The Order of Time

By: Carlo Rovelli

Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

One of TIME’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade

"Meet the new Stephen Hawking . . . The Order of Time is a dazzling book."—The Sunday Times

From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Reality Is Not What It Seems, Helgoland, and Anaximander comes a concise, elegant exploration of time.

Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to "flow"? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike.

For most this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it remains. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where at the most fundamental level time disappears. He explains how the theory of quantum gravity attempts to understand and give meaning to the resulting extreme landscape of this timeless world. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective, better understood starting from the structure of our brain and emotions than from the physical universe.

Already a bestseller in Italy, and written with the poetic vitality that made Seven Brief Lessons on Physics so appealing, The Order of Time offers a profoundly intelligent, culturally rich, novel appreciation of the mysteries of time.

©2018 Carlo Rovelli (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Highly original. . . . Chapter by chapter, Rovelli shows how modern physics has annihilated common understandings of time. . . . the many other excellent explanations of science, the heart and humanity of the book, its poetry and its gentle tone raise it to the level and style of such great scientist-writers as Lewis Thomas and Rachel Carson.”—Alan Lightman, New York Times Book Review

“ An elegant grapple with one of physics’ deepest mysteries. . . .A masterly writer. . . . In this little gem of a book, Mr. Rovelli first demolishes our common-sense notion of time. . . .an ambitious book that illuminates a thorny question, that succeeds in being a pleasurable read.”—Wall Street Journal

“No one writes about the cosmos like theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli. . . Rovelli’s new story of time is elegant and lucidly told, whether he is revealing facts or indulging in romantic-philosophic speculation about the nature of time.”—The Washington Post

Pretty spectacular - narration & content

I don't often write reviews but this one warrants it for me. Carlo Rovelli, one of modern physics best communicators, writes this exceptionally written book, our latest take on the nature of time. It is frequently mind-blowing and yet not impossible to understand. It's even quite moving, personal, and poetic at times. It's one of the rare books that has really altered the way I can look at the world unfolding around me.

Then there's the narration which makes this piece really special. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, you get the feeling like Sherlock Holmes is explaining to you the intimate mysteries of the universe. It works splendidly. Cumberbatch's voice is clear and kept me riveted. I would really love to see more audiobooks produced this way, where the narration is done by someone with some real acting chops.

A must read

This book should be mandatory on highschools , university jr years and any other basic educational system.

Thought-Provoking

I enjoyed the delivery and the way in which the material was made accessible to someone like myself who has no background on the subject.

Must listen. Beautiful, poignant and thoughtful

Written by a poet and read by a master. Will have to listen again soon. Certainly worth your “time”

Excellent perspectives with an amazing performance

Loved the incredible perspectives described within by an amazing narrator. This book will change they way you see reality.

Amazing reader

Benedict Cumberbatch is an amazing reader of this philosophical, poetic exploration of time. If you want to learn about different theories of time without getting bogged down by formulas or technicalities, this is the book for you. I came away with a list of other texts to read, and I would listen to this narrator read the phone book!

Thought provoking

Benedict Cumberbatch should perform more books like this. I would be first in line to buy.

mind expanding, the best audiobook

this book is fantastic. cutting edge exploration of what time is in a wonderful story with the best narrator. I have listened to this at least a dozen times and I never tire of it. my friends who have listened to it love it also

Fascinating book

I absolutely loved this book. Admittedly a couple of chapters were over my head, but it opened my mind to new ways of looking at time. Benedict Cumberbatch's narration was excellent. I do you recommend this to anyone who is curious at all about different theories of time.

Really beautiful

A very interesting book. Poetic and beautiful. Even more in the voice of Benedict Cumberbacht