The Order of Time

By: Carlo Rovelli, Erica Segre - translator, Simon Carnell - translator

Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch

Winner of Audiobook of the Year at The Specsavers National Book Awards 2018

Penguin presents the audio edition of The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli, read by Benedict Cumberbatch.

The bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics takes us on an enchanting journey to discover the meaning of time

Time is a mystery that does not cease to puzzle us. Philosophers, artists and poets have long explored its meaning while scientists have found that its structure is different from the simple intuition we have of it. From Boltzmann to quantum theory, from Einstein to loop quantum gravity, our understanding of time has been undergoing radical transformations. Time flows at a different speed in different places, the past and the future differ far less than we might think, and the very notion of the present evaporates in the vast universe.

With his extraordinary charm and sense of wonder, bringing together science, philosophy and art, Carlo Rovelli unravels this mystery, inviting us to imagine a world where time is in us and we are not in time.

'A global superstar. . . Rovelli is making the grammar of the universe accessible to a new generation' - Channel 4 News

Critic reviews

I consider Carlo Rovelli to be a poet as much as a physicist. . . Everybody should read this book (Es Devlin)

Not only a lesson on physics but also philosophy, poetry, biology, even music. . . After guiding us through the cosmos in his previous books, now Rovelli undertakes a journey that begins and ends with ourselves and the discovery of the greatest mystery: what is time?

Do we exist in time or is it time that exists in us? To find out, we embark on a journey out of time with Carlo Rovelli, who knows how to speak to his readers' minds without ever overlooking their hearts

The physicist transforming how we see the universe

A global superstar. . . Professor Rovelli is making the grammar of the universe accessible to a new generation

The new Hawking. . . His writing is luminous (David Aaronovitch)

The most fun physicist to be with -- as well as the greatest explainer of physics (Bryan Appleyard)

great book + great narrator

like having time explained by Dr. Strange himself. one of the very few audiobooks I have listened to multiple times

What a joy

I always wonder what is “Time”? This book provide an explanation based on previous scientific knowledge and I enjoy reading it.

The voice of Benedict Cumberbatch is just like a massage to my ears. What else can I say?

Lovely Book about Time and its Order

Now I understand that time is far more complex than we think it to be. For long I've held the sense that we always living in the past; every action happens in the past, that the only thing ever in the present is the thoughts we originate. It's really a nice book and I enjoyed listening to it

Easy to follow and everything is explained to be understood even when you have no physics or mathematics background.

I have bougt this book to listen to it while working and it was a great idea. The style is delivered in easily understandable bites. Many times I caught myself by stoping to do anything and just listened to the book. There are many mind-blowing ideas. If you're interested how the space work I can highly recommend this audiobook.

A Wonderful Journey into the great clock tower

A beautifully written and fascinating book with some incredible ideas and poetic connections buried within. Buy it, read it, love it.