The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe

It is always interesting to read current ideas on the universe and what they think is going on. I always enjoy reading Stephen Hawking because his books are not too technical and can be read by the common person.

Even if this product is unofficial, and unsanctioned by Stephen Hawking himself, I have to say I enjoyed it. I liked how its topics were so clearly delineated into thematically cohesive lectures, I liked that the author read them himself using a computer, and I loved the clear and organized way that Hawking laid out topics as complex and unfathomable as black holes and time and the beginning of the universe. Don't buy this, I suppose, since it's really not sanctioned by Hawking himself, but do buy his other work that basically repeats this same material. Do buy this, though, if you're a Hawking completist, already have all his other books, and are looking for just a little bit more. I loved it.

True, the book does not represent Hawking's latest views, but for those wishing to wade into the shallow end of Hawking's writing this is not bad. Coming in at a short 112 pages, this heavily illustrated book gives one a opportunity to at least familiarize themselves with issues that Hawking gives much more detailed treatment to in his other works: A brief history of time, Black holes and Baby Universes and On the Shoulders of Giants. One good for instance is his chapter on the arrow of time. In it Hawking observes that there is not only one but several arrows of time. Though he only talks about cosmic expansion, gravitation and the perceptual arrows of time (and not Kaon decay or the quantum arrow of time which may be the master arrow), one still gets the idea that there are physical reasons for why time assumes a directionality. Another example is his final chapter on the quest for a theory of everything. Though now -- particularly with waning enthusiasm for string theory -- there is reasoned speculation that maybe there may never be a theory of everything, his chapter stills reflects how many view still view the search. And finally, his chapter on black hole radiation harkens back to the research that originally put him on the map, his 1974 finding that black holes do indeed radiate and even given enough time will decay. All together, Hawking's book shows the lucid explanatory power of one who both knows and knows how to explain. So yes, by all means, read this book, but don't stop here and read the rest of his books too.

The toughts of the supposed beginings of the universe are thought provoking. The book was easy to read, in fact this book took me no time at all, but has left me with a life time of knowledge.

While I sympathize with Mr. Hawking's distress regarding the unauthorized publication of this book, I enjoyed it enormously none-the-less. Much of the material in this book has been published previously, but this format is more reader friendly to those of us with an average IQ. Several reviews have given "The Theory of Everything" a one star rating and have even encouraged others to refuse to buy or read the book. However despite the sensitivities regarding the publication of Hawking's work this is still a really good book which can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in science.