Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos

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Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 4,468 ratings · 196 reviews

In this thrilling journey into the mysteries of our cosmos, bestselling author Michio Kaku takes us on a dizzying ride to explore black holes and time machines, multidimensional space and, most tantalizing of all, the possibility that parallel universes may lay alongside our own. Kaku skillfully guides us through the latest innovations in string theory and its latest itera...more

Paperback, 448 pages

Published February 14th 2006 by Anchor (first published December 28th 2004)

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Dec 26, 2008 Toomy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is an entertaining and interesting read. Almost no formula, although you still need some basics to get the most out of it. It will update your general knowledge about cosmology to year 2004, when the book was written.

The Large Hadron Collider(LHC) came online this year. Some scientists predicted that LHC could create black hole, which could destroy the earth. We all know what happened now. Dr. Kaku talked about LHC in his book - LHC could only create black hole in subatomic level with...more

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Apr 29, 2008 Elaine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, science

I hated Physics when I was a kid, because the teacher who taught me wore coke-bottle glasses, had halitosis, and his spittle flew. He also churned out equations on the board, and expected you to get E=mc2 as if you were born to do so. How can one not understand the elegance and simplicity and total enlightenment that this captured about our physical world? Well, I didn't. Because the physical world -- believe it or not -- was abstract enough not to grasp at the 10,000 foot level.

Ok, then comes P...more I hated Physics when I was a kid, because the teacher who taught me wore coke-bottle glasses, had halitosis, and his spittle flew. He also churned out equations on the board, and expected you to get E=mc2 as if you were born to do so. How can one not understand the elegance and simplicity and total enlightenment that this captured about our physical world? Well, I didn't. Because the physical world -- believe it or not -- was abstract enough not to grasp at the 10,000 foot level.

Ok, then comes Parallel Worlds, by Michio Kaku. I don't know what made me pick up this book. A lot of reading impulse probably had something to do with stray comments or observations one picks up from somewhere. I had read that this book was unputdownable. What! A science nonfiction book unputdownable. Was I born yesterday?

Well, it could be said I was 'born-again' after reading this. From Newton's theory of gravity to Einstein's theory of relativity, to the mystery of the origin of the universe (the "big bang"), to quantum theory, multiverses/parallel universes, time travel, wormholes, black holes, string theory -- Kaku slices through the heart of these scientific discoveries with a paring knife so sharp that even the most science-averse of us can grasp the mystery and the wonder of the universe.

For someone like me, who grew up without religion, found God in a Catholic church, wanting desperately to understand how "we" came about, this book was eye-opening, humbling. It does not preach to the religionists -- it's hard not to face this cosmic question as one plows through the scientific evidence -- is there or is there not a Higher Intelligence that created all of this (especially the series of Goldilocks perfect coincidences that made life on Earth possible), but in the end, I wonder if I don't come away thinking all the scientific evidence in the world, and the brilliant theorizing about our physical universe has not proven a damn thing about the existence of God. I would go so far as to say it has not disproved the existence of God.

Read and think through for yourself -- if anything, one realizes that so many of the political, religious, environmental backfighting in pockets of the world may be so much sand in the hourglass -- not that a comet or asteroid could hit us tomorrow and end all life as we know it, but that Earth could rotate a little differently on its axis, a black hole could be sliding perilously close to us but we can't see us and we'd be sucked into its Event Horizon within a billionth of a second and evaporated. All these things can happen. And there is still so much more we do not know about our universe! Any of those things we don't yet know could kill us. Life is super-symmetrical, held in fine equilibrium, but oh, so tenuously.

The coolest thing I realized -- I had no idea that it was nuclear energy, one of the four forces that obtain in our universe-- that prevents our bodies (its atoms) from flying apart. Here I thought it was something only used to build bombs!

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Oct 06, 2007 Nathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Star Trek fans.

Shelves: science-physics-astronomy, science

Michio Kaku is quickly becoming my favorite science writer, and easily my favorite hypothetical or theoretical physicist. His ideas and the way he presents them make fun, easy reading for those of us who were always terrible in math and didn't digest much about astrophysics in school. He deals with a lot of "what if" scenarios, and more than most modern physicists he holds onto his imagination. Kaku's work bristles with excitement, something you can rarely say about a book covering cosmological...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Kaku (Hyperspace) teaches theoretical physics at City University of New York. Sound daunting? It is-considering he deals with recent satellite data suggesting that mysterious dark energy makes up nearly three-quarters of the universe. Parallel Worlds, which meshes Kaku's interests in physics and futurology, asks hair-raising questions: Do higher dimensions exist? Can black holes bend time? And if our universe is dying, will we be able to jump ship to another? Kaku runs through the recent history

...more

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Jan 28, 2009 Heini rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am inclined to see this marvellously inspiring book as consisting of three distinct but entwined parts.

