Having some experience with this subject, I purchased this book to fill in gaps in knowledge I have about the "current state" of String Theory among physicists. The part that needs improvement is the "In The Loop" sections, that are supposed to give information about the physicists who are writing about the current state of study on the subject. It may only be the academic in me, but I wish the author had provided dates on the material included in "In the Loop" simply because it would give a clearer picture of where the reader is in spacetime when reading this book. ...since it is about spacetime and all...

I would however recommend it for a great introduction to get one thinking about this exciting, emerging field that may well provide the Big Answer we as a people have been searching for since general relativity shook up the apple cart, so to speak.

..as a part of a title. Idiots do not read such books. I may say, you will like this easy to follow review of relativity, QM, the Standard Model, the possibility of time travel, and more. Then explore alternatives to string theory. All this conveyed in everyday, even breezy, language. The next few years will be critical for string theory. LHC will begin to smash particles into bits to see what they are made of and give new types a chance to form. But finishing the job will probably require new conceptual input , as author indicates. Good quick read ..from micro to large scale cosmology.

Witty, clear, interesting and a great addition to your collection, especially if you're interested in knowing more about physics, without having to learn equations and understand complex principles.

The "Brief history of time" of string theory.

A chunk of the book covers relativity.
Quantum mechanics is presented with its incompatibilities.
With these formalities over with, string theory is discussed.

There are some difficulties here.
Profound conclusions are presented without much background.
The conflicting view points get tiresome.
There is not much of a climax at the end.
But these problems are inherent to the subject matter.

The digressions and historical bits are always interesting.
The endless analogies to everyday life are better than you would expect.
There is a joy about the audacity of the subject which comes through.

how could i resist? my education/degrees are in biophysics, so there's a lot i've missed out on. fascinating to read and learn and not over the top in levels of difficulty.
take a chance!

I am still basically an idiot on this subject, but now with a little enlightenment. I have been out of school for some30++ years and this
stuff is a bit out there for me. But, it is written clearly and I am
very happy with the read.

This is a very well written book, easy to read, flows very well from topic to topic, doesn't spend too much time on any single area and has excellent coverage.
This book is for you if:
-You are looking for a good overview of the challenges that String theory is trying to solve
-You are not interested in a book of Math formula's (there is no math) or a book that just reprints the theory
-You are interested in a balanced view including discussions of alternative theories (it mostly covers String theory but it does highlight how other theories deal with the problem) as opposed to bashing other theories
-You have read several other books but still don't see the big picture
-You are not interested in a history lesson on how great the author is and all of his friends and all the other guys are nuts
Hope this helps