Overview

This is the inside account of the battle over the true nature of black holes--with nothing less than our understanding of the entire universe at stake. What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decades ago, a young physicist named Stephen Hawking claimed that it did--and in doing so, put at risk everything we know about the fundamental laws of the universe. Leonard Susskind and Gerard 't Hooft realized the threat and responded with a counterattack that changed the course of physics. The Black Hole War is the thrilling story of their united effort to reconcile Hawking's theories of black holes with their own sense of reality, an effort that would eventually result in Hawking admitting he was wrong and Susskind and 't Hooft realizing that our world is a hologram projected from the outer boundaries of space. A brilliant book about the deepest mysteries of modern physics, The Black Hole War is mind-bending and exhilarating reading.

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9781433243660

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Reviews

As good an introduction as you're going to find to the strange world of black hole astrophysics. Add that to the chance to ride along as real scientists resolve a fundamental issue and you have the makings of a great read. -- Washington Post In a remarkable skilled reading, Ray Porter goes beyond Susskind's mostly deft, engaging, and (reasonably) comprehensive writing to add energy and nuance to passages that could have been dry, and to render the sometimes very challenging material with admirable clarity. Porter adds proper--even illuminating--emphasis and intonation to passages a layman could hardly be expected to understand, never mind express correctly. This is a resourceful, intelligent reading of a fine book. -- AudioFile An interesting view of today's physics as it moves into ever more abstract areas. Writing for the general public, Susskind...uses a relaxed and often humorous style of presentation. -- Library Journal

An interesting view of today's physics as it moves into ever more abstract areas. Writing for the general public, Susskind...uses a relaxed and often humorous style of presentation. -- Library Journal In a remarkable skilled reading, Ray Porter goes beyond Susskind's mostly deft, engaging, and (reasonably) comprehensive writing to add energy and nuance to passages that could have been dry, and to render the sometimes very challenging material with admirable clarity. Porter adds proper--even illuminating--emphasis and intonation to passages a layman could hardly be expected to understand, never mind express correctly. This is a resourceful, intelligent reading of a fine book. -- AudioFile As good an introduction as you're going to find to the strange world of black hole astrophysics. Add that to the chance to ride along as real scientists resolve a fundamental issue and you have the makings of a great read. -- Washington Post

Author Information

Leonard Susskind is the Felix Bloch professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University. The author of The Cosmic Landscape, he is a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences and a recipient of numerous prizes, including the science writing prize of the American Institute of Physics for his article in Scientific Americanon black holes. Ray Porter is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator and fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Almost Famous, ER, and Frasier.

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