I am a layman who has been curious about the concept of Sting Theory for some time. I found Greene's book a window into the soul of the universe. He has helped me comprehend (to my limits) the fabric of the cosmos. I echo the other rave reviews and will go back to this book time and time again.

How awful. I wrote a long and interesting review of Greene's book. But then I had to go to another page to fill out your Tag idea, and when I came back the review had vanished. No, I'm not going to write it again; the designers of this web page ought to write it themselves if they can write.

I am not a physicist, though I can honestly say that physics is perhaps one of the most intriguing and exciting aspects of the human quest for knowledge. I have been an ardent amateur student of astrophysics and theoretical physics since high school and there is no better author on the subject than Brian Greene. He is one of those rare brilliant scientists that is also a natural born teacher and gifted writer. I have seen Brian Greene give presentations, lead specials on Nova and other science programs, and have read his spectacular book on string theory, The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory.

I believe that "The Fabric of the Cosmos" is currently the pinnacle of his work in enlightening the general public on the true nature of the universe. In this book, Greene takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of physics from Sir Isaac Newton to the very present. He confidently highlights the major breakthroughs in physics over the past several centuries, which lead up to our current understanding of how the universe works. That being said, Greene also shows that there are many unresolved issues and that while string theory looks extremely promising, it is as of yet an incomplete theory. Greene's explanations on the physics of time are both fascinating and startling and will challenge your conceptions of what the human experience truly is.

Greene does an excellent job of using real world examples and clear metaphors to explain the tough mathematics in more simple terms. For those interested in the actual formulas, Greene provides ample notes and detailed explanations in the back quarter of the book. The pages are also peppered with graphics and diagrams that ease in visualizing the physics at work. Trust me when I say this book is accessible to anyone interested in the topic.

"The Fabric of the Cosmos" has challenged my perceptions of the universe and has inspired me to look at my life and my experiences in a new and unique way. It has also reaffirmed my belief that humanity has the intellectual capabilities to achieve its greatest dreams. I recommend this as a physics book of the highest order.

Though I've yet to read Brian Greene's Elegant Universe, I have to say reading Fabric of The Cosmos was personally more enjoyable and fulfilling than having read Stephen Hawking's The Universe In A Nutshell or even Neil Tyson's Death By Black Hole; and I strongly recommend reading all three books. For me Fabric of The Cosmos was mind-boggling starting out but incredibly inspiring toward its conclusion when discussing the primary goal of String/M-Theory: combining the realm of special relativity that governs gravity and the macroscopic bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies with quantum mechanics, the microscopic realm of atomic and subatomic particles into one great theory that through evidence in the necessary experiments and proof in the mathematical equations will hopefully resolve the problems that remain with understanding how String/M-Theory works so that one day, maybe in the very near future, we will have a theory that undeniably reveals the universe for what it truly is.

Fabric of The Cosmos is a magnificent insight into what cosmology has been able to answer and theorize about the universe and beyond. It's pretty straight forward: If you like science, astronomy in particular, and appreciate honesty about the origins and behaviors of your world, you need this book as well as the others I mentioned.

Though I've yet to read Brian Greene's Elegant Universe, I have to say reading Fabric of The Cosmos was personally more enjoyable and fulfilling than having read Stephen Hawking's The Universe In A Nutshell or even Neil Tyson's Death By Black Hole; and I strongly recommend reading all three books. For me Fabric of The Cosmos was mind-boggling starting out but incredibly inspiring toward its conclusion when discussing the primary goal of String/M-Theory: combining the realm of special relativity that governs gravity and the macroscopic bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies with quantum mechanics, the microscopic realm of atomic and subatomic particles into one great theory that through evidence in the necessary experiments and proof in the mathematical equations will hopefully resolve the problems that remain with understanding how String/M-Theory works so that one day, maybe in the very near future, we will have a theory that undeniably reveals the universe for what it truly is.

I find science beautiful because of its honesty and in keeping its promise to help people understand the universe better than they had yesterday by accepting only what works. Science is neither democratic or absolute. Responsible scientists don't vote on an idea or theory they happen to like the most and no matter how much is known about a particular subject in a particular field, debate has always been and always will be essential to scientific study. Throughout the evolution of our minds, which is nothing more than a chain of discoveries with each building on the foundations of the ones before them, technology has enabled us to survive for the past fifteen million years and thrive for the past ten thousand.

Fabric of The Cosmos is a magnificent insight into the fruit of these labors, from Newton to Einstein to the hundreds of brilliant physicists of present day.

Not being a mathematical whiz, I found this book fairly easy to understand. Brian Greene did a wonderful job not only explaining modern physics, but also how science got to where it is. I really enjoyed the pop culture examples to explain concepts and he did a great job of not filling the book with technical jargon that can loose people quickly. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of physics and natural science.

The negative reviews say that there's not much that's new in this book (over and above what was in The Elegant Universe.) As I have not read The Elegant Universe, I find this book most wonderful: in the first 100 pages alone, you learn all you wanted to know about relativity and quantum theories, written lucidly.

Brian Greene exposes the gaps in our understanding of what we consider to be reality. I found it amusing how we have mastered the technique of patching-up these gaps in order to maintain some sanity of order in our lives. Are we truly scientists or just shamans in disguise?

Well done!

As an amateur interested in astronomy and astrophysics I enjoyed listening to Brian Green's the Fabric of the Cosmos very much, learned a lot and thought about fundamental questions about the universe in a different way. The questions below and many others are explored in a very interesting way. The explanations flow smoothly in a logical manner. Questions are raised in a way to get the listener thinking. This audio CD is relevant to both amateurs and professionals on the topic. As an amateur I was not able to understand everything on the CD yet. I am sure that as I listen to the CD several more times I will understand a lot more. These topics are sometimes explained in a boring way in high school physics and college astrophysics courses and therefore can kill interest in the topic. By contrast, this CD introduces them in a very curiosity raising manner. It uses a philosophical and yet at the same time a scientifc approach that is upto date. I have also watched DVDs on similar topics before. So before listening to this CD I was skeptical about whether a CD about the universe lacking the visual elements of a DVD could be interesting or not. My answer now is definitely yes ; the auditory explanations create very interesting mental images in the listener's mind.

