A review by vasilisniaouris
On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking's Final Theory by Thomas Hertog

challenging informative inspiring fast-paced

3.0

I like this book, and what it attempts to achieve. However, I am giving 3 stars because, for a book that is supposed to be directed for the general audience, it is remarkably dense and difficult to understand. As a physicist, I had the privilege to already understand most base concepts the author was referring to. However, I did get lost in the sea of M-theory and top-down cosmology, which I am not familiar with. Maybe it was because I was listening to the book while commuting and my attention was ~<80% of what it would have been if I was reading in a quiet room. 


Nevertheless, I have enjoyed both the historical insights and review of basic concepts of modern physics the author offers, and I am glad there is a book out there that attempts to convey such complex concepts in simpler-than-scientific language. Even if someone won't understand everything, I believe it is worth a read. Lastly, I appreciated the message the author attempts to convey at the end of the book, on the role of science in today and future's societies.