Physicist Alan Lightman deserves ample praise for being among those rare few scientists who have garnered ample recognition for their literary efforts. In many respects he has demonstrated that he is a far better writer than more notable physicists like his eminent colleagues Brian Greene and Lisa Randall. However, in writing what is in essence, a long novella, Lightman has written a fictional account on the creation of the universe probably best left in the realm of nonfiction, and one covered in greater detail from those I have mentioned, and from others like Stephen Hawking, Lawrence Krauss, Carl Sagan and Neil de Grasse Tyson. Though Lightman's prose is both commendably succinct and lyrical, Mr. g, his Uncle Deva and Aunt Penelope are less than inspiring characters who are overshadowed each and every time the mysterious - and quite devious - Belhor drops in to admire Mr. g's ever expanding universe or to pose some seemingly trivial moral dilemma. Stylistically I can see parallels between Lightman's latest novel and Calvino's work, especially the latter's "Invisible Cities", but regrettably, "Mr g: A Novel About the Creation" isn't nearly as memorable as Calvino's greatest work.