Review- The end of everything

The End of Everything by Katie Mack

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In this book, the astrophysicist Katie Mack discusses current understandings of how the universe might end. Although an interesting topic in itself, she also uses it as an introduction to current research interests in physics, such as the attempt to create a 'theory of everything' that would explain the commonalities between different physical forces (Mack describes how there are presently difficulties in explaining how gravity operates on a very small scale, for example).

The author adopts a good balance between explaining very complicated concepts in a way that is accessible to the general reader without simplifying them too far. In fact, a large proportion of the book is taken up with explanations, meaning that it also serves as a general introduction to physics. I would have liked to have seen a hint of the mathematics behind the models being presented, although that may have been impossible in a book written at the 'popular science' level. As it is, the book provides a narrative of the findings of contemporary physics without the workings out.

Mack also discusses large science projects, such as the Large Hydron Collidor (LHC), and the James Watt telescope, and how the data they will gather relate to the various unsolved problems physicists are trying to resolve. For example, Mack explains how the LHC aims (amongst other things) to determine how the rules of quantum mechanics interact with other physical laws. I found this very useful, as it is often difficult to understand news reports of such projects that explain that scientists value them highly, without the wider context.

Like the best popular science books, Mack has an obvious enthusiasm about the topic, and is a good writer. Combining these features with the inherent interest of the subject creates a winning combination.



View all my reviews