THE FUTURE OF SPACETIME

THE FUTURE OF SPACETIME is a collection of five essays on theoretical astrophysics written by the leading scientific minds of our time. Jonathan Davis reads these essays with clarity and with character, making the stars come into reach. Three of the essays--Stephen W. Hawking's "Chronology Protection," Igor Novikov's "Can We Change the Past?" and Kip S. Thorne's "Speculations About the Future"--are written almost collaboratively, and all three address the subjects of black holes and time-travel. Timothy Ferris's "On the Popularization of Science" and Alan Lightman's "The Physicist as Novelist" address more "down-to-earth," but equally abstract, ideas about the interface of popular culture and theoretical physics. The ideas are challenging, often mind-numbing, and not entirely cohesive. But Davis, a narrator equally adept at reading fiction and science writing, helps make SPACETIME accessible and worthwhile. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]