And the Texture of Reality - The Fabric of the Cosmos

With 5 hundred and thirty some pages of text, Greene certainly has a lot to say. Fortunately, most of it is very good - as others has said! Not as much on the Zero Point Field and applications as I had hoped but stayed relatively pretty free of New Age conversations. My only reason for 4 stars is not content but the size of the print, especially the notes. Use good light or glasses. Thumbs up.

Anyone who has completed advanced level courses in physics in high school and with a penchant for physics, will find this book a great read. This book clearly and in simple terms explains some very complicated theories and discoveries in modern day physics. Overall, a strong recommendation to read 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.

This is a lucid and exciting description of recent physics. The notes provide a level of detail not found in most "pop" physics books. This enhances the explanation for those comfortable with high school math. Let's urge Mr. Greene to update this work for the last ten years of research.

Engaging, very well written exploration of some of the most mind-bending and difficult science out there. The pop culture examples are sometimes a bit goofy and dated, but they get the point across, and Brian Greene doesn't shy away from directing you towards deeper exploration if you're so inclined with copious, detailed footnotes. Well worth the read.

Finally a book that goes deep, and answers (if possible) most questions. Books of this type usually generate questions as you read along. Brian Green has an intuition on what his reader's questions will be, and however difficult, he addresses them. So one has the feeling that most issues are thoroughly explained and as such, the reader can move on to the next issues without being perplexed about what has just been read.

Highly recommended for those who are interested in the mysteries of life. One sees the world with different eyes afterwards.

I have just finished reading The Fabric Of The Cosmos and found it most astonishing in the way is challenges the mind of a non-scientist like myself. Greene somehow manages to explain complicated mathmatical formulas in non mathmatical terms, and I would recomend this book to anyone who interested space-time and the universe we all live in. The only flaw in the writing is that Greene sometimes uses silly names for hypothetical characters (for example Itchy and Scratchy) that do jar the eye. But that is a minor flaw in a major science book.

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

Brian Greene, with this book, has become one of my preferred scientific authors. His descriptive method is not only clear and concise, but also leads to train our minds to understand the complexity of quantum mechanics with real world examples. I have read several other books related to this matter and I wish my start-up book would have been this one. In short, I conclude and suggest that this is a must read book even for non starters as it chronologically assembles the concepts that need to be well understood to learn the scientific reality.

This book is another excellent piece of knowledge for the amateur and casual reader. It covers all the important points in today's latest theories. Concepts are well explained and fairly easy to grasp (as easy as it gets considering the complexity and alien nature of many of these concepts). This book is not the only reading you will need to fully understand the subjects, but it is an excellent start. Overall: VERY GOOD!

This book is another excellent piece of knowledge for the amateur and casual reader. It covers all the important points in today's latest theories. Concepts are well explained and fairly easy to grasp (as easy as it gets considering the complexity and alien nature of many of these concepts). This book is not the only reading you will need to fully understand the subjects, but it is an excellent start. Overall: VERY GOOD!

I had read bits and pieces about quantum mechanics and relativity, but Dr. Greene puts everything together in an understandable way. He uses simple, humorous examples that show his personality as well as thorough science.

Meticulousely nursing the lay reader through a century of cosmic physics, Greene reprises his earlier work in a manner that holds attention from start to finish. And yet by the use of foot and endpnotes he provides a further richer layer for the more expert or mathematically inclined reader.
He has a nice style of writing that flows smoothly over even the most abstract elements of his subject. Heartily recommended.

MIND BLOWN, JUST GLAD IM ALIVE.It starts off briefly with simpler ideas that you might have seen on science documentaries. Then it dives into crazy theories for example: how it is possible to make a warp drive by making a wave through time/space. It took me almost a year to complete the one they are specifically talking about. After you complete construction on the warp drive and install it on whatever you think can withstand a nuclear blast; Then you calculate the coordinates through space itself to find a planet that has an unusual elemental makeup. I felt like the course was certain death, but once you convince yourself to ignite the engine which might just create a black hole and end all life as we know it, You find yourself on an ancient planet. There were weird ruins all around in a desert landscape. It looked like something out of stargate. Due to the heat you have no choice but to enter one for shelter from the intense sun. Upon entering you can see there is a melding of what looks like ancient Egyptian structure fused with futuristic technology of panels and unknown devices in the rock walls. There is a glow coming from a long rock hallway while the others were all dark. As i walked down it asking myself what i am doing and thinking of all the movies where i yelled at the characters not to enter, i couldnt see how i had a choice. I was stranded on this rock with no means to leave. i entered the hallway and noticed a musky smell. i convinced myself that the smell meant that no living creature had ventured in this structure in a long time. The hallway continued for what seemed like at least an hour or two. The were large openings that appeared to have no purpose. The entire time i wondered why such a barbaric cave had outcroppings of what appeared to be sophisticated computer systems that were only need of a power source. I slid down a steep embankment in one of the caverns following what looked like the main route through this maze. At this moment i cam up a cavern that was glowing in the most unusual colors. mostly green and blue with streaks of red. As i walked around to look closer and also hoping i wasnt going to regret being exposed to such odd materials, i found other colors in small pockets. There were oranges, yellows, purple and even some small white crystals. Also this is where the caverns seemed to end. I explored a little more and found a computer type terminal that worked. I couldnt tell what was on the screen but it seemed to document the crystal over a very long period of time. It also had a basic map of the cave with a blinking light over one area that was blacked out. I went to investigate, partially due to boredom kicking in, and partially want to feel like a solved the riddle of the universe. But what i found were black crystals. They were very hard to distinguish and seemed to absorb and pull all the light passing by them. I tried to grab one but couldnt see my hand when it would get close. I started to feel like i should look at the computer prior to messing with this odd material. As i went back i couldnt make sense of any of the knobs or buttons..... so i pushed them all. As i was doing so i noticed pneumatic arms coming out af the wall and i stopped what i was doing. Sparks of purple and blue started to spew out where the black crystals were. Shortly after a black crystal was dropped in a vestibule near to the monitor. There were still mechanical sounds going one so i continued to stand still hoping the whole place didnt just cave in. Finally it all came to an dead silence with no light. A clanking sound came from where the monitor and crystal were. I didnt move a hair on my body as i listened for any sound in the pitch black darkness. after a few minutes in silence and darkness i determined i should turn on my cell phone for light. I made my way back to the computer an found a barbaric looking silver flashlight with copper heat sync coils at both ends. I looked at the monitor which was still working and it had an illustration of a crystal being dropped into the light open door. I looked around the computer and found where the crystal had been dropped. I poked it a few times and then picked it up. I quickly dropped in in the "flash light" chassis in fear that it would melt my fingers. as i did this, the whole contraption closed around itself making it even smaller. As i grabbed the device all the glowing lights came back on in the room. i pointed the light at the wall and fumbled with what i thought was the switch. Out Of Nowhere!! a black beam came out of the light as a sword would. At this moment i realized.....This is where you find the crystals necessary to build your lightsaber and fulfill your destiny.... STARWARS!!!!!!!!!!

Most computer engineering understand what a real time application is. Regretfully modern applications seems to accelerate time and I think some people are consumed by such application. I thought this book could be read with the perspective to introduce real spacetime computing. To my delight I found solutions that actually can conserve logic energi as well as logic momentum within a computer defined real spacetime. Not only that but collaps of the wavefunction has a very interesting interpretation for computer applications. I think 5 stars are applicable to this book even though some initial explanations are somewhat longwinded and I found it difficult to stay focused. It can be read as a door opener for real spacetime computing but that is by no means obvious. You need a proper background.

Thank you for your inspiring and awesome book Brian