The first part is a an excellent account of the history of modern science told in Michio Kaku's impeccably witty and easily-understood narrative. As such I would recommend this book as a natural continuation of for instance Thomas S. Kuhn's "The Copernican Revolution" or some other similar book about the history of science in general. Parallel Worlds picks up naturally and leads us into the t...more I am inclined to see this marvellously inspiring book as consisting of three distinct but entwined parts.

The first part is a an excellent account of the history of modern science told in Michio Kaku's impeccably witty and easily-understood narrative. As such I would recommend this book as a natural continuation of for instance Thomas S. Kuhn's "The Copernican Revolution" or some other similar book about the history of science in general. Parallel Worlds picks up naturally and leads us into the twentieth century and right up to the cutting edge of physics - and beyond with qualified speculation on what the future might hold.

Which constitutes the second and third parts. The second part is about where we are at at the moment. It explains in great detail which issues modern physicists are preoccupied with at the current moment and why. How did they reach these conclusions? On what grounds to they base their suspicions? What could all of these high-brow and abstruse theories be used for in all practicality? Michio Kaku, being a proponent of M-theory himself, is not afraid of letting his own personal stance be known. However, at no point did I feel that he misrepresented his opponents or attempted to distort their views. He treated difference of opinion in a respectful and balanced manner. Also in this second part Michio Kaku explores some of the philosophical implications of M-theory. I am afraid the book falls rather flat in this respect. For all of his formidable intellect it would be an overstatement to say the least to call Michio Kaku a philosopher. Gone are his sharp and illustrative analogies and his concise grasp on the subject matter. I got the impression that Kaku thinks little of philosophy and considers it rather unworthy of his time - unfortunately at the cost of critical thinking in regards to what would otherwise have been some very pertinent issues indeed. Just the fact that Kaku uncritically conflates indeterminism with free will without ever giving any sort of conceptual analysis of what he means by either should be enough to make any philosopher worth her salt cringe. One is left with no idea on what Kaku is really attempting to say.

The third and last part of the book is entirely speculative. That is to say that it is science fictional speculation of what possibilities will become available to us in the future with an emphasis on the scientific feasibility and not so much on the fiction. Kaku imagines various ways it could be possible for a hypothtical evolved intelligence to survive the inevitable death of our universe. I am not sure if Kaku's intent was to provide hope. If it was, I must say he fails. The future seems rather bleak and each of the possibilities he mentions is outweighed by how much could count against it. Nevertheless, the thoughts and ideas are very interesting and if you like science fiction for its exploration of what might be, you will certainly enjoy this book.

I gave the book four stars. The only thing that prevents me from giving it five is the above-mentioned wanton carelessness when it comes to philosophical considerations coupled with some minor, yet inexcusable, mistakes, which could all have been avoided if only Michio Kaku would have bothered to do more research outside of his own field when writing the book. (The most hilarious example of an avoidable mistake is that at one point Kaku sums up the plot of The Matrix franchise as humans being kept in a virtual reality by aliens. Perhaps not the most damning thing to get wrong but this detracts nothing from how little effort it would have taken to get it right.)

All in all a book well worth reading despite its short-comings.(less)

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Jan 06, 2009 Jim rated it 2 of 5 stars

OK- While in various altered states of my own, I've shared rants and raves w a handful of friends on the wonders of string theory. Even one oration to my bemused and frightened mother. One problem- I had no idea what I was talking about- only that I wanted to believe! However, after reading this confounding book by Kaku-one of theories leading PR man- I'm considering believing in God again because it makes A LOT more sense. Einstein believed any theory that couldn't be illustrated so a child cou...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book, by one of the most talented physics professors of our time, Michio Kaku, is a collection of the leading physics theories and an exploration of the universe. The book focuses mainly on the revolutionary developments in cosmology within the last several years. The author based it on new evidence from the world’s laboratories, the outermost reaches of space, and new breakthroughs in theoretical physics. It is divided into three sections. First, Kaku describes the study of the universe an...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Gendou rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, physics, string-theory

Kaku starts off by comparing the big bang to the creation in Christian and Chinese mythology. Yuck. He also finishes off the book with a tedious digression into religious inanities.

