Author:Katie Mack
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST, OBSERVER, NEW SCIENTIST, BBC FOCUS, INDEPENDENT AND WASHINGTON POST
'A rollicking tour of the wildest physics. . . Like an animated discussion with your favourite quirky and brilliant professor' Leah Crane, New Scientist
'Weird science, explained beautifully' - John Scalzi
We know the universe had a beginning. But what happens at the end of the story?
With lively wit and wry humour, astrophysicist Katie Mack takes us on a mind-bending tour through each of the cosmos' possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, Vacuum Decay, the Big Rip and the Bounce. Guiding us through major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory and much more, she describes how small tweaks to our incomplete understanding of reality can result in starkly different futures. Our universe could collapse in upon itself, or rip itself apart, or even - in the next five minutes - succumb to an inescapable expanding bubble of doom.
This captivating story of cosmic escapism examines a mesmerizing yet unfamiliar physics landscape while sharing the excitement a leading astrophysicist feels when thinking about the universe and our place in it. Amid stellar explosions and bouncing universes, Mack shows that even though we puny humans have no chance of changing how it all ends, we can at least begin to understand it.
The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know.
Katie Mack is a great scientist, a passionate inquirer of nature, a great companion in this exploration, full of wit and lightness. I have learned from her plenty of things I did not know. And I have found myself staring out of the window, meditating about the end of it all
—— Carlo Rovelli , Observer Books of the YearWitty, clear and upbeat
—— Bill Clinton , GuardianAn engrossing and often funny tour of all the ways our cosmos might come to a close. Mack's enjoyment of physics stands out - and is contagious. She describes primordial black holes as "awfully cute in a terrifying theoretical kind of way", antimatter as "matter's annihilation-happy evil twin" and the universe as "frickin' weird". All true, and Mack's explanations are entertaining and informative
—— New Scientist Books of the YearMack's humour and eclectic references (from Shakespeare to 'Battlestar Galactica') carry the book along. Even through discussions of cutting-edge science, the general reader is never bewildered
—— The Economist Books of the YearAn enthusiastic celebration of the fact that we exist at all, here, right now, and are able to wonder about such stuff. . . By introducing concepts such as entropy and heat death with metaphors of unscrambling eggs or your coffee going cold, she takes the reader from the cosmos to the kitchen, and Mack's true skill is to do all this without a whiff of condescension or self-importance. . . while dealing with many of the same mind-bending cosmic conundrums, she succeeds brilliantly where Hawking failed
—— Sydney Morning HeraldTremendous... makes me laugh the kind of laugh that puts doom in perspective. How useful! I feel weirdly lulled when I read about all the many ravishing ways the universe might, and will, end
—— Johanna Hedva , White ReviewIn which everything ends, or doesn't, with bangs and whimpers. Like many good serious books, it's also funny
—— Sarah BakewellA rollicking tour of the wildest physics. . . Like an animated discussion with your favourite quirky and brilliant professor. What stands out most is Mack's pure enjoyment of physics, and it is contagious. . . If you need a moment to be distracted from everyday life and journey to the deep cosmic future, I highly recommend it
—— Leah Crane , New ScientistMack is brilliant, and my neighbour's six-year-old daughter loves her. I love her. . . The cosiest way to read The End of Everything, her fast-paced book about universal death, is as a murder mystery. In the middle of the carpet is our butchered universe. How did it die? Squashed ('The Big Crunch')? Boiled ('Heat Death')? Eviscerated ('The Big Rip')? Burst apart from every pore ('Vacuum Decay')? To one side, almost dancing with excitement, is Inspector Mack. . .
—— Alexander Masters , The SpectatorOne of the most popular voices on science. . . Katie Mack achieves two improbable feats. First, she writes about the end of the universe with a jauntiness that makes it not actually that depressing. And second, she takes concepts in cosmology, string theory and quantum mechanics and makes them accessible
—— Tim Lewis , ObserverExactly the sort of book I would have given to myself at 14, 24, 34 and honestly pretty much every age after. Weird science, explained beautifully
—— John ScalziJoyous, beautiful and strange. . . filled with brilliant moments where you just have to stop and stare out of the window for a while
—— Robin InceEverything dies, even the universe. But will it be a peaceful fading-away, or a dramatic cataclysm? Scientists don't know for sure, but Katie Mack provides an expert and entertaining guide to the possibilities. Who knew a book about the end of the universe could communicate so much passion for science?
—— Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply HiddenThis book teaches you that the universe could end at any moment, but is so good that you will be rooting for it not to-at least, not until you finish the book. Katie Mack's witty, lucid prose is endlessly delightful
—— Alexandra Petri, author of Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is WhyAn engrossing, elegant timeline of the cosmos. . . Mack sprinkles in delightful esoterica along the way, while providing a guide to some of the most plausible scenarios about the end of the universe
—— New York TimesMack is a great science communicator and I suspected I was going to like this book as soon as I saw her name. I am pleased to say it does not disappoint
—— BBC Sky at NightMack creates an accessible, easy-to-digest guide to how the universe might end, speaking in a casual way that feels like sitting down for coffee with a good friend - one who can break down the physics of destruction into bite-sized delights
—— DiscoverExcellent, far-reaching... the perfect antidote to the malaise of mundane worries
—— ScienceI found it helpful -- not reassuring, certainly, but mind-expanding -- to be reminded of our place in a vast cosmos.
