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The Universe

By: Andrew Cohen, Professor Brian Cox - foreword
Narrated by: Brian Cox, Professor Jot Davies
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Summary

Every night, above our heads, a drama of epic proportions is playing out. Diamond planets, zombie stars, black holes heavier than a billion Suns. The cast of characters is extraordinary, and each one has its own incredible story to tell.

We once thought of our Earth as unique, but we have now discovered thousands of alien planets, and that’s barely a fraction of the worlds that are out there. And there are more stars in the Universe than grains of sand on every planet in the Solar System. But amid all this vastness, the Milky Way Galaxy, our Sun and the Earth are home to the only known life in the Universe – at least for now.

With a foreword from Professor Brian Cox, and access to all the latest NASA mission information, Andrew Cohen takes readers on a voyage of discovery, via the probes and telescopes exploring the outer reaches of our galaxy, revealing how it was formed and how it will inevitably be destroyed by the enigmatic black hole at its heart. And beyond our galaxy, the expanding Universe, which holds clues to the biggest mystery of all – how did it all begin? We now know more about those first moments of existence than we ever thought possible, and hidden in this story of how it all began are the clues to the fate of the Universe itself and everything in it.

©2021 Andrew Cohen and Professor Brian Cox (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
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Critic reviews

‘Wonderful in every sense’ Guardian

‘I wish Brian Cox had been my physics teacher’ The Times

‘Undeniably beautiful’ Daily Mail

‘Engaging and elucidating’ Metro

‘[The Universe] looks spectacular and the science is mind-boggling’ Telegraph

What listeners say about The Universe

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Narration

Fabulous narration absolutely perfect for the subject material. Perfectly paced with a softness that emphasised the wonder of the Universe.

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1 person found this helpful

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Enlightening listen

Just easy to listen to and enjoy. You don’t need to know about maths or physics to have this book, it’s a good listen to drift off to and imagine life out there.

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very up to date and intriguing as ever

loved it. perfect for any level of understanding in astrophysics. was hooked from beginning to end.

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Great writing, awful narration

The overly whimsical narrator really distracted from the book's content. I honestly couldn't stand the tone but perhaps that's just me?
The writing itself is great if a little repetative at times because of the guest passages.
Looking forward to the TV series.

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Perfect

I love space but as I work in pathology, I rarely get to indulge. But this audiobook it perfect to have on and phase in and out of during work breaks and free time. Worth the credit. And great clear narration.

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Mind Bending

An excellent description of the history of the discovery of the science behind why we are where we are in the universe. You will need to listen to this book several times to get your head around the mind blowing g concepts!

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So clever - trying to explain the incomprehensible

Want more like this ! We need the next stage or the next chapter - it’s really amazing stuff

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Excellent knowledge and backed up with true science.

A great listen with both the hosts playing their part and the researchers clearly top of their fields.

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Fascinating listen

The Universe had a big impact on how I saw the world and my day to day life. It made me feel lucky to be alive, full of wonder when I looked up at the sky, and quite simply - very small. We are tiny specks in the universe!

I thought it was well written and read, though occasionally I got confused over quotes. They weren't immediately obvious as quotes until the reader said their name.

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Excellent listen

Thought provoking and very easy to listen to. Couldn’t stop once I’d started! Great book.

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