The syrupy and hyperbole-riddled language is guaranteed to cause misunderstanding in anyone unfamiliar with cosmology, and irritation in anyone already familiar with cosmology. But hey, it's a popular science book, you sort of expect that.

Kaku attributes the "discovery" of dark matter and dark energy to the WMAP data....more

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Oct 08, 2010 something_ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-paperback, made-me-think, math-science, favourites

Amazing! I forgot how much I loved reading science books!

This book is very understandable, even for someone who does not have a lot of knowledge in physics. I loved the theories and the speculation a quite a lot too. "Is our Universe in a cd-rom?", "Is there a purpose to the Universe?", are questions that are posed at the end of the book, matters that I love to think about. Understanding the string and the M theory, as well as many others, was also very rewarding!

Having a better understanding...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Melmoth43 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Albeit a comprehensive and informative history of Physics, I'm afraid the author and I parted company with the introduction of the String and M theories. To quote Einstein, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." At this stage, String and M are simply hypotheses, with little or no hard evidence to prove their validity. That may happen, but as of now, in their present form, I find them lacking in two features all great discoveries have: simplicity and elegance of de...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Conrad Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm sure there's a joke out there somewhere about how many theoretical physicists it takes to change a light bulb but I haven't heard it yet. I picked up this gem because I'm currently trying to write a sci-fi novel that deals with parallel universes and it's going very slowly, probably more slower than the rate at which the universe is supposedly cooling.

A lot has happened with quantum physics and M-theory since this book was published in 2006, but Kaku does an excellent job of explaining the b...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Peter Fortune rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

The idea of parallel universes began with Everett Young, a graduate student whose thesis in quantum theory argued that the collapse of the Schrodinger probability wave upon measurement was not really a collaps: measuring a quantum state didn't just cause all states other than the one found to disappear. What happens on measurement, Young argued, was that the universe splits. Tou, the observer, are in one universe where the outcome you see exists, and there are other YOUs that see the other outco...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Mikael rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Renowned physicist Michio Kaku’s 2005 book Parallel Worlds is a mixed bag of what works and what does not in a work of popular science. If I were rating only the subject matter, I would give it a 5+, for there really isn’t anything grander or more awe-inspiring than cosmology and advanced physics, but here the execution is lacking.

First of all, the alleged topics of the book are the multiverse, alternate worlds, escape from one universe into another, teleportation, time travel and other such sci...more Renowned physicist Michio Kaku’s 2005 book Parallel Worlds is a mixed bag of what works and what does not in a work of popular science. If I were rating only the subject matter, I would give it a 5+, for there really isn’t anything grander or more awe-inspiring than cosmology and advanced physics, but here the execution is lacking.

First of all, the alleged topics of the book are the multiverse, alternate worlds, escape from one universe into another, teleportation, time travel and other such science fiction staples that physicists are speculating are or could become actual reality. Anyone with an interest in reality and the world around us should jump for joy at having these mind-boggling possibilities explained by a scientist of Dr. Kaku’s stature. But Kaku is a better physicist than he is a writer, and when it comes down to it, he doesn’t have enough to say about the matters mentioned above to fill an entire book.

This means we’re treated to an extended history of physics (done better in Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything and Simon Singh’s Big Bang), followed by a long section on more advanced concepts which, I’m sorry to say, seem like idle flights of fancy due to Kaku’s inability to solidly connect them to the science behind them. For example, the notion that the universe exists only if it is observed is either blather or a genuine scientific concept exceedingly poorly explained. The fact that the universe as we experience it exists that way only if we are here to see and sense it does not excuse anthropocentric generalizations, but Kaku makes it sound like the universe does not exist unless there are humans in it. Another thing that is left vague is the idea of teleportation as believed feasible in the scientific community – the way it is described here, it sounds a lot like any person being teleported will actually die and be replaced by an identical copy, but this is not in any way addressed in the text, and a similar problem occurs later in the discussion about options for escaping a dying universe. Leaving things to be deduced by the reader can be a nice touch in fiction, but not in science writing.

