The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory - Brian Greene > Reviews (1)

I have always been very interested in science, specially physics and astronomy, ever since I saw the wonderful series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan. And I was introduced to books of physics propularization by perhaps the most famous of them: A Brief History Of Time, by Stephen Hawking. Every book on physics I've read since then, I've compared it to this masterpiece. And I'm glad to say, that after reading this book, number one for me is not reserved for Stephen Hawking's book. To me, The Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene, is better.

Somehow, Greene is able to make the reader like him, even after reading just a few pages of the book. The sheer fascination with which he tells the story of physics and explains extremely difficult, abstract concepts, is inmediately engaging. He is able to make the reader feel that sense of awe that has made scientists feel that impulse that has made them dedicate their lives to study nature. You come to understand, in a sense, what Einstein meant when he said "the most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible." Perhaps Green's biggest accomplishment is his ability to make a book which is filled with information, often involving extremely difficult concepts, absolutely captivating, and which doesn't feel to be as dense as it really is. It is also very entertaining to read his description of how physicists work nowadays, relating different anecdotes which have involved himself in where important breakthroughs in string theory, which is really what this book is about, have ocurred, many times in the most unexpected moments.

This work is extremely complete in the sense that although it deals with string theory, it is able to give an excellent overview on the history of physics, which is at the same time very entertaining because of the way it is told, but also very informative and enlightening, because Green does not only explain all the important breakthroughs, such as the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics, but also shows the human side of them, establishing a clear link between the lives and experiences of each of the famous scientists responsible for the advances made, and the nature of the theories they developed. But most importantly, the narrating style and the enthusiasm that fills every corner of the book makes it really captivating, and you'll find that even though there do exist a couple of chapters that deal with topics that are so complex that it is not possible to read the book casually, and sometimes you'll find yourself rereading some passages of it, it doesn't turn into something annoying, and it will only make you concentrate more, as Green is able to make you really want to understand it.

Its been a while now since I read the book, but curiously, I still retain much of the information contained in it, and I am surely going to read it again when I have the opportunity. Trust me, even if you are not a huge physics enthusiast, this book will be a lot of fun, and will probably raise your interest on this fascinating topic, perhaps the most important and mind blowing of all.