Published seventeen years after the successful release of A Brief History of Time, the book identifies the latest research and achievement within the fields of cosmology and physics. Through an improved narrative and the decreased usage of esoteric language, the text accomplishes a pleasurable and leisurely read for the layman. Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking traces the science of heavenly studies throughout history and explains the governing laws of the cosmos in a coherent and comprehensible manner. Critical to the text and its audience's enjoyment is Hawking’s ability to not lose the reader in the realms of an infinite universe, but relate the immense scale of space to a personal level.
-Stephen A.-

Despite being a physics-enthusiast, I have a limited knowledge on the concept of quantum mechanics. Thus, I love how Hawking takes you through the subject of modern physics step-by-step. I especially loved how he included pictures to help you understand this difficult science. My favorite topic in this book would have to curved space, wormholes, and time travel. His writing helped to stimulate my interest in these subjects.

I really enjoyed this book, although I think I will have to read it again at least once before I can say I understand everything! The only thing I didn't like were the references to god (38 according to my Kindle). This is a non-fiction book about Physics - why mention god at all?

Time travel might exist to the future, but never backward, if not where are the tourists from the future !! as Hawking mentioned in the book with a humorous manner..

This book is definitely not a waste of time, a briefer version to "A brief history of time" (and newer one) this book is a distilled exploration of the cosmos, presenting complex scientific concepts in an accessible and engaging manner.
Like science, this book might be informative today but inaccurate tomorrow, Hawking reminds us that science is not static but a dynamic process, continually refined and reshaped by new discoveries. Many theories and informations might evolve or radically change or might be replaced altogether so a new book of that kind might appear every now and then, but it has its advantages and it helps us to understand few things better and clearer, and like the universe that evolves , the science must follow and so literature.. And so our understanding of phenomena like gravity, quantum mechanics, and the electromagnetic forces governing atoms and planets is in constant flux.

To conclude in few words, Hawking encourages us to embrace the uncertainties of scientific knowledge because this reflects the beauty of science as an ongoing journey and not a final destination..

Very approachable and enjoyable to read. I would recommend this to anyone looking to better understand the basic fundamentals of the universe.

great overview of relativity and other modern physics topics

The true mark of Hawkings genius is not that he's... well... a genius but that he's a genius who can write a book that even I can (almost) understand. I can't pretend to have a solid grasp on the origins of the Universe or A Grand Unified Theory of Everything, but it did give me a lot to think about.

Very interesting, though I still don’t understand quantum mechanics and string theory. Though I’m not sure I’d really understand them, I wonder what has been discovered in the 17 years since the boom was published.