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The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) Hardcover – Illustrated, August 4, 2020

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,981 ratings

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A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK * AN NPR SCIENCE FRIDAY BOOK CLUB SELECTION* NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST, THE ECONOMIST, NEW SCIENTIST, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY,and THE GUARDIAN

From the cohost of the podcast The Universe with John Green and one of the most dynamic stars in astrophysics, an “engrossing, elegant” (The New York Times) look at five ways the universe could end, and the mind-blowing lessons each scenario reveals about the most important concepts in cosmology.

We know the universe had a beginning. With the Big Bang, it expanded from a state of unimaginable density to an all-encompassing cosmic fireball to a simmering fluid of matter and energy, laying down the seeds for everything from black holes to one rocky planet orbiting a star near the edge of a spiral galaxy that happened to develop life as we know it. But what happens to the universe at the end of the story? And what does it mean for us now?

Dr. Katie Mack has been contemplating these questions since she was a young student, when her astronomy professor informed her the universe could end at any moment, in an instant. This revelation set her on the path toward theoretical astrophysics. Now, with lively wit and humor, she takes us on a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos’s possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more,
The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Excellent, far-reaching...The book is the perfect antidote to the malaise of mundane worries.” —Science

“Despite her solemn theme, her 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, Best Science Books of 2020

“Weird science, explained beautifully.”
John Scalzi

“In which everything ends, or doesn't, with bangs and whimpers. Like many good serious books, it's also funny.”
Sarah Bakewell, author of At the Existentialist Café

“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

“Engrossing, elegant...[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.” —
The New York Times

“An accessible, enthusiastic survey of scientific forces. Lively and original, this is science writing done right.” —
Publishers Weekly, Best Nonfiction of 2020

“A whirlwind tour of our possible demises and what investigating the options can reveal about physics. Through informal but rigorous prose, Mack describes the weird wrinkles and implications of these potential endings.” —
Scientific American

“If you need a moment to be distracted from everyday life and journey to the deep cosmic future, I highly recommend
The End of Everything.” —New Scientist

“Far from being depressing, Mack’s account mixes a sense of reverence for the wonders of physics with an irreverent sense of humor and a disarming dose of candor.” —
ScienceNews

“Reading about the ultimate death of the universe…will immerse you in the astonishing weirdness of our wider surroundings, and remind you of the ingenuity of scientists who have spent centuries trying to read the cosmic tea leaves.” —
Vice.com

“In Mack’s hands, this speculation [about the end of the universe] makes for a fascinating story.… She is a talented communicator of complex physics, and the passion and curiosity about astronomy that have made her a popular speaker and Twitter presence are evident here.” —
Nature

“[Mack] 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.” —
Discover

"An 'Interstellar'-level of mind-bending and eye-opening theories as to what the end of our universe could hold." —
USA Today

“Mack takes an otherworldly subject—the death of the universe—and brings it down to earth....
The End of Everything will delight both casual science readers and those looking for more in-depth analysis of theoretical astrophysics.” —BookPage

“Thinking through the science of end times is actually a thrill....Mack's pleasing writing style makes speculating about the death of the universe unexpectedly entertaining.” —
Kirkus Reviews

“Anyone wondering what to read after Brian Greene’s
Until the End of Time will relish this blend of wit and deep thought.” —Library Journal

“An enthusiastic celebration of the fact that we exist at all, here, right now, and are able to wonder about such stuff.” —
Sydney Morning Herald

“Mack’s endlessly entertaining survey is infused with a palpable love of her subject, and will transmit to readers the same joy she finds in exploring the wide and fascinating universe.” —
Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

The End of Everything combines deep thinking about physics and big-picture awe in the style of Carl Sagan.” —Randall Munroe, author of xkcd and What If?

“This 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, Washington Post columnist

“Everything 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 Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime

“Joyous, beautiful and strange. . . filled with brilliant moments where you just have to stop and stare out of the window for a while.” —
Robin Ince, author of How to Build a Universe

About the Author

Dr. Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist, exploring a range of questions in cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. She is currently an assistant professor of physics at North Carolina State University, where she is also a member of the Leadership in Public Science Cluster. She has been published in a number of popular publications, such as Scientific American, Slate, Sky & Telescope, Time, and Cosmos magazine, where she is a columnist. She can be found on Twitter as @AstroKatie.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; Illustrated edition (August 4, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 198210354X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982103545
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,981 ratings

About the author

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Katie Mack
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Dr Katherine (Katie) Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist who studies a range of questions in cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Physics at North Carolina State University, where she is also a member of the Leadership in Public Science Cluster. Throughout her career she has studied dark matter, the early universe, galaxy formation, black holes, cosmic strings, and the ultimate fate of the cosmos. Alongside her academic research, she is an active science communicator and has been published in a number of popular publications such as Scientific American, The New York Times, Slate, Sky & Telescope, and Cosmos Magazine, where she is a columnist. You can find her on Twitter as @AstroKatie and on Instagram as @astrokatiemack.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
2,981 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and informative. They appreciate the breezy prose and accessible language that conveys complex messages in a clear way for lay readers. The book provides meaningful insights into physics and cosmology, providing a deep understanding of the cosmos without being too math-intensive. Readers describe the book as well-written and worth reading. While some concepts are challenging, the author makes them approachable and easy to understand.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

89 customers mention "Humor"85 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor and cultural references. They find it an enjoyable read about science with a lighthearted tone and sense of wonder. The author injects humor into the writing, which is a pleasant surprise. Overall, readers describe the book as an interesting and fun read that offers a lucid look at leading theories.

