Customer Reviews

Merlin's Tour of the Universe

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Professor Tyson has written a lucid, well-thought, and sensitive introduction the field of astronomy and astrophysics. He has presented the reader with intelligent questions and readable, highly understandable answers. Even questions one would not think of asking, but are nonetheless interesting are presented, and are given the same consideration as old hat questions such as how far is the sun from the earth, or how far away is the nearest star. I for one would like to hear more from Merlin, and hope that his next book comes out in the very near future.

i bought this book for my six year old son who loves astronomy. merlin, a wizard whose birthday coincides with that of the solar system, answers thought provoking questions about earth, the solar system, the universe, stars, etc. merlin's answers are written in tyson's usual writing style, down to earth and easy to understand. he even makes difficult concepts understandable. merlin is asked questions such as "what would happen if the earth stopped rotating?" and " why is the south pole colder that the north pole?" he gives theories as to why three of the nine planets rotate retrograde. i read a few questions to my son each night before he goes to bed and i continue reading it even after he's already asleep; it's hard to put down. i just love it and highly recommend it to anyone interested in astronomy, young or old.

I love anything by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. He explains things in a way that makes it easier to understand. This book is more for a young person though. I'm 77 year old but I still like to learn. However, I enjoyed it none the less and then gave it to a friend who has youngsters. I think it is presented in a way that they will enjoy it very much and get something valuable out of it.

Dr. Tyson's book combines two of my favorite things: Merlin and Astronomy. This book is a wonderful inquiry of the cosmos. The premise of the book is that Merlin asks questions about our Solar system then discusses the answers. The whole thing is very well written and is a blast to read to children.

If you have a kid who's interested in astronomy, this is a terrific buy. It's in a question/answer format, with Merlin answering the questions. Each question/answer is on its own page, and there is no order dependency. This means you can open the book to any page at all and just start reading. It's fun and informative.

As to Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson - what can I say that hasn't already been said. When it comes to astronomy, Dr. Tyson writes the best stuff I've seen for non-scientists, puts in a language we can understand, and adds enough humor to make for a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.