Forces of Nature: The Sunday Times bestselling science book exploring life on Earth

Bought for my son, he enjoyed reading it

Having watched the TV series of the same name some time ago, it has been an absolute delight to read this book. It is a perfect companion to the series - it covers the same ground, the same themes, but in a very different way - so like any good companion, it can stand on its own two feet, but it works very well with the Other. In other words, you can read the book, or watch the TV series, or do both - each one works perfectly well. Beyond that, for someone who loved science and physics at school, but did not study them beyond that point, reading books like this is always a challenging pleasure - your mind is stretched as you try and grasp fully the mysteries which are unlocked by the study of the natural world, and also illuminated by how much we know, and how much we don't know. Cox is very strong on the contingent nature of the study of science - which is its greatest attraction and delight. Our understanding of our own world and the Universe has been transformed again and again over the past 500 years - and it seems, going by this book, that we are only getting started. What a daunting yet wonderful insight. Probably the best indication of this book's achievement is that it tells us why the sky is blue is during the day, and why it turns red in the evening, all rooted in proper scientific understanding - which only adds to the poetic beauty of those moments when we have the opportunity to bear witness to them properly. As such, Brian Cox takes us back to the more integrated understanding of how science and other disciplines can and should inform each other. There is plenty of food for thought in this.

The main problem wasn't with the content of this book. The binding is open within three days of purchase, perhaps it never is a good idea to use adhesive binding for a thick book. Having said that, I recently bought a second-hand book published in 1956. Though the gothic font had given me a difficult time reading it, the book itself has no issue with binding at all. This left me wondering if today's books are not made to last in the first place.In terms of content, this book has been jumping between really simple stuff at the middle school level and utterly difficult knowledge described in a way similar to academic papers that you might find when using Google Scholar. I can see the author's attempt in willing to include as much as possible in a book, from basics to a hint of post-graduate physics with just adequate evidence, and with as little maths as possible. However, I would have to say that he had failed to lead the readers through the journey. I had another book of his a few years ago, namely <Why does E=mc^2>, personally I prefer that book to this one.It was not intolerable though. We must admit that science itself is fascinating and it always feels amazing to briefly understand some principle laws of modern physics, similar to the feeling of finishing the Sudoku on the back of Times newspaper. As a biology student, I would love to recommend this to my classmates. After all, it has always been a good idea to know the fundamental laws before we apply it.

This book tells an incredible story, covering not only humanity's developing knowledge but applying it to explain deep and meaningfully the answers to some seemingly simple questions. Why are snowflakes the way they are? Why are rainbows red to blue? As per usual Brian Cox has covered it all tremendously and written a book that will leave you fascinated by the world around us and connected deeply to it all.

An extremely interesting read.Unless your very knowledgeable about Chemistry, Maths and Physics, there will be a few sections of this book that are a tad hard to comprehend. But in between these sections there’s some really golden information and thought provoking topics that will really keep you wanting to read on. I read this book within a week, and it has left me extremely interested in astronomy and nature. 10/10 for value for money

I am no physicist but reading this book has certainly broadened my understanding of topics that I may not have otherwise studied. Brian Cox has a brilliant way of taking degree level physics and making it understandable to someone who’s only ever done physics to GCSE level. Of course there were still bits of the book I didn’t fully understand, but if you stick at it you’ll find that it all makes sense in the big picture. This is certainly a book I enjoyed and one I may even pick up again in the future.

This is a fantastic book, I've no problems with the content. I just wanted to point out to those thinking of buying the Kindle version that it's based on the paperback version, which is nowhere near as good as the hardback version. The hardback version contains loads of colour photographs, where as the paperback (and therefore Kindle) version only contains a few black-and-white diagrams. I don't see why the Kindle version isn't based on the hardback version, since all other Kindle books in the 'Wonders' series are based on the hardback version, and so come with all the colour photographs. Quite disappointing, since there's no reason for this whatsoever.

A fantastic addition to my Brian Cox collection.After watching the series I couldn't wait to get this for Christmas sadly I had to buy it myself but I'm happy I did.I love his explanations of things and I know I can pass these to my grandson when he gets older as they will be perfect for everything physics and nature related.I have enjoyed all his publications so far and I'm impressed that he doesn't dumb down the science and speaks to you as an equal.The photography within the book is outstanding too

Excelente libro. Llegó en buen estado, lo cuál es demasiada suerte.

Great book

What makes this magnificent book stand out is the creative way in which professor Brian Cox makes us see through the eyes of scientific understanding at the breathtaking complexity of the world around us, only to reveal that it is all a shadow of something unimaginably beautiful: the laws of nature. He makes us see for ourselves and realize that the natural world can be understood, that it can all be explained on basis of very basic principles. Definitely a must read!

Me flipa Brian Cox. Hace fácil lo difícil, como todos los cracks en su campo.

Excellent. Interesting examples than brings all ideas better to understand.