"...This was one of the most fun books that I’ve ever read." Read more

"...A bang of a book. Dark jokes. Easy read." Read more

"...us who follow research on the cosmos, the author has a clear, conversational style and a skill at explaining even the most dense, math-laden..." Read more

"Well written. Author has a great sense of humor." Read more

72 customers mention "Writing style"68 positive4 negative

Customers find the book's writing style engaging and accessible. They appreciate the author's clear explanation of complex concepts in an easy-to-understand tone, with humor. The book is written for lay readers, with a cogent explanation of the Big Bang Theory. Readers describe the author as an authority on the subject.

"...The book is written for laymen, and I found it to be between Neil De Grasse Tyson / Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking in difficulty level...." Read more

"...A bang of a book. Dark jokes. Easy read." Read more

"...to those of us who follow research on the cosmos, the author has a clear, conversational style and a skill at explaining even the most dense, math-..." Read more

"...Mack perfectly balances technical language with concise and approachable explanations to lend readers with even the mildest scientific inclinations..." Read more

71 customers mention "Information quality"71 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides meaningful insights and a deep understanding of physics and cosmology. They appreciate the clear explanations of all theories and how they evolved. While dealing with some complicated topics, the book is easy to read and provides excellent scientific detail. Readers describe it as popular science at its best with lucid explanations.

"...Perhaps most importantly, we learn about dark matter and dark energy, which are important concepts that have greatly changed cosmology over the last..." Read more

"...the author has a clear, conversational style and a skill at explaining even the most dense, math-laden concepts in an understandable way...." Read more

"...judicious use of humor, analogies, diagrams, and vivid descriptions to keep readers engaged and captivated...." Read more

"...-thoughtful explanation of very challenging and meaningful insights from physics/cosmology aboutthe ways the universe might end, when it does end...." Read more

52 customers mention "Readability"52 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and worth reading closely. They appreciate the plot and find it well-written, not overdone. The book is described as brilliant and reassuring, providing a guide through modern life.

"...ways the Universe might end, based on current physics, was a delightful read. It is an interesting and fun book...." Read more

"...A bang of a book. Dark jokes. Easy read." Read more

"...PS The bonus Q&A with Katie Mack portion after the book ends is well worth the read...." Read more

"...In a larger sense, The End of Everything is a reassuring treatise on the importance (and joy) of trying to know something rather than just..." Read more

14 customers mention "Information content"10 positive4 negative

Customers find the book's information clear and easy to understand. They appreciate the thoughtful explanation of complex concepts and meaningful insights into science and the human mind. The book provides a great look at the possibilities and multiple ideas about how it might end. Readers also mention that the book is written in an easy-to-follow style.

"Katie Mack has put together a deeply-thoughtful explanation of very challenging and meaningful insights from physics/cosmology aboutthe ways the..." Read more

"...book about how the universe probably works, as far as we know, and multiple ideas about how it might end or be recreated in the blink of an eye..." Read more

"Definitely not for the layman with no background in physics or astronomy...." Read more

"...She wonderfully put it all together for me: the people, the scientific evidence to date, the critical pieces of evidence needed, and how..." Read more

All good things must come to an end
5 out of 5 stars
All good things must come to an end
I am an avid reader of astronomy/cosmology/astrophysics books & like content. They mostly all have one thing in common; they all talk about the big bang and how the universe started. It does get redundant after a time to read about the start of the cosmos over and over. This book was a great change of pace. Not only was it looking at the many ways we could all eat the big one, but it did so in a very humorous way. Dr. Katie Mack does a great job of explaining each "end" requiring the reader to have little or no formal background on the topic to understand it. She also adds in commentary foot notes that are humorous & feel like she is just having a conversation with you rather than talking at you. (see photos for examples)Anyone who has an interest in physics, astronomy, or just space in general should give this book a read.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2020
    Katie Mack’s timely (it’s 2020 after all) survey of the various ways the Universe might end, based on current physics, was a delightful read. It is an interesting and fun book. We learn about the Big Crunch (the Universe shrinking back), the Heat Death, or rather the high-entropy death, the Big Rip, Vacuum decay, or the “quantum bubble of death” if you want to call it that, and the “bounce”. The bounce is a bouncing Universe with repeated Big Bangs. This could result from a much larger eternal ekpyrotic Universe where colliding 3D branes result in repeated Big Bangs. Personally, I am hoping for the quantum bubble of death.

