The Science of Discworld

by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen

Overview

Not just another science book and not just another Discworld novella, The Science of Discworld is a creative, mind-bending mash-up of fiction and fact, that offers a wizard’s-eye view of our world that will forever change how you look at the universe.

Can Unseen University’s eccentric wizards and orangutan Librarian possibly shed any useful light on hard, rational Earthly science? 
 
In the course of an exciting experiment, the wizards of Discworld have accidentally created a new universe. Within this universe is a planet that they name Roundworld. Roundworld is, of course, Earth, and the universe is our own. As the wizards watch their creation grow, Terry Pratchett and acclaimed science writers Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen use Discworld to examine science from the outside. Interwoven with the Pratchett’s original story are entertaining, enlightening chapters which explain key scientific principles such as the Big Bang theory and the evolution of life on earth, as well as great moments in the history of science.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804168946
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/03/2014
Series:	Science of Discworld Series , #1
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	236,840
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

TERRY PRATCHETT is the acclaimed creator of the bestselling Discworld series. He has been appointed OBE and a Knight Bachelor in recognition of his services to literature.

IAN STEWART is a Fellow of the Royal Society, professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, and author of numerous books on math and popular science, as well as science fiction novels co-authored with Jack Cohen.

JACK COHEN is a professor of biology and honorary professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, and has co-authored several books with Ian Stewart.

Hometown:

Salisbury, Wiltshire, England

Date of Birth:

April 28, 1948

Place of Birth:

Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England

Education:

Four honorary degrees in literature from the universities of Portsmouth, Bristol, Bath and Warwick

Editorial Reviews

01/06/2014
Acclaimed fantasy writer Pratchett and mathematicians Stewart and Cohen deliver a unique and outrageously funny look at the history of our world through the eyes of the wizards of Discworld’s Unseen University. When Chief Research Wizard Ponder Stibbons splits the thaum (a unit of magic, much as the atom is a unit of matter) in a makeshift lab in the university squash court, he creates “Roundworld.” Discworld runs on narrativium, the power of story, but Roundworld has no narrativium. Instead, it runs on rules based on science. The story of the wizards’ befuddled investigation of Roundworld is interwoven with chapters on various science topics: how did the universe begin? Where did the chemical elements come from? How did the solar system form? How did life evolve on Earth? Could there be life on other planets? The science in this revised edition of a U.K. title originally published in 1999 isn’t completely up to date (Pluto is still a planet here, and the search for exoplanets has barely begun), but the writing is as entertaining as it is accessible. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"For Pratchett and Discworld devotees the volume is, of course, compulsory reading, but even science buffs who would normally eschew anything resembling fantasy will find much here to pique their interests.... The book adds another whimsical episode to Discworld lore and contrasts the magical 'rules' of Pratchett’s realm with the human world’s more logic-oriented science." —Booklist

"The hard science is as gripping as the fiction." —The Times (London)

"An irreverent but genuinely profound romp through the history and philosophy of science, cunningly disguised as a collection of funny stories about wizards and mobile luggage." —Frontiers
 
"Terry Pratchett is more than a magician. He is the kindest, most fascinating teacher you ever had." —Harlan Ellison

From the Publisher

Unlike typical "science of" titles seeking to explain fantastic stories with real-world science, Terry Pratchett and his science advisers tell a story from the magical viewpoint of the flat Discworld. The evolution of this world is observed and explained using fictional terms that simply explain complex ideas. Stephen Briggs brings his usual expertise to his narration, warmly delivering dialogue and narrative. In particular, his mastery of dialect distinguishes characters without overacting. Michael Stevens delivers a more clinical narration, describing various bits of history and science in a slightly didactic manner. The result is hilarious but also uniquely informative, allowing fiction to suggest fact in an organic manner. A.Z.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JULY 2014 - AudioFile

Unlike typical "science of" titles seeking to explain fantastic stories with real-world science, Terry Pratchett and his science advisers tell a story from the magical viewpoint of the flat Discworld. The evolution of this world is observed and explained using fictional terms that simply explain complex ideas. Stephen Briggs brings his usual expertise to his narration, warmly delivering dialogue and narrative. In particular, his mastery of dialect distinguishes characters without overacting. Michael Stevens delivers a more clinical narration, describing various bits of history and science in a slightly didactic manner. The result is hilarious but also uniquely informative, allowing fiction to suggest fact in an organic manner. A.Z.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JULY 2014 - AudioFile