You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
branch_c 's review for:
Black Hole Survival Guide
by Janna Levin
I see what Levin was going for here, but I guess I’m not the target audience. This book tries to be both scientifically rigorous and quirkily poetic, explaining known facts about black holes as well as unsolved mysteries. There’s plenty of interesting material here about relativity, quantum mechanics, and in the physics of black holes, and it’s described in non-mathematical language with plenty of analogies and metaphors to help non-physicist readers understand.
But I could do without the attempts at cleverness like “If you find yourself approaching an utterly dark shadow, visible only in contrast to a bright background of light, beware. Avoid at all costs. Maintain a safe distance. If you get too close you will need all the fuel in the universe to escape, and that will not be enough.” (p. 34). Or regarding the featurelessness of black holes, “Throw in a star, a mountain, a goat.” (p. 73). And lots of descriptions of death by black hole, like “You must record your results quickly, before your disintegration.” (p. 114)
Anyway, it’s a short book, somewhat informative, for those who haven’t encountered these concepts before, and mildly entertaining.
Personally, I suppose I prefer the more straightforward physics writing of people like Sean Carroll for clear explanation on subjects like this.
But I could do without the attempts at cleverness like “If you find yourself approaching an utterly dark shadow, visible only in contrast to a bright background of light, beware. Avoid at all costs. Maintain a safe distance. If you get too close you will need all the fuel in the universe to escape, and that will not be enough.” (p. 34). Or regarding the featurelessness of black holes, “Throw in a star, a mountain, a goat.” (p. 73). And lots of descriptions of death by black hole, like “You must record your results quickly, before your disintegration.” (p. 114)
Anyway, it’s a short book, somewhat informative, for those who haven’t encountered these concepts before, and mildly entertaining.
Personally, I suppose I prefer the more straightforward physics writing of people like Sean Carroll for clear explanation on subjects like this.