Once Kaku, in the final section, finally cuts loose with all the really sensational material, I as a layman with some limited knowledge, find Parallel Worlds both educational and engrossing, but string theory, quantum physics, M-Theory and all the various membranes, dimensions, parallel universes and time travel simply need a better writer to convey them to the laity. Other writers, like Singh and Marcus Chown (whose The Never-ending Days of Being Dead may be overly populist and have an ugly cover, but nevertheless gets the job done better than Parallel Worlds) make these things believable and almost accessible, but again, in Kaku’s hands, they appear to be virtually baseless speculation.

Parallel Worlds doesn’t go sufficiently deep to enable readers to form an opinion of their own. Instead it wastes precious space on mumbo jumbo like religion and “the meaning of life”. Kaku does not in any way come across as a religious nut job, but there really is no place for this kind of scatter-brained wishful thinking in a book allegedly about science.

In terms of language and overall structure, Kaku writes well, even though he is inordinately fond of putting whole paragraphs within parentheses (a bit of hangover from the equations he’s doing in his day job?), repeating things (not necessarily a bad thing when dealing with difficult topics) and spoiling the endings of science fiction novels.

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Mar 25, 2013 Lara Lazenby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction-science

Before I rant and rave about how much I love Michio Kaku and this book (written in 2005) I have to admit that I am no Sheldon Cooper. I'm no Penny, either. I am a 45 year old math phobic, Star Wars/Battlestar/Trek/Stargate/Scifi and recently Morgan Freeman's Through the Wormhole lover. I was the girl you used to laugh at because I was too stupid to solve any blackboard math equations.You know, the one who used to cry in the back row and sink in her seat every time the teacher asked to solve for...more Before I rant and rave about how much I love Michio Kaku and this book (written in 2005) I have to admit that I am no Sheldon Cooper. I'm no Penny, either. I am a 45 year old math phobic, Star Wars/Battlestar/Trek/Stargate/Scifi and recently Morgan Freeman's Through the Wormhole lover. I was the girl you used to laugh at because I was too stupid to solve any blackboard math equations.You know, the one who used to cry in the back row and sink in her seat every time the teacher asked to solve for x and y. I can barely remember phone numbers and birthdates, so you can understand why I am completely over the moon for Parallel Worlds.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and black holes.I Don't know where this passion came from because my science teachers ignored me and one high school math teacher told me I'd never amount to anything. At the time, I believed him. I always felt intimidated by the beautiful smart ones and secretly envied the math geeks who made laser noises with thier ball point pens. But for some strange reason, a journey through creation and the posibility of higher dimensions makes me all tingly inside. The mystery, the enigma of it all just sucks me into the Event Horizon, and I am hooked. And thanks to Michio Kaku, the brain fog is lifted and a whole Universe is unveiled before my eyes.

String theory and music, Einstein and Shakespeare, Four fundamental forces and six numbers that govern the Universe (so that's where my favorite guest star on TNG got the name Q)... Kaku weaves the cosmos and universal grid using words and visual imagery I can actually understand. I had read about the Higgs Boson last July, so imagine my thrill last week (March 14, 2013) when they announced the LHC in Geneva had discovered it, that tricky little "God Particle." Four days later I was reading page 276! My frinds and family just don't understnd why I scream at the TV and do the happy dance for physics, or stomp in dimay because LISA was dropped along with the shuttle program due to lack of funds. And yet there is still so much to learn about the folding of space-time and warp drive, M-Theory, the theory of everything or the theory of nothing, quantum theory and supersymmetry, the anthropic principle... Yes, I believe God is the ultimate scientist.

Yeah, I'm no Sheldon, Howard, Raj, or Leonard, but Michio Kaku makes me feel smart. And maybe, just maybe, one of them might lend me their pen. (less)

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Feb 18, 2013 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books

I've been putting off my review for this book in an attempt to organize my thoughts so the review consisted more of the contents within the book rather than just a mindless rant of how awesome Michio Kaku is. Unfortunately, my thoughts remained a jumbled mess as my giddiness took precedence.