Examples to some of the questions, among others, explored in the CD are : What is time ? What is space ? How are they related ? What is reality and how do we perceive it ? Does time always have to flow towards the future or can the direction of flow sometimes reverse ? Does time flow at the same rate in different parts of the universe or not ? How was the universe created ? How is it likely to end ? Is the big bang theory of the creation of the universe valid ? What has banged, how and how long ago? Could the universe actually be a giant brain ? How many dimensions are there in the universe ? Can we perceive all the dimensions or not ? What are matter and energy ? How are they related ? What are black holes ? What could be happening inside black holes ? How does Einstein's theory of general relativity explain the universe ? According to that theory, why is the velocity of light always constant ? What is light made of ? What are photons ? How does light travel in space ? What are the limitations in Isaac Newton's explanation of the universe ? Are objects that are billions of light years apart in the universe completely unrelated or can they affect one another despite those awesome distances ? How do we perceive movement ? Movement occurs with respect to what ? What are frames of reference ? Could we perceive movement in space if there were no other objects at all in the universe ? How did atomic theory start ? What are the smallest particles of matter ? What are quarks ? Are electrons matter or energy ? What is quantum theory ? How does it reconcile with the theory of general relativity ? What is the uncertainty principle ? Why can't the velocity and position of an object be simultaneously determined with absolute certainty ? What is gravity ? Are all forces in the universe such as gravity, electromagnetism etc. actually different manifestations of the same force or not ? What is string theory and how does it explain the universe ? Is a unified theory that explains everything possible ? How is the structure of the atom related to the structure of the universe ? What are the historical developments of various theories that attempt to explain the universe ? What are the contributions of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and many other scientists and philosophers to the development of our understanding of matter, energy, space, time, the universe and the texture of reality ? As of today how much do we understand the universe ? What questions remain unanswered ? What are the likely developments in these theories in the future ? How do the various theories contradict and / or reconcile with one another ?

We may think that the answers to questions such as what is space ? what is gravity ? what is time ? what is reality ? what is movement ? are simple and that we already know the answers from our high school physics courses. So we may reason that there is no need for deep philosophical contemplation about them. However, this CD challenges this type of thinking and makes us aware that what we maybe taking for granted as known facts may not be ultimate answers at all. For example, if you think that space is equivalent to emptiness, to nothingness and if you think that time can flow only in one direction, that is towards what we call the future, think again. This CD challenges these concepts.

Thousands of years ago humankind thought that the Earth was carried on the backs of giant elephants or turtles. A few centuries ago humankind was debating whether the Earth was flat or round, if the Earth orbited the sun or the reverse. Humankind's vision of the universe was limited to the solar system and fixed stars. The only elements were air, soil, fire and water. With the contributions of many scientists including Galileo our understanding of the universe significantly developed to date. However, this CD demonstrates that despite these giant steps, and despite the sophistication of our current theories, we still have a long way to go before we can say that we fully understand the universe. This CD demonstrates that we do not yet have certain and final answers, but we have many questions that are being further explored. Fortunately, we have significant knowledge, that accumulates in the right direction towards the discovery of the " truth ".

So if these matters arouse your curiosity I strongly recommend that you listen to the CD titled " The Fabric of the the Cosmos " by Brian Green.

The Fabric of the Cosmos (TFOTC) is one of the most complex non-fiction general reading books you could obtain. It is nearly 500 pages of heady cosmology. Brian Greene, a superstring expert, is able to take an extremely difficult topic and make it less difficult to come to terms with, but this should not be confused with making cosmology simple for everybody. Even those familiar with cosmology might require more than several readings to get the material.

TFOTC is about the microscopic even though the title suggests that we will be mostly looking through a telescope, it is predominantly looking through a microscope. It is important to note though that TFOTC is not a book that is entirely devoted to string theory. If you want a book about string theory then Greene's previous work, The Elegant Universe, is the book you want to read. Three quarters of this book is about spacetime and relativity. The final quarter is about string theory in terms of relativity, the big bang and inflation.

Part 1 Reality's Arena, deals with space and time in terms of classical physics, quantum mechanics, cosmology, spinning buckets of water, Isaac Newton, Ernst Mach, Gottfried Leibniz, relativity and the absolute, special relativity, general relativity, spacetime, quantum laws, probability waves, interference patterns, particle spin, the double slit experiment, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen.

Part 2 Time and Experience, treats the topics of the flow of time, simultaneousness, the arrow of time, time-reversal symmetry, entropy, the delayed choice quantum eraser experiment and decoherence.

Part 3 Spacetime and Cosmology, delves into the history of the universe, symmetry, cosmic evolution, stretching spacetime, Higgs boson, the grand unification, the Big Bang, inflation, dark energy, the cosmological constant, the formation of galaxies and the origin of time.

Part 4 Origins and Unification discusses string theory, Planck length, Planck time, Branes, M-theory, Edward Witten, Paul Dirac, gravity, extra dimensions and cyclic cosmology.

Part 5: Reality and Imagination looks at space and time travel and comes up with a number of ideas about how time travel could be achieved (although the author thinks it highly unlikely). Teleporters and Time Machines are also described but the author presents more problems than resolutions with these topics. There is a good discussion of worm holes.

This type of book being so all inclusive is hard to come by and in that respect you can't help but appreciate how much Brian Greene knows and has committed to the page. It truly is an impressive book on cosmology.

There is surprisingly little about black holes (probably because Stephen Hawking already does it so well) but Greene's work covers a lot more on entropy, relativity, inflation theory and gravity. If it is entropy, relativity, gravity and inflation theory you want to learn about then TFOTC is where it is at. Many readers will find that it would probably be much better to start with TFOTC and then move onto The Elegant Universe, even though The Elegant Universe was written before this book. Both books can be read stand alone although there is some cross-referencing.

TFOTC has a huge number of footnotes. I found myself keeping two page markers and constantly flipping back and forth between the two. Sometimes this breaks the flow and other times it reveals something more but a lot of it is for the `mathematically inclined reader'. Greene's examples are hit or miss, but most are well presented. Sometimes his examples (usually involving Simpson characters or Mulder and Scully from the X files) are some of the best for any book of its kind (such as the relativity examples) but occasionally they fall short (such as the important inflation examples). Still though, it is hard to find anything else that even attempts to explain these topics in laymen's terms. The book also covers a considerable number of apparent paradoxes and this means that you may find yourself going back several steps in order to make one step forward. This is just the nature of the topic though and the author can hardly be held to fault.

If you know that this book does make you work then there is a good possibility you will read it through to the end. If you are expecting cosmology made so simple a child could get it, you are misleading yourself. There is really no such thing as cosmology for the layman and TFOTC is far from easy. Several readings may even be warranted but that makes it all the more reason to own. You know that one day you will go back to it again and certainly as a reference you will find no better source to give you an idea of where cosmology stands at the start of the 21st century and what is on the horizon.

This book is fascinating! Its contents are well suited for an interested non-specialist like me. Brian Greene takes us from the ultra-micro to the ultra-macro.

On the small side, my mind is boggled as I try to imagine multiple dimensions a trillionth the size of the nucleus of an atom, as proposed by superstring theory. Nine dimensions? Ten? It is astonishing how much structure there is in the universe at levels smaller than the atom. On the large side, there are questions such as: Is space itself actually explanding? Is our universe just one of many? Is it a "brain"?

Our minds are designed to contemplate three spatial dimensions and one time dimension, which are all our bodies need to survive. But that does not mean that these are all the dimensions that exist. And what are our bodies anyway? It is amazing to think that our physical structure may be made up of numerous subatomic particles that are minute blips of energy vibrating in any of many posible dimensions. Electrons vibrate in one group of dimensions, protons in another, and so forth, according to superstring theory. While such ideas are still rather hypothetical, it is intriguing to think that they may hold the key to the enigma of how to reconcile Einstein's general theory of relativity with quantum mechanics, both of which approaches have been experimentally proven, but which do not mesh in a rational manner, at least not yet.

Brian Greene does an excellent job of explaining at least the basics of these matters to members of the general public.

(These comments are based on the abridged audio version of the book.)

I hear everyone raving that The Elegant Universe is a better book. That is just plain WRONG. This book is much better. More info, better analogy, new theories.

The writing in this book is amazing. I never thought Astrophysics could be so interesting!

Sorry i took this expression from another reviewer, but it's just the right description. The book is waaay too long. What a brick. I saw his documentary on the Elegant Cosmos, or something like that, and it was fun, so I decided to read the book. What a failure.

It's just a jungle of words and similes that only make it more complicated to figure out what he's talking about instead of stating the real thing, which would have been more helpful. I read most of it, as much as I could. But I quit because I came to a point that I felt: So what about all this? What difference does it make? I can't see the implications. There's no synthezising, no summary. I don't know what to make of it. Why should I care about the fabric of the cosmos anyway? What about the implications?

The author just seems to be pouring out his mind, conversing to himself while writing. No plan, no organization.

Imagine space/time as a loaf of bread, says he. Come on!

I just finished reading the book, and WOW, that was such an exciting journey through the cosmos. Greene provides a great introduction to an incredibly fascinating area of science.

Greene is particularly good at explaining rather complicated topics for the non-physicist, such as myself. I found the book to be a 'relative'ly simple read for the most part. I much enjoyed his use of examples and pop culture references - come on, who doesn't like the Simpsons?

I found the book had a great flow to it, going from one subject to the next. There were many times that I would start to develop questions based on what he was talking about, and he would appropriately answer them in the following section.

Lastly, the subject matter is just mind-blowing. I had at least a few jaw-dropping moments. The material is so interesting and important, I think this should be required reading for everyone. But somehow I don't see that happeneing. I mean, it's 2008, and apparently 18% of Americans think the Sun revolves around Earth - we need to wake up people! And it's books like this that will help.

I just finished reading the book, and WOW, that was such an exciting journey through the cosmos. Greene provides a great introduction to an incredibly fascinating area of science.

Greene is particularly good at explaining rather complicated topics for the non-physicist, such as myself. I found the book to be a 'relative'ly simple read for the most part. I much enjoyed his use of examples and pop culture references - come on, who doesn't like the Simpsons?

I found the book had a great flow to it, going from one subject to the next. There were many times that I would start to develop questions based on what he was talking about, and he would appropriately answer them in the following section.

Lastly, the subject matter is just mind-blowing. I had at least a few jaw-dropping moments. The material is so interesting and important, I think this should be required reading for everyone. But somehow I don't see that happeneing. I mean, it's 2008, and apparently 18% of Americans think the Sun revolves around Earth - we need to wake up people! And it's books like this that will help.

I am a biologist and don't ordinarily read a lot of physics. But this one somehow got my attention and I bought it, learning later that this author wrote a highly acclaimed previous book "The Elegant Universe". Perhaps I'll read that at some point. However, this one was very good, engrossing in fact. I don't know much about relativity or quantum theory, but this book went a long way to making things clearer for me. Even the explanation of string theory made some sense. Only when we get to the discussion of branes did things start to break down, but I don't know whether that was due to my lack of attention or to the author's failure to communicate branes as well as strings. Anyway, this book is 493 pages of text, not counting the extensive notes, glossary, and index, and will take some effort to get thru.

I'm really enjoying this book. I must be stupid, to want to hear what things mean, without caring about the math behind it.

What I really want is a blog, but...

I know I'm ignorant, but I'm ignorant of the total depth of my ignorance. That said, I think time is pretty much a measure of the relative position of things. If nothing ever moved, then time would be meaningless. If everything moved, but always by the same distance and direction, then time would be meaningless. Maybe that's part of what is meant by 'space-time'.

So, for time to move in reverse, that would mean that everything in the universe would have to return to a former position - every electron, boson, lepton - EVERYTHING.

So 'time' can move in only one 'direction', which makes the discussion of the direction of time pretty meaningless - and time travel is impossible. Things happen, end of story. There's no way that everything in the universe is going to return to a former position, never mind an infinite string of them. No way-back machine is every going to make the entire universe, or the infinite series of universes, go back to a former position. Time isn't a separate thing, or force. It's a way of describing space.


Ok, another thing. God doesn't play dice with the universe. I can't help but agree with Einstein, that there's some important stuff we don't yet know. Well, every physicist would agree with that, but I mean in regard to quantum mechanics. The idea of chance and probability. So, there goes cause and effect. This electron is here, and not there, FOR NO REASON AT ALL. For some reason (well, again, for NO reason) it's more likely to be here instead of there. That electron is an independent agent. It doesn't move of it's own volition because, as far as we now know, it doesn't have any volition. It's not there because of some other force, so far as we now know, because that wouldn't be about probability. I have to think there are other forces at play that effect that electron. The idea that all the fundamental particles and forces in the universe are beyond cause and effect - I can't wrap my head around that.

So, that's why I like this book. It presents ideas about reality. I don't need the math, the rigorous exactitude, to find this stuff fascinating.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the Elegant Universe, I really anticipated another great read from Brian Greene. The Fabric of the Cosmos is NOT that book. I am no physics whiz, but I do have a degree in chemistry and worked in nuclear power for several years, so I do have a higher expectation than Prof. Greene achieved with this book. As several others have noted, the concepts were dumbed down quite a bit and this took a lot out of the experience. The material is fascinating, but with the treatment that Greene gives it in this book, it seems like another of these Discovery Channel treatments that really requires the reader to put forth little effort. Moreover, all of the references to pop culture made me really wonder who Greene's intended audience for the book was. Why could he not just let the material stand on its own?

I really thought this book was going to be great; with a title like "Fabric of the Cosmos" I really had hoped for something more profound and perhaps making a linkage to spirituality - like the seminal book in this area The Tao of Physics by Frjtof Capra. At times he did come very close to that connection, but in the usual approach taken by scientists, there's a clear divide between science and spirituality, so he stepped back. That's unfortunate because some of the theories and models developed within physics and cosmology seem so intertwined with the questions of WHY we are here and WHY the universe even came into existence. I guess Capra is our best hope for making that connection.

At many points in this book, I really wondered if he was writing the Fabric... in order to keep superstring/M-theory at the forefront of thought. Have theoretical physicists clued in to the power of marketing?

I'll think long and hard before I pick up Prof. Greene's next book, if he decides to write another. Please write for the informed and knowledgeable reader, not your mother (no offense intended, I just don't think she's who you were intending to be the core reader of Fabric of the Cosmos).

Dr. Greene really tied up some loose ends (strings?) for me with respect to this broadest stroke picture of modern physics and how experimental data continues to support working theory. The challenge will be to simplify it even further for a critical mass renaissance to escort our renewed world order into a solid reality field. Thanks Dr. Greene, I will refer to this work again and again. - Dr. Herby Bell

Well.. the best part of the book was his wonderful insights into Einstein's Relativity and other fun topics like Entropy, the existence of Time. Greene is a remarkable writer and brillant person. It it obvious his true passion is for Particle Physics rather than Marco World.

However the book was way too long and became very Dry and cumbersome to Read. Often I found myself wanting to quit and just give up ( which I did for some chapters but not most)
Sections on String Theory and Quantum just did not interest me and I had to skip those sections. Maybe my brain did not get it or maybe I just did not want to read it. Besides those 150 pages or so I thought the book was well written but most of the concepts are very abstract and theoritical and may not appeal to alot of people who like things more concrete.

Well.. the best part of the book was his wonderful insights into Einstein's Relativity and other fun topics like Entropy, the existence of Time.

Greene like Tyson has an amazing ability to both educate and excite you.
Truly an Epic adventure for the BRAIN!!!!!!!
However some sections seem to be way to drawn out and not to the point and the book could of been greatly condensed!

Sections on String Theory and Quantum just did not interest me and I had to skip those few sections. Maybe my brain did not get it or maybe I just did not want to read it. Besides those 75 pages or so I thought the book was well written for the layman and learning about more about the beauty of Einstein and other fun topics

If you are a 2nd year undergraduate or beyond majoring in physics then you should not read this book. If you are anything but a amature physicist yet yern to excite your curiosity of how the universe ticks then you should buy this book. This piece is very well written which makes it easily understandable.

I highly recommend this book!

As other reviewers have pointed out, the book tends to unnecessarily incorporate stupid pop-culture references to make the material seem more accessible to the layperson. Instead of making the material more accessible it seems extremely contrived and insults the intelligence of the reader. References to the Kwik-E-Mart, Mulder and Scully, and all of the other hoohah this book contains obscure the reader from what is essentially a fine work. Brian Greene's writing and explanatory power is unbelievable and it is a shame that the publisher probably insisted on the pop-culture references.

The book was definitely worth the purchase for its clear explanations of extra dimensions and the arrow of time. However, I did feel the portions dealing with time travel and black holes to be of lesser quality than writings by other authors like Michio Kaku. I recently read Kaku's "Parallel Worlds," and this book back to back and would say that if you're purchasing one book I would side with Kaku. This book contains much more on time than "Parallel Worlds" but the other topics covered are pretty much identical.

I found this book to be excellent. The author really understands how to take a complex subject like this and not make it read like a tedious textbook, also without dumbing it down to the point you feel like a 2 year old.. excellent read. Fascinating. Highly reccomend

This book is great but I do not know if audio version is the best choice.
I would like to re-read some parts and see the releated illustrations. I believe it makes it easier to understand.

makes a very complicated subject readable for the layman.
it seemsthat the more science advances the more mysterious the
world becomes.
for me it reveals Gods creation as even more amazing as time
goes by
h.g.

I read the first half of _The Elegant Universe_, but I didn't finish it. I think it was because I felt that Greene was giving too much string theory without enough justification for giving me so much string theory. This may sound like an odd complaint, but it makes sense if you compare the earlier book with The Fabric of the Cosmos. Greene spends more time walking through..well..the fabric of the cosmos, and when he does get to string theory, it makes more sense why.

I actually found the string theory portion of the book (section 4 out of 5) less interesting than the first sections, which give a lot of experimentally based information about really, really crazy things in general relativity and quantum mechanics (inflation, entanglement, the time "loaf," quantum uncertainty, multiple pasts, entropy, symmetry, etc.). Greene is very good at explaining what these experiments & theories mean on an intuitive level. Sometimes too good. (Some of the examples using Bart Simpson, etc. are a little slower than necessary, but never egregiously so.) There are plenty of moments in the text that hurt your brain, however, so if the material is new to you, the presentation will not detract.

One of the best features of the book is the leitmotiv of time's arrow. Greene keeps returning to the problem of time: why does it only flow in one direction, when physical law seems to suggest that it could just as well flow in both directions? The answer (as far as we know) is entropy, and he uses time and entropy to tie his narrative together.

The last section of the book (section 5) is a pastiche, and some of it seemed disjointed. But the book ends on a fascinating reflection on the composite, non-fundamental nature of spacetime, and he does encourage his reader to check out Lee Smolin's theory of quantum loop gravity, which is a counter to string theory.

Having recently read Dawkin's _God Delusion_, I took note of the fact that Greene also declares himself (toward the end of the book) as a determinist-materialist-monist. I was struck by how infinitely less aggressive Greene's representation of this position is.

A great read!

After I finished this audio book I started over and listened to it again! Brian Greene does a fantastic job of taking the complexities of Newtonian physics, Relativity, Quantum Mechanics and String Theory/M-Theory and describes the concepts with superb visuals and witty humor. The book nicely builds on classical theories and ties concepts to one another when appropriate, faciliting the "mental linking" that is crucial to really understand these concepts.

I've always had an interest in this material but found many sources of information dry and lacking in explanations that the average Joe can understand. Greene has an obvious knack for delivering the core concepts of the theories w/out bogging the listener down in unnecessary details.

The book was read by an actor (can't remember his name at the moment) but I believe he did a fantastic job at delivering the material as Brian Greene would have (based on watching Brian Greene's science documentaries on Discovery). The actor reading even sounded a bit like Greene!

Overall, if you have a serious interest in understanding the concepts of classical Newtonian physics, relativity, quantum mechanics and String/M-Theory, this audio book will not disappoint you.

I wish this book and Brian Greene's 'Elegant Universe' had been available when I was getting my degree in Physics several years ago. I am sure his
'Big Picture' treatment of these topics would have improved my understanding and grades considerably. JW

This book is a compliment to The Elegant Universe. Although there is overlap in basic concepts, it adds many new ideas that are not in the previous book. This book is a sure-fire must-read book. Brian Greene is both knowledgeable and an outstanding writer. The insights into the big bang and the means by which concepts were developed are quite amazing.

I bought the audio and listened to it. It was very informative but it did a bit dry from time to time but still good to listen to.

I bought this book when it had just barely came out and I couldn't put it down. Greene delves into areas of physics that will fascinate even the novice reader. I also listened to the CD version. The only drawback in either is that the narrator's style on the CD can be monotonous and his pronunciation errant. Nevertheless this is a book that is well worth the read for anyone hoping to better understand our elegant universe!

Cosmology is one of my favorite areas of study and I've read endless nembers of books on the subject. I can say without a doubt that "The Fabric Of The Cosmos" by Brian Greene is the best book on cosmology ever written! He is the best science author of our time. It kept me cativated from cover to cover and I couldn't put it down. It was as close to reading a "thriller" that one can get in a book on science.

His style is so clean and crisp and he so easily explains complex subjects so that they are completely understandable. The reader has to put forth no effort at all in terms of learning material. It pops off the page with excitement.

A real added bonus is that Greene explains the meaning of time. What I mean is that he REALLY explains the meaning of time. I've read over a dozen books on "Time" and I can tell you now, this book beats them all. When you finish, you will understand what time is. I can say that about no other book.

I give this the highest recommendation of any popular science book on the market. It is head and shoulders above them all.

Like his other book An Elegant Universe, Brian Green really gets you invovled in both historical physics and astronomy as well as modern bleeding edge theory. You don't have to be a PHD to appreciate and understand most of the concepts presented in this book.

This is an impressive book, with a very comprehensive review of the origins of our current perspective on time and space. Since these dimensions are so encompassing, Greene winds up covering most of the high-powered physics of the past four centuries, starting with Newton.

The book is very valuable for conjoining a variety of different key theories that well-read readers probably encountered before -- special and general relativity, quantum mechanics, and others. He improved my understanding by not discussing them in isolation, but by comparing and conjoining them, pointing our their triumphs and their shortcomings.

Generally the writing is clear and at times even humorous. For example, the Simpsons TV family come in for numerous examples that clarify our understanding. Bart and Lisa talk to each other through a wormhole, for example, as though it were a kids' tin-can and string telephone. It really works as a metaphor. We do gain quite an understanding of these concepts. For those with more math or more of a background, the extensive notes will take us farther. I tended to skip them, because many are too deep for me.

Clarity of the writing is fine -- for the most part. (Those deadly words!) There are paragraphs discussing paradoxes in quantum mechanics that are virtually incomprehensible. Gates and particle generators feed into more gates and more generators, with diagrams studded with emblems and dotted lines. [The reader wants to grope for a shot of Jack Daniels to steady his shaken nerves.]