    To understand where the various ideas regarding the end of the Universe come from, you need to understand some of the physics and the cosmology. We learn something about CMB, or the Cosmic Microwave Background, Big Bang, cosmic inflation, Planck Time, GUTs, Nucleosynthesis, the standard model, de Sitter Space, black holes, electroweak symmetry breaking, the Higgs Boson and the Higgs field, multiverses, and much more. Perhaps most importantly, we learn about dark matter and dark energy, which are important concepts that have greatly changed cosmology over the last few years. Chapter 2 on the Big Bang reminded me a lot about an old book by Stephen Weinberg, the first 3 minutes. However, Katie Mack puts a modern spin on it and goes much further beyond our Universe. I was intrigued to hear that it might be possible to communicate between different Universes in a multiverse using gravity, or gravity waves.

    The book is written for laymen, and I found it to be between Neil De Grasse Tyson / Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking in difficulty level. The book covers a lot of concepts and theories but does so concisely, simply and not in a mathematical way. Not so simply though that it is misleading. I am an Engineer with an undergrad degree in physics so I may not be the best person to judge whether this is an easy read for laymen, but I believe it is. I am very interested in these kinds of topics, and I read all popularized books on cosmology, modern physics, the standard model, that I can find. This was one of the most fun books that I’ve ever read.
    66 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2024
    Somehow reading about how all life ends makes the present much more tolerable.

    A bang of a book. Dark jokes. Easy read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2024
    While the theories explored in the book are well-known to those of us who follow research on the cosmos, the author has a clear, conversational style and a skill at explaining even the most dense, math-laden concepts in an understandable way. Her enthusiasm for the subject-matter shines through, and makes you care about our ultimate fate as well.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2022
    In The End of Everything, Katie Mack perfectly balances technical language with concise and approachable explanations to lend readers with even the mildest scientific inclinations ample appreciation of the astrophysics behind our universe's creation (and demise) - all while doing the subject matter justice.

    Mack's work starts out by extensively describing the universe and space-time as we know them and elaborating on the different microphases of the Big Bang that got us here in the first place. It then proceeds to offer the reader different ways the universe could terminate existence, walking the reader through each theory's technical details, providing scientific basis in the form of research and observations to support or debunk each one, and occasionally capping chapters off with neat discussions of probability.

    Cosmological constants, dark energy, and the myriad of other topics can get dense at times (or always equally dense but ever-expanding, but I digress), and Mack makes judicious use of humor, analogies, diagrams, and vivid descriptions to keep readers engaged and captivated. Supported this way, the content presented affords even laypersons intriguing rethinks on the very origins of our universe: Maybe the Big Bang was but a transient point and not THE origin?

    Nevertheless, getting lost in some chapters will be excusably inevitable to some, myself included. Quick re-reads of these chapters are advised, since succeeding ones often build upon concepts discussed prior, as was the case between the Big Rip and Heat Death chapters. Keep up with the content, however, and the The End of Everything delivers hours of brilliant left-brain stretching - one apocalypse at a time.

    PS The bonus Q&A with Katie Mack portion after the book ends is well worth the read.

    PPS This book is great practice for the reading comprehension portion of the GMAT exam, where you have to get used to taking in subject matter that is either extremely complex, of no interest, or both to you.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
    Well written. Author has a great sense of humor.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2024
    Clear and straightforward explanations of our origins and potential fate. For someone who loves science but isn’t a fan of math, I loved the analogies to put concepts in a context that was understandable. Still mind bending at times
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2024
    Katie Mack (Professor of Physics, among other things) provides us a non-fiction look at cosmology and astrophysics. She defines the latter as a cosmologist looking at very, very, very far away things in our universe. The former, the beginning and end of our universe. The current estimated age of our universe is 13.8 billion years. This sort of puts a limit on how far we can see, because light with a finite speed, has to travel large distances for us to see. Which means when we look at pictures from the universe we are seeing the past.

    Mack explores many theories and science in a whimsical way. She outlines how our universe may end. All theorical, of course, but what it tells me is this. With all our science, our measurements, our theories, the more we learn, the more we discover there is much we do not understand.

    This was a fun deviation for me from fiction.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • B
    5.0 out of 5 stars Buen libro
    Reviewed in Mexico on November 12, 2023
    Fue un regalo, la persona quedo encantada con el libro.
  • thiago
    5.0 out of 5 stars If u love astronomy
    Reviewed in Brazil on August 27, 2023
    If u love astronomy/cosmology, u must read it. Its funny and complex. Easy learning
  • Julio A Sanjines
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastically told
    Reviewed in Canada on August 1, 2023
    The author's passion makes this a fantastic and entertaining read while dealing with very complex subjects.
  • F.M
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gives a better understanding of our universe
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2024
    It might help to have a degree in maths or physics to be able to follow everything in this excellent book. But I still enjoyed it even though I did not understand half of it! It made me really interested to read more about our beginning and ultimate end. Well done to the author.
  • Riccardo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
    Reviewed in Italy on June 9, 2022
    Well written book and simple to read, it talks about not only "the end of the universe" but it starts from the bing bang untill present day, exploring how the universe and the things in it are working.