Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the butterfly that stomped . . ., June 7, 2005
This review is from: The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch (Discworld) (Hardcover)
. . . to the butterfly that was stomped on. Among physicists there is a theory about multiple universes. Each time a decision is made or an action taken, a new universe is created. If a butterfly stomps its left front foot, a new universe with a different sequence of history forms. Stomp the right foot and yet another arises. If, as in Ray Bradbury's famous "The Sound of Thunder", a butterfly was stepped on millions of years ago, how different might our present be? The sequence of events in each scenario may alter only slightly - or be wildly divergent. This idea underlies the theme of the third Discworld science book conceived by Terry Pratchett and his colleagues.
Since this is the first "Science of Discworld" released in the USA, some background is essential. Using a surplus of magic, Hex, the Discworld's version of Deep Thought, has created an new universe. Tucked away in that creation is a Roundworld - the one we live on. There is neither magic nor the binding force of the Discworld cosmos, "narrativium" here. Stories cannot be fathomed until they end. There is no logical sequence on which to build events. "Random" is the key word. The result is that Roundworld has evolved many lifeforms, nearly all of which have be killed off by massive ice sheets, poisonous gases or huge stones from space. Only one thing can save Roundworld's humanity from its own extinction event. Charles Darwin must sit down and write "The Origin of Species" to make humans understand how life here works. The knowledge will allow them to escape.
The Discworld's wizards have a portal to Roundworld. They also have a sense of mission. Once, they tried to change Roundworld's destiny - