“The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

In between reading other books, I listened to this one on audio. I not an astrophysicist by any means, but I enjoy astronomy and planetary science. I am an admirer of Carl Sagan, Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Amy Mainzer, Alex Filippenko, Carolyn Porco, and others. While some of the concepts described by Tyson in this book are familiar, many are certainly beyond my experience, but as a writer of speculative fiction, I enjoy learning and reviewing scientific concepts both for my personal edification and as research for current and future stories.

Tyson’s writing and narration—concise, enthusiastic, and humorous—make this book a joy to absorb, even if I had to stop and review some of the chapters to gain a better (or in some cases, even a glimmer of) understanding of some of the material.