What If?

By: Randall Munroe

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd, What If? gives hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask. Millions visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. Fans ask him a lot of strange questions. How fast can you hit a speed bump, driving, and live? When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British Empire? When will Facebook contain more profiles of dead people than living? How many humans would a T Rex rampaging through New York need to eat a day? In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations and consults nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind - or at least a really big explosion.

This audiobook edition is read by geek icon Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stand by Me, The Big Bang Theory) and has been adapted for audio in collaboration with the author.

©2014 xkcd inc (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

Great

Outrageous questions and amazing answers. Wil Wheaton was great. loved it ! ! ! !

Worth it

Well worth it. Every chapter offers a new hypothetical gem ! Will be looking out for more from this author. 4 stars

So when is the next edition coming out ?

What a fantastically geeky, funny, serious and entertaining book. I've been reading XKCD for years but only found out about this book yesterday. Then finished it this afternoon. Any book read by Will Wheaton is always a treat and he puts in a perfect performance here. What a combination - Munroe and Wheaton. Get this book and prepare to be entertained, learn something and have a laugh.

Good fun that descends into silliness

Would you try another book written by Randall Munroe or narrated by Wil Wheaton?

Certainly Wil, who is high energy and adds an awful lot to what's here. Randall perhaps on the basis of his overall reputation or as seriously light relief. Not on the basis of this book!

Could you see What If? being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

This isn't really that kind of book. It's comedy nonfiction bite sized chapters on different topics. I chose it for going to bed or quick moments to listen, and it suits that. The whole book in one go is a bit too much of the same and it stops being funny.

Any additional comments?

I went in expecting something like the New Scientist series of light hearted questions to things you've always wanted to know. I liked this book less, because how it works is a reader puts forward a completely strange question, Randall answers that question in about half the chapter, and the second half is taken up with an even more outlandish aside to the question that interests Randall. This invariably involves MORE explosions, MORE mass deaths, or MORE planets being destroyed.

I can see some readers really enjoying that,but I found it same-y.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Amazing book for Geeks

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I certainly would. What if answers all the questions you wanted ask but didn't know who to ask.

What did you like best about this story?

Will Weatons narration

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The question about the periodic table

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wish!!

Any additional comments?

Just get it, its amazing.. Please do another!!!

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

If you love xkcd you'll love this!

We all do it, daydream about what might happen if an off the wall hypothetical situation were actually to happen. Randall's sheer dedication to helping us understand the 'what if' is incredible with ever source listed and every tangent explored. He's managed to translate the humour of his comics' brilliantly into the writing.

Will's narration is spot on, with great comic timing and a confidence that would make you believe that he'd written the book.

I've listened to 'what if' three times now and I'm not done yet. If you want accessible, fun science written by a genius mathematician and ex nasa employee then this is for you!

Thanks Randall, I really hope a second book is on the way!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very well researched and entertaining

Enjoyed it very much, found the questions interesting and the answers even more interesting! A great listen

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Brilliant, just brilliant!

If you could sum up What If? in three words, what would they be?

Funny insightful entertaining

What other book might you compare What If? to, and why?

Not nearly as funny, but just as informative - Death from the Skies by Phil Plait

Any additional comments?

I love the website, and the book is even better. Wil Wheaton was a perfect choice for narrating this, he really makes this book and brings it to life.
Recommend this for anyone who has ever pondered what would happen if the Earth suddenly stopped, if the sun has ever set on the British Empire or what would happen if a baseball was pitched at you at the speed of light. Couple this with Randall Munroe's almost obsessive need to blow things up in ever increasingly bizarre ways and you have an excellent read! Hope he releases a volume 2..

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Entertaining and thought provoking

This book was right up my street. Asking outrageous scientific questions and then attempting to answer using science. Many of the answers were not what you'd expect and turned out to be totally fascinating. If you love science in any way this book is for you.

just like the blog but better

Enthusiastically read. The content is pedantic and intriguing as expected. Worth having xkcd at hand for extra comic references.

Funny and fascinating

Crazy and interesting in equal measure. The amount of research put in here is phenomenal.

hilarious

loved it and the narration fits perfectly. I could definitely read it multiple times. it goes into far more detail than is necessary but that just makes it funnier.

Really enjoyed listening. One problem.

The audiobook is very interesting, and I enjoyed it. The only problem is that the actual book has a lot of illustrations, which a problem if you're just listening to it. There are quite a few times where the author refers to pictures that you can't see.
Wil Wheaton was a good choice!