So why is he just so fantastic? Michio Kaku is not only gifted in his abilities as a physicists (he is co-founder of string field theory, has written textbooks, articles, novels, etc. in the field of physics...more

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Dec 27, 2010 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is great for imparting a general overview of the history of cosmology, as well as for giving readers a general idea as to the current (as of 2004) scientific trends and ideas being hashed out by physicists all over the globe. For that purpose, the book is easy to recommend. If, however, you are looking for solid scientific FACTS that modern cosmology has unearthed, you will likely be disappointed. Since Einstein, most highly-regarded theories in the realm of cosmology have been purely...more This book is great for imparting a general overview of the history of cosmology, as well as for giving readers a general idea as to the current (as of 2004) scientific trends and ideas being hashed out by physicists all over the globe. For that purpose, the book is easy to recommend. If, however, you are looking for solid scientific FACTS that modern cosmology has unearthed, you will likely be disappointed. Since Einstein, most highly-regarded theories in the realm of cosmology have been purely theoretical and totally untestable. Most of them all completely based on mathematical equations, and, although things like black holes, white holes, anti-matter, monopoles, new dimensions, etc. almost certainly do exist, no one has ever actually seen any of them as of yet. Unfortunately, the way that cosmologists come up with many of their theories (string theory being a big example) is backwards from what true science should be: namely, first they come up with the theory, and then they try to go back and make the theory jive with what we know about the universe. Ideas like string theory and M-theory are interesting, but they are simply guesses (however educated) based on assumptions. The biggest assumption being that the universe was created in their idea of "The Big Bang." Remove that assumption and the whole field pretty much collapses like a house of cards. String theory is a beautiful idea and I wish it were true, but I suspect that it (along with most of the other far-out theories that Kaku proposes) will be disproved at some point. In the distant future, I think scientists will probably get a good laugh out of books like this, though I admire Kaku for pushing the envelope of scientific thought and doing what needs to be done in getting people to think outside the box regarding the universe we live in. Kaku has a very likable, enthusiastic personality which really comes across in his writing and is probably what has propelled him to be such a media sensation in recent years. The book is a very difficult read at times, especially for someone like me who sucks at math and never took a physics or chemistry class in his entire life. But I found all kinds of things here that I thought were incredibly interesting, such as information on the anthropic principle and quantum mechanics. Two-thirds of the way in, the book gets a bit too fanciful for my taste, as Kaku goes into topics like escaping into other universes and using technology in the future to drive the Earth away from the sun and into orbit around other stars.
Yeah, good luck with that.
Still, a pretty great read, if you can keep everything in perspective. (less)

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Jun 03, 2012 A.M. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-challenge-list, non-fiction

Finally a book on quantum physics that English majors can enjoy - and understand. Michio Kaku, where have you been all my life? For any lay person interested in the history of quantum theory from Newton to Einstein's theory of relativity to string theory, M-theory and an explanation of Shrodinger's cat, Parallel Worlds is an engaging read and a vital reference book. My only caveat is that it was published in 2005, and there have been significant technological developments since then.

I took four...more

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Nov 23, 2009 Bettie marked it as to-read

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Oct 24, 2010 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

An awe-inspiring read that tackles what must surely be one of the most exciting - albeit speculative - areas of modern physics. Kaku is the ideal scientist to take us on the journey: clearly well-read, he slips in a medley of references to literature, art, history and philosophy, all of which help to liven up the narrative. To the extent that popular science should educate and inspire, Parallel Worlds is a success.

The first few chapters get the reader up to speed with the basics of cosmology an...more An awe-inspiring read that tackles what must surely be one of the most exciting - albeit speculative - areas of modern physics. Kaku is the ideal scientist to take us on the journey: clearly well-read, he slips in a medley of references to literature, art, history and philosophy, all of which help to liven up the narrative. To the extent that popular science should educate and inspire, Parallel Worlds is a success.

The first few chapters get the reader up to speed with the basics of cosmology and quantum theory. Relativity, the big bang, black holes - it's all touched on capably if briefly. Then we reach supersymmetry and string/M-theory. For the uninitiated this might be harder-going, but it's worth persevering. The following chapters are the most thought-provoking of all, including the section on cutting edge science - gravity wave detectors, dark matter detectors, particle accelerators, etc - which leave you eagerly anticipating the potential discoveries of the next few years.

The anthropic principle sets the scene for the remainder of the book, beginning with a humbling account of just how many of the familiar constants of the universe lie within a very narrow band that makes life possible. This is the best summary of the "goldilocks zone" that I have read. Also humbling - but in a more depressing way - is the chapter that examines the inevitable long-term fate of our expanding and ever-cooling universe, as the stars disappear, temperatures approach absolute zero and atoms finally come to a halt.

More upbeat, Kaku speculates about how a suitably advanced civilisation of the far future might be able to avoid this fate by escaping into a different Universe. Underpinning this is the very serious business of categorising types of civilisation according to their level of technological development - Type I, II or III. (In case you're wondering, we've yet to reach Type I, and our animalistic instincts and carelessness may yet prevent us from getting even that far.)

Finally, he tackles the big one - the ultimate question of whether current scientific understanding points to the existence of a Creator. (Kaku believes it does, but of the non-personal 'creative force' of Spinoza and Einstein rather than the anthropomorphic prayer-answering 'God' of religion.)

A few quibbles - some spelling mistakes, a lack of in-text numbering to the end-notes, no chapter name at the top of each double-page - but these are minor complaints. Otherwise this is a must-read for anyone interested in our place in the universe (and whatever may lie beyond it).(less)

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Jan 07, 2010 Michael Critz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kaku tells the story of the universe which includes everything and the kitchen sink.

He approaches advanced topics in physics from the perspectives of art, music, and literature. I was shocked to learn that Edgar Allen Poe was an amateur physicist who first proposed some legitimate theories.

Overall, it's very interesting, though Parallel Worlds often seems to suffer from it's own form of paradox. It tries sometimes to be too approachable: repeating simple concepts most seventh graders can easil...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Roger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished

Whew! That was a lot to absorb. Mr. Kaku did an excellent job of taking a very complex esoteric subject and putting it in to words a layman could understand. Unfortunately, it was still a little too much for this layman. The first half of the book was the best. The history of Newton and the laws of gravity and motion, then on the Einstein and relativity, and then to many other theories. One could follow a progression of thought and research. The last half dealt with multi-dimensional worlds (11...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Norbert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: listened-not-read

Very much your standard Michio Kaku book. Enjoyable, clear, and something you'll probably be all the smarter for reading.

If you've spent time reading books like "The Elegant Universe", "The Fabric of the Cosmos", or "4% Universe", a LOT of this will serve as a very high-level review. However, even then, Kaku's review of gravity comes with a few interesting and vivid examples, and for that alone it may be worth reading for the cosmologically curious.

The final chapters are great fun if you like...more

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May 30, 2012 William rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a very exciting and wonderfully poignant work describing parallel worlds, higher dimensions, and the multiverse as a whole, as predicted by M-Theory. Very thorough and informative for a reader who has no scientific background. Some of the concepts are a little hard to understand, but they are cleverly put together in a way that after a few minutes of reflection, one can grasp the meaning. I enjoyed this book, though Carl Sagan was by far the greatest science popularizer. If you want to...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Hollins rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of physics, the universe

Shelves: non-fiction, science

This book isn't exactly light reading. It's not what I'm accustomed to reading, either, but science has always been one of those topics I love to watch on tv, but flounder at in class. But I wasn't being graded on Parallel Worlds so it worked out fine!

Mr. Kaku is actually one of my favorite guys on History Channel's The Universe (also gotta love Neil deGrasse Tyson) so I was really excited to read his book. I won't lie; it's not a summer beach read, in my opinion, but it's worth the read.

String...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, science

Another fascinating book by Kaku. He still reveals his prejudices against religion when he shouldn't bother to deal with metaphysics, revelation, or mythologies, but he just can't resist trying to set science up as the end-all-be-all of wisdom against faith. He should stick to physics and not stray into philosophy and theology, because he just doesn't present logic strongly enough. Nevertheless, once the reader gets past the numerous references to various contradictory faiths, Kaku does a wonder...more Another fascinating book by Kaku. He still reveals his prejudices against religion when he shouldn't bother to deal with metaphysics, revelation, or mythologies, but he just can't resist trying to set science up as the end-all-be-all of wisdom against faith. He should stick to physics and not stray into philosophy and theology, because he just doesn't present logic strongly enough. Nevertheless, once the reader gets past the numerous references to various contradictory faiths, Kaku does a wonderful job at presenting the historical development of cosmology, physics, and astrophysics. Many times I found myself surprised by the even more numerous accounts of physicists who came to astonishing conclusions that seem to point to intelligent design (IMHO)... There are just too many occurrences where the conditions that allow life in the Universe to occur only when certain universal fundamental physical constants lie within a very narrow range, so that if any of several fundamental constants were only slightly different, the Universe would be unlikely to be conducive to the establishment and development of matter, astronomical structures, elemental diversity, or life as it is presently understood. For example, if the strong nuclear force were 2% stronger than it is (if the coupling constant representing its strength were 2% larger), while the other constants were left unchanged, diprotons would be stable and hydrogen would fuse into them instead of deuterium and helium. This would drastically alter the physics of stars, and presumably preclude the existence of life similar to what we observe on Earth. The existence of the di-proton would short-circuit the slow fusion of hydrogen into deuterium. Hydrogen would fuse so easily that it is likely that all of the Universe's hydrogen would be consumed in the first few minutes after the Big Bang. However, physicists will never have enough proof to accept (believe) intelligent design and they will always look for other possible naturalistic explanations... or unprovable theories -like coming up with a mathematics to suggest that reality is made up of parallel worlds or multiverse or everything that be is connected by "string", but the math only works if there are 10 other universes, so let's all "believe" in that "chance", as if a 1 in 10^50 chance is a more assuring thought than belief in any chance of religious faith.