I really got quite a lot out of the book -- truly, but Mr. Greene did not sell me on superstring and M-brane theory, which dominates several chapters. We admire Greene's enthusiasm, since he himself is a string theorist.

What troubled me most about superstring theory is that way it was reverse engineered, time and time again. If the theory fails to account for the value of a newly discovered particle, the partisans go back and rewrite the equations until it does. The new theory endures a few years until another particle value is discovered by traditional particle physics. You guessed it -- the proponents AGAIN hack away at the equations until they fit the new data. At one point, they increase the necessary extra dimensions of space because -- unless they do so -- the theory will not jibe with proven new values coming out of conventional particle physics (e.g., quantum chromodynamics).

Wait a minute! I thought theories were supposed to PREDICT experimental values. This is all "tail gunner Charlie" to me.

For those who have some self-discipline and enough education to deal with this book, it is a heck of a ride. I recommend it. You may find yourself, like me, perhaps not buying into everything in the book.

If some validation for superstring theory comes along in future years -- possibly when the Large Hadron Collider starts operating in Europe -- I will be happy to eat a generous portion of crow.

This is an impressive book, with a very comprehensive review of the origins of our current perspective on time and space. Since these dimensions are so encompassing, Greene winds up covering most of the high-powered physics of the past four centuries, starting with Newton.

The book is very valuable for conjoining a variety of different key theories that well-read readers probably encountered before -- special and general relativity, quantum mechanics, and others. He improved my understanding by not discussing them in isolation, but by comparing and conjoining them, pointing our their triumphs and their shortcomings.

Generally the writing is clear and at times even humorous. For example, the Simpsons TV family come in for numerous examples that clarify our understanding. Bart and Lisa talk to each other through a wormhole, for example, as though it were a kids' tin-can and string telephone. It really works as a metaphor. We do gain quite an understanding of these concepts. For those with more math or more of a background, the extensive notes will take us farther. I tended to skip them, because many are too deep for me.

Clarity of the writing is fine -- for the most part. (Those deadly words!) There are paragraphs discussing paradoxes in quantum mechanics that are virtually incomprehensible. Gates and particle generators feed into more gates and more generators, with diagrams studded with emblems and dotted lines. [The reader wants to grope for a shot of Jack Daniels to steady his shaken nerves.]

I really got quite a lot out of the book -- truly, but Mr. Greene did not sell me on superstring and M-brane theory, which dominates several chapters. We admire Greene's enthusiasm, since he himself is a string theorist.

What troubled me most about superstring theory is that way it was reverse engineered, time and time again. If the theory fails to account for the value of a newly discovered particle, the partisans go back and rewrite the equations until it does. The new theory endures a few years until another particle value is discovered by traditional particle physics. You guessed it -- the proponents AGAIN hack away at the equations until they fit the new data. At one point, they increase the necessary extra dimensions of space because -- unless they do so -- the theory will not jibe with proven new values coming out of conventional particle physics (e.g., quantum chromodynamics).

Wait a minute! I thought theories were supposed to PREDICT experimental values. This is all "tail gunner Charlie" to me.

For those who have some self-discipline and enough education to deal with this book, it is a heck of a ride. I recommend it. You may find yourself, like me, perhaps not buying into everything in the book.

If some validation for superstring theory comes along in future years -- possibly when the Large Hadron Collider starts operating in Europe -- I will be happy to eat a generous portion of crow.

A great book which makes understandable that which is almost not understandable.

You have gotta be kidding me. I spend 600 pages of time reading Brain Green's ELEGANT UNIVERSE and Brian's gonna turn around at the end of this wicked long journey (cause it ain't like 600 pages of JK Rawlings, you know) and tell me that the future of physics might very well be the holographic universe theory (bohm, talbot, maldacena).

Come on, dude...

You can't do that. I don't care if the book is based on your PBS interview, YOU CAN'T PUBLISH a six hundred and fifty page book if 6 of the last 28 pages are gonna tell me I should have read another book.

Look, HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE by Talbot is nuts. I don't buy any of the Chapters on life-after-death and the metaphysic, but man, it seems to make sense, and, I understand everybody's gotta make money, and I understand String/M-theory has been dominant for 20 years, but...

Brian man, you're an excellent scientist. Say what you really feel if you're gonna say it so well (and for soooo long and in such depth!).

Gravitational physics of the very large is governed by predictability, whereas quantum physics of the very small is governed by probabilities. They both are exquisitely described by mathematical formulas but the formulas of the big are incompatible with the formulas of the small. Enter string theory, where basic particles of physics are not particles at all, but are tiny vibrating filaments of energy. What gives a certain string its properties is its unique vibratory pattern.

String theorists follow in the steps of famous physicists of the mid 20th century - Einstein, Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Dirac - who never gave up searching for the elusive master formula of unification. Like the basic formulas of gravitational and quantum physics, string theory was worked out by pure analysis of ideas rather than derived from experiment. Here is where the similarity ends. The other equations - Newton's, Maxwell's, Einstein's, Schrodinger's, Dirac's - have stood up to rigorous experimentation, whereas with string theory, there is nothing to test.

To Greene, the division of physics into two distinct mathematically incompatible groups is unacceptable - but perhaps there will not be a unifying formula. Perhaps gravitons will turn out to be impossible to find and we will eventually toss them out, just as Einstein threw out the ether. Maybe as we look deeper, we WILL simplify the equations a bit, but total unification will remain elusive.

Regardless, Greene states his case convincingly - it HAS to be true; the math is too beautiful for it not to be! The way mathematicians and Greene make it sound, I wish I could do this elegant math, if only to be able to participate in the ecstasy. "Fabric of the Cosmos" is as understandable a book for the non-physicist as one will find, with UTD information on a wide variety of issues in physics and cosmology. Chapter 12 is a review of string theory as presented in Green's previous book, "Elegant Universe." The visual aids are excellent and I would suggest "Fabric of the Cosmos" as a top recommendation.