—— James Gleick, The New York Times Book ReviewHaving a great time enjoying The End of Everything. A mind blowing book. I got mine on Kindle as I need to underline particularly mind boggling ideas. Why not join me?
—— Eric IdleTamsin Calidas’s tale of moving to a remote Scottish croft has become a lockdown must-read… a glittering (and controversial) account.
—— MetroThe trials and triumphs of isolated living are laid bare in this often shatteringly honest read.
—— Reader's DigestAs in the case of Tara Westover’s Educated, it is impossible not to marvel at all the author has been through.
—— TLSA mesmeric tale of emotional resilience and the recuperative powers of the natural world... Essential reading.
—— The Evening StandardThe memoir of the year ... groundbreaking.
—— VogueA brave, beautiful and unforgettable book - a book that overflows with love. Tamsin writes exquisitely about life, love, pain, death and rebirth and the healing power of nature. Great joy has flowed into my life from reading this. It touched me so deeply - I was moved to tears - and I could not put it down. I know it will help and greatly inspire others' lives. A sea of hands will reach for I Am An Island, carrying it like a great flock of birds, across the world. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
—— Elena Bonham CarterCalidas is adept at illustrating her emotional and mental state throughout her experiences, effectively using the Scottish landscape as a means to emphasise her plights and successes. This is an extremely honest account of human survival in the face of unimaginable pain and loss. So poignant and stark...Never as relevant as it is now, Calidas' battle with isolation and loneliness is both moving and inspiring. The desire for human contact and interaction is soothed by a deep kinship with nature, which remains steadfast no matter what.
—— Scottish FieldA wonderful memoir
—— The MalestromPowerfully observed
—— BBC Countryfile MagazineI was profoundly moved by I am an Island - the beauty, emotion, power and poetry of its words. As subtle as it is forceful, this is a complex and poetic account of a life lived raw. A skilful, finespun memoir which grabs you by the throat; clutches your heart and tenderly caresses your cheek in one beguiling movement. I urge you to read it.
—— Ulrika JonssonThis novel is enchanting, but not in some safe, fairy-tale sense. Charlotte McConaghy has harnessed the rough magic that sears our souls. I recommend The Last Migration with my whole heart
—— Geraldine Brooks, Author of MarchPowerful...Vibrant...Unique... If worry is the staple emotion that most climate fiction evokes in its readers, The Last Migration - the novelistic equivalent of an energizing cold plunge - flutters off into more expansive territory
—— Los Angeles TimesHow far do we have to go to escape our pasts and find ourselves? Charlotte McConaghy’s luminous, brilliant novel, set in a future when wildlife is rapidly becoming extinct, is indeed about loss—but what makes it miraculous is that it is also about both the glimpses of hope and the shattering persistence of love, if we are only brave enough to acknowledge them. Written in prose as gorgeous as the crystalline beauty of the Arctic, The Last Migration is deeply moving, haunting, and, yes, important
—— Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of YouA lovely, haunting novel about a troubled woman’s quest to follow the last surviving Arctic terns on their southerly migration. As she tries to make peace with the ghosts of her painful past, she must choose whether she herself wants – or deserves – to survive, in spite of everything she, and all humans, have destroyed and lost
—— Ceridwen Dovey, author of In the Garden of the FugitivesThis book is a powerful - and entertaining - corrective to the idea that the only hopes that matter on this planet are those of our own species.
—— Tim Adams , GuardianMacdonald has a wonderful gift for exploring the intersection between nature and our experience of it, in writing that is both lyrical and impassioned.
—— Hannah Beckerman , ObserverOne of the most beautiful memoirs I've ever read. This story will say with you long after you put the book down
—— Emma GannonI just turned the last page (reluctantly!). A bold, often brutal exploration of memory, grief and love. Full of hope and heart. I can't recommend it enough
—— Terri White, author of Coming UndoneA brave, brilliant book that is both beautiful and important. Read it then buy it for all your friends
—— Hello!Gavanndra's memoir The Consequences of Love is absolutely beautiful. It's compelling, heartbreaking, sweet, honest, fascination. I recommend it HIGHLY. I absolutely LOVED it.
—— Marian KeyesThis stunning exploration of grief is so well written and profoundly moving
—— Good HousekeepingAn elegant study of grief and memory
—— GuardianHodge pours heartbreak and love into the pages of a book that never pretends to know the answers, and is all the better for it
—— Sunday TimesAn eye-opening snapshot of the fashion world in '90s London
—— Vogue UK