In the end, of course, most of the Universe is actually very hostile to life, and the fact that life exists under the current circumstances doesn't mean that life couldn't exist under alternative scenarios. So I think that "never-the-two" (physics and faith) will be reconciled in this universe. Toward the end, I really enjoyed the section reviewing the Anthropic Principles... I thought Kaku did a fair presentation. Then Kaku goes into some of concepts that he covers in much more depth in his book "Physics Of The Future"... he tries to give some insights into how future civilizations may have the technology to harness enough energy to perform various activities that aren't possible now -for example: interstellar space travel and communication, creating stars and black-holes and wormholes and portals to other universes... (less)

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Jun 13, 2009 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Skip Part III and you’ve got a great read here. Part I and II of this book provide an outstanding overview of quantum mechanics, string theory and M theory, and the state of things in particle physics right up to the LHC. Kaku’s writing style is engaging and fun to read and he cites all the heavy hitters and some of the lesser-known players in the physics community. This is a good starting point to discover other publications on the topic of time, string theory, many worlds theory, and quantum m...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Professor Kaku explains the latest physical theories of the cosmos in remarkably accessible and lively prose. Summarizing the history of cosmology, he highlights the seemingly contradictory ways in which large things, like baseballs, planets and galaxies act to the way very small things like electrons and quarks behave. He then goes on to black holes, time travel and the theoretical possibility that, in the far future, intelligent beings might escape a cold dying universe into another one, perha...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Bevans rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mind-boggling. Not only a great explanation of modern cosmology, particle physics, quantum theory, string theory, and beyond, but also a great history of all the people (who now have buildings and theories and various phenomena named after them) and breakthroughs that made it all possible.

Kaku explains it all in probably the most understandable way possible, and avoids the use of equations completely. Even so, this stuff is very hard to understand, even from such a great interpreter. I'd be happ...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, read-in-2013, reviewed, general-nonfiction

Sitting in the afterglow of the last page, I have to say, I really, really enjoyed this book. Kaku is a wonderful writer who somehow manages to bring a large amount incredibly complex science (as well as the entire known/speculated history of the universe) and condenses it into quite a charming little read. Admittedly, it took me a few months to finally work through, but this was no fault of the author or the content. No, if anything I was surprised by how easily accessible the writing and the t...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Ryan Scicluna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed-from-library

Suggested Further Reading:

The Five Ages of the Universe: Inside the Physics of Eternity - Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin
Tau Zero - Poul Anderson
The Gods Themselves - Isaac Asimov
The Artful Universe - John D. Barrow
The Universe that Discovered Itself - John D. Barrow
The Anthropic Cosmological Principle - John D. Barrow and F. Tipler
Einstein's Unfinished Symphony: Listening to the Sounds of Space-Time - Marcia Bartusiak
Eon - Greg Bear
Men of Mathematics - E.T. Bell
Quantum Profiles - Jeremy Bernstein
E...more

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About Michio Kaku

Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist, best-selling author, and popularizer of science. He’s the co-founder of string field theory (a branch of string theory), and continues Einstein’s search to unite the four fundamental forces of nature into one unified theory.

More about Michio Kaku...

Books by Michio Kaku

Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel

Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension

Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100

Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century

Beyond Einstein: The Cosmic Quest for the Theory of the Universe

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