Mr g

A Novel about the Creation

By: Alan Lightman

Narrated by: Ray Porter

With echoes of Calvino, Rushdie, and Saramago, this is a stunningly imaginative work that celebrates the tragic and joyous nature of existence on the grandest possible scale.

“As I remember, I had just woken up from a nap when I decided to create the universe.” So begins Alan Lightman’s playful and profound new novel, Mr. g, the story of Creation as narrated by God. Bored with living in the shimmering Void with his bickering Uncle Deva and Aunt Penelope, Mr. g creates time, space, and matter - then moves on to stars, planets, consciousness, and finally intelligent beings with moral dilemmas.

But even the best-laid plans can go awry, and Mr. g discovers that with his creation of space and time come unforeseen consequences - especially in the form of the mysterious Belhor, a clever and devious rival. An intellectual equal to Mr. g, Belhor delights in provocation: he demands an explanation for the inexplicable, requests that intelligent creatures not be subject to rational laws, and maintains the necessity of evil. As Mr. g watches his favorite universe grow into maturity, he begins to understand how the act of creation can change the Creator himself.

©2012 Alan Lightman (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Here is the creation of the universe and the young creator who grapples with what he has made - and ultimately with responsibility and loss…A gem of a novel that is strange, witty, erudite, and alive with Lightman’s playful genius.” (Junot Díaz, New York Times best-selling author)

Enjoyed very much

Not what I was expecting—so much more. Very thought-worthy. It could have been two or three times longer.

This was certainly different

This was not something I would normally read but I enjoyed it. I found myseld excited to listen to the next chapter. It was creative.

Good first half of the book

I quit listening about half way through the book. It started very well, but then I lost interest.

Clever and fun listen that will make you think.

The book is very clever and the narration is excellent. The Author obviously knows a ton about physics, cosmology, philosophy, morality, and theology. The blending of all the topics really gets you thinking about the actual nature of reality, creation, existence, etc. Very fun listen that should tease many into thinking deeply about the justification for their own particular beliefs.

Wow

This book was extremely beautiful. The ending was kind of sad, but this is absolutely an outstanding work.

Original

One of the most original books I've read in a long time. For me it's on the same level as the book Flatland.

fascinating!!!

if you're into physics, even just casually so, you'll be able to enjoy this with it's subtle references to theory.

Fun for a entertaining look at god and creation

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Sometimes the details are too much for a casual listen

Would you be willing to try another book from Alan Lightman? Why or why not?

Sure, loved his creative perspective

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ray Porter is often a big reason I will take a chance on an author that I don't know. Ray is one of the best narrators in the business in my opinion. Ray brings the text to a colorful life.

Do you think Mr g needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I don't know about a follow-up to Mr g but I will gladly purchase Alan Lightman's next book if it is a creative concept.

Any additional comments?

This book is mind expanding for those that are not going to get to hung up on the poetic license that the author had to use to tackel this subject. This is worth a listen and can make you ask even better questions about how this whole univers got started and what does it all mean.

Loved this -- myth meets quantum

Congratulations to the Alan Lightman for venturing out onto such thin ice.
For those of us who love to learn about science and theory but still have a sense of humour, or enjoy the immersion of meaning and myth but appreciate grounding in fact and telling details, this is great fun.
The ending gets a bit soft, but headed in the right direction in terms of bringing all the speculation (scientific and spiritual) to the level of everyday human experience. Perhaps there would be a way to draw full circle with more intensity and interaction between the realms.

An Interesting Conceit

It's difficult to be god but Lightman makes a decent attempt, at least not an authoritarian one.