It's a well written piece of popular science work targeted at lay-readers that can provide you a rough picture of some of the most bizarre conclusions physicists arrived at through rigorous mathematical formulations. Brian Greene explains all the advanced concepts without going into much mathematical details but instead he uses alot of analogies and metaphors to help readers understand the essence of the concepts. This book contains 5 parts and covers a wide range of topics from General Relativity to String/M-Theory. I'm going to give a brief summary on the important topics covered in each part.

Part 1: Reality's Arena
Is space a physical entity or a human abstraction? (from the perspectives of Newtonian physics, Theories of Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, Cosmology and String Theory respectively), acceleration in an empty space, absolute spacetime and relativity of simultaneity in Special Relativity, Equivalence Principle and warping of spacetime in General Relativity, quantum entanglement, Bell's Test, non-locality.

Part 2: Time and Experience
Does time flow? (according to Theories of Relativity), does time have a direction (time's arrow)? Time-reversal symmetry in physical laws, entropy and Second Law of Thermodynamics, wave-particle duality, quantum measurement, delayed-choice experiment, many-worlds interpretation, decoherence.

Part 3: Spacetime and Cosmology
Symmetries in the Laws of Physics, uniformity of cosmos, expanding universe, possible shapes of space, relation between heat and symmetry, Higgs fields, Higgs ocean (origin of mass), unification of weak nuclear force and electromagnetism (electroweak theory), grand unification (unification of strong nuclear force and electroweak force), repulsive gravity, cosmological constant, inflation, Inflaton field, horizon problem, flatness problem, dark energy (the missing 70% of the critical density), cosmic inhomogeneity (origin of galaxies) as a result of quantum jitters and inflation, origin of mass and energy.

Part 4: Origins and Unification
Quantum uncertainty, vacuum fluctuations, Casimir effect, gravitational field fluctuation (spacetime fluctuation), merging of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, String Theory as an unification of all fields and matters, extra hidden dimensions, shape of hidden dimensions, M-theory, 11 dimensional spacetime, brane, braneworld scenario, the effects of the size of extra dimensions on gravity and string's size, cyclic cosmological model.

Part 5: Reality and Imagination
Frame dragging, gravitational waves, hunt for extra dimensions, tiny black holes, Higgs particles, supersymmetry, supersymmetric particles (selectron, squark, gluino, photino, etc), quintessence, quantum teleportation, time travel, time travel paradoxes, free will, many worlds, wormhole time machine (construction and technical difficulties), fundamental constituents of space and time, entropy of black holes, holographic principle, background-independent theories, zero-branes, Matrix theory.

If you're interested in modern physics but have no access to the advanced mathematics involved I suggest you read this book, because you can at least get a gist of many of the cutting edge theories proposed in the twentieth century through the writings of Brian Greene who is himself a string theorist working in the forefront researches.

As a former researcher myself, I just couldn't deal with the layer upon layer of speculation - even though it is interesting speculation.

Quality contemporary physics presented in small, sequential steps with amusing analogies and a hefty dose of humility make this an engaging read. Greene is one of those rare scientist (or 21st Century "specialists") who admits that 1) today's wisdom may be tomorrows foolishness, and 2) there are other, equally adept physicists who disagree with his particular pet theories. That sort of intellectual honesty carries a lot of currency with me.

The cover of Roger Penrose's The Road To Reality looks alot like this book by Brian Greene, viz. The Fabric of The Cosmos. I was invited to write a review of Penrose's book, but I have not yet finished reading it. Besides, I was excited at the prospect of adding my two cents to the stack of opinions about Greene's book, and all I have to say about it is that it is the book I would have loved to have written. The Elegant Universe was pretty good, but The Fabric of The Cosmos is superlative. It is extremely informative and very entertaining. It is a masterpiece.

Brian Greene is always a delight to read. But his unspoken line is that we Americans have a choice. We can, as he does, follow the path of science, reason, and exploration. Or we can retreat into mysticism, theism, and irrationality. Without ever saying so, Green sets us up for a choice.

He also challenges us: if we are ready for "The Texture of Reality" we will have to abandon ancient superstitions held by the bulk of our population. If you thought Darwin's 150 year-old Theory of Evolution caused -- and still causes -- a stink, "The Fabric of the Cosmos" subtly sets up a confrontation that will rent the political fabric of the country for many decades.

You cannot help but conclude that the only reason Einstein is taught in our schools is because he is not understood -- which means, of course, that he isn't taught! If Heisenberg were even slightly understood, the religious right would go crazy. Already we must dumb down science to prevent civil disorder.

Greene shows us our future and it is painful.

Brian Greene is a wonderful writer who illuminates the subtle and elusive nature of physical reality as perhaps only a physicist-philosopher can. Thus, he begins his book with a down-to-earth, ego-shattering quote from "The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus:

"There is but one truly philosophical question, and that is suicide...."

In view of the ominous significance of this statement in light of current events, this thought-provoking nugget sets the tone for a more humanistic approach to our quest to understand "The Fabric of the Cosmos." From the start, Greene appears to be asking himself and the reader if this quest is merely some trivial game we play. Then shrewdly, he posits the existential value of cosmological curiosity and the role of the individual genius throughout human history.

Newton's bucket experiment (Chapter 2) soon becomes the point of origin for so many wondrous and subtle investigations into the nature of phenomena. The famous story of the apple falling on Newton's head seems to pale in comparison to his twirling bucket of H2O. For it is here, I believe, that Newton steals Promethean fire from the gods. For centuries thereafter the greatest minds in Europe would grapple with Newton's bucket experiment and what it was telling them about "Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality." And Greene does a superb job of recounting the intellectual history of this puzzle in organized stages, demonstrating again and again that "nature does not give up her secrets easily." Indeed, the more you think about Newton's bucket experiment -- especially in light of what we now know about quantum physics -- the more your head begins to spin like that bucket.

This book often made me wonder if we understand the true nature of the cosmos at all. We have obviously discovered effective equations that possess immense practical value, and yet, the fundamental premises upon which our understanding of the cosmos is based, still seem inadequate -- even at this late date. And here is why:

As Greene recounts so masterfully, "In 1894, the renowned experimental physicist Albert Michelson remarked that 'most of the grand underlying principles have been firmly established.'" Lord Kelvin also believed that only a few remaining details needed to be addressed and human understanding of the physical universe would be complete. But Faraday's experiments on electromagnetism, and Maxwell's formal equations describing it, and, irony of ironies, the Michelson-Morley experiments with respect to the velocity of light, would suddenly awaken a sleeping giant named Albert Einstein.

By 1905 Einstein was wide-awake as a result of reading Ernst Mach, who had questioned the fundamental premise of Newton's bucket experiment and his concept of "absolute space." This, Newton had surmised, was causing the water to achieve its concave shape as it spun inside the bucket. Mach argued that the water achieved its concave shape because of the effect created by all the MATTER in the universe, rather than "absolute space." And to Einstein this posed deeper questions about the 'simultaneity' of gravitational fields in a universe where light was the fastest known signal, as well as being the only constant in a relative space-time continuum of interchangeable matter and energy infused with electrodynamic properties.

In time, Einstein was able to raise our understanding of physics to an entirely new level by rethinking Newton's absolute space (and thus, time). And there can be no doubt that his subsequent equations have proved to be far more powerful than we might now prefer (especially, in view of Iran's current behavior). And yet, quantum reality seems to fly in the face of everything Einstein unveiled, even though he gave us a much clearer understanding of quantum physics. Still, Einstein disliked the implications of quantum reality. As he once said angrily" "God does not play dice with the universe."

The problem is that quantum uncertainty seems to contradict this statement. In fact, quantum jumpiness has given us a physics that is as far out and surreal as the medieval Scholasticism that once pondered how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. Of course, nowadays strings, branes, and extra-dimensions have been substituted for angels. There is also an apparent empirical basis for these theoretical/hypothetical entities. Nevertheless, such speculative curiosities are growing ever more complex (and numerous) and it often seems as if Ockham's Razor is a rusty old blade that's been discarded.

The proof is in Greene's later chapters, which take us through the dizzying world of theoretical physics at today's imposing level of detailed knowledge. And after reading such exotic fare one concludes that science has only multiplied our uncertainties over the past century. No one would dare say that we know most everything there is to know now. Yet I think that Greene makes it clear that we are building a model of "The Fabric of the Cosmos" with the accumulated knowledge of millenniums. And this offers the hope that an extraordinary individual will someday stand "on the shoulders of giants" and envision a simple and elegant paradigm that weaves everything we know into a web that sparkles like a starry, starry night

I would respectfully disagree with those who suggest that "Fabric of the Cosmos" is just a rehash of "Elegant Universe" with little more to offer, and in fact not as well written. On the contrary, I found "Fabric of the Cosmos" to be equally as engaging as "Elegant Universe" and to offer a great deal of new material. It is true that some of the background material on relativity and quantum mechanics is covered in both books, but I for one preferred it that way. I read "Elegant Universe" several years ago, and although I have a general feel for the concepts, I appreciated the refresher on many of the details. By including the background material in "Fabric of the Cosmos" I never felt lost, and I never had to refer back to another book. The background material on relativity and quantum mechanics is similar in both books, but it is not identical, so I never felt like I was rereading the same old stuff.

Another minor issue I've seen some complain about is the use of The Simpson's (and other) television characters in his examples. Personally I could care less what characters are used in the examples, but from a practical standpoint, I much preferred names like Marge and Lisa to names like Slim and Jim (which were used in "Elegant Universe"). I could easily keep track of what Marge and Lisa were doing in an example, whereas I was often confused about what Slim and Jim were doing. The similar sounding names drove me crazy. So from a practical standpoint, I preferred the names used in "Fabric of the Cosmos".

Now what about the content of the two books? For me "Elegant Universe" was more of an introduction to string theory, whereas "Fabric of the Cosmos" was much more an exposition on cosmology. In "Elegant Universe" roughly the first 130 pages gave a background on relativity and quantum mechanics, and then the remainder of the book, some 250 pages, was about string theory. In "Fabric of the Cosmos" roughly the same space is devoted to background info on relativity and quantum mechanics, (about 120 pages) but with more of a cosmological slant related to questions of "what is space" and "what is time". Then roughly the next 200 pages give an outstanding description of where we're at in terms of cosmological theories about the origin of the universe. If you want an excellent description of inflation theory, Higgs fields, and the like, this is the source. And then only in the last roughly 120 pages does Greene bring string theory into all of this, and then with the same overarching cosmological slant which is a common thread running through the book. Bottom line is "Fabric of the Cosmos" provided me with a terrific overview of cosmology that I did not get from "Elegant Universe". Both books are outstanding, and I would certainly recommend both. The point being simply that these are different books, and "Fabric of the Cosmos" is not just a rehash of "Elegant Universe".

Finally, as in "Elegant Universe", Greene takes the reader very logically from one step to the next. I've read many books that make broad statements about how one thing relates to another with zero explanation of how that relationship was derived. In Greene's book this is never an issue. Sometimes this can make the writing a bit long and dense, but I would much prefer a book that I can logically work my way through, albeit sometimes with a bit of patience, than a book with logical gaps that no amount of patience is going to resolve. Don't get me wrong though, even though the book can sometimes be a bit dense, I never found it to be dry. Greene does a great job of making the book engaging and enjoyable to read throughout.

Very highly recommended.

This my take you a little while to read - but it is worth every minute. I picked it up to get more information on string theory. The book is not primarily about string theory, and makes a great introduction to quantum mechanics, and the nature of Time and Space even if you are not particularly interested in string theory. However, if you are, this book covers it pretty well. And the first chapters give you some background information that is very helpful in understanding it.

I find this book fasinating; and though a little long, it is not in the least boring. It is well worth the price.