounds, on an irresistible and revelatory journey to the new layers of reality that modern physics has discovered lying just beneath the surface of our everyday world.

©2004 Brian Greene (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Nobody ever said that cosmology was simple, not even Stephen Hawking, in whose tradition Dr. Greene impressively follows....He is both a skilled and kindly explicator....The Fabric of the Cosmos is as dazzling as it is tough." (The New York Times)

"It will be enjoyable and stimulating for the lay reader, who will even learn about time travel and teleportation. This is one popular-science book that won't be left on the coffee table half read." (The New York Times Book Review)

“Forbidding formulas no longer stand between general readers and the latest breakthroughs in astrophysics: the imaginative gifts of one of the pioneers making these breakthroughs has now translated mathematical science into accessible analogies drawn from everyday life and popular culture....Nonspecialists will relish this exhilarating foray into the alien terrain that is our own universe.” (Booklist, starred review)

“This is popular science writing of the highest order...Greene [has an] unparalleled ability to translate higher mathematics into everyday language and images, through the adept use of metaphor and analogy, and crisp, witty prose....He not only makes concepts clear, but explains why they matter.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Horrible narration of a great book

I only wish I had read this book instead of listening to the awful narration of Michael Prichard. His voice and flat inflections is a cross between Ben Stein?s character in Ferris Buellers Day Off and the robot from Lost in Space. This ruined what I believe is a fantastically written book of science. Brian Greene has succeeded in explaining the most difficult topics in a way everyone can understand.

Its all in there! And Organized too!

After listening to "The Fabric of the Cosmos", I could not think of a question it did not answer. I can recall only a few instances where a 'relisten' was necessary to understand the concepts/principles presented by the author - considering the subject matter and my ignorance on the topics, this is amazing to me.

The book builds the readers understanding gradually, and presents this intricate material logically and in a gripping package.

Well done!

Good

Muy bueno, pero es pesado a nivel conceptos. Si te gusta mucho la fisica y las matematicas, este libro es un buen resumen de ambos conceptos. Lo recomiendo solamente si las dos cosas anteriores son de tu agrado. Son mas de 16 horas de conceptos matematicos.

Mostly good

This is a good choice particularly if your knowledge of physics hasn't been updated since the late 80's.
The narration is passable, though sort of dry and the quality of the material is good. I didn't like the television metaphors so much as I'd like to recommend this book to my 80 year old father in law and these would be unrecognizable to him. I had the same thoughts as some others about some of the theoretical points, as in " who pays people to think this stuff up?"

125 IQ+ required

If you want to understand the duality of light and quantum physics, Brian Greene is the teacher you wish you had in high school. A detailed narrative, step-by-step,experiment-by-experiment, scientist-by-scientist about how our current understanding of our universe evolved.

Poor Einstein, by the end of the book you feel sorry for him for his inability to see. The hardest lesson to learn is the lesson you think you already know.

I'd be naive to say I understand quantum physics, but I definitely understand it better. Greene sets your mind soaring with possiblities that are almost spiritual.

Skip part two if you are in heavy traffic or don't be afraid to repeat parts to better understand how everything is connected. This book won't put you to sleep, but it will make your head hurt from thinking. How many moves ahead in chess do you play? In which universe?

Excellent text, excellent reader

I disagree strongly with critics of the reader of this book. The reader has an artful combination of dead-pan and subtle inflection, and overall his performance is as excellent as any reader of non-fiction I have heard. His restrained tone is a fitting reflection of the humble, deliberate, clear, yet intellectually excited and wonder-filled tone of the text itself. It's a serious book for those willing to think carefully, and accordingly needs to be read with just the art that this reader provides.

Narration is incredibly boring

The content of this book is pretty good. I would not call snider it Greene’s best work, but it’s interesting and I especially like how it’s broken down and organized.

That being said, driving across the state I thought I was going to pass out to the sound of the narrator. Absolutely boring.

Thank You Audible

This book was on my list of suggested books. Great read! Could have been more technical. It did give me a few more new ways to express some rather difficult concepts. Keep listening to us Audible.

Amazing

To keep it short after listening to this not only do I feel accomplished, I also now have a deeper understanding and love for the universe and how it works.

Must Read if you are passionate about the cosmos

I really enjoyed this book, at all times the book goes from simple explanations to more complicated topics.

The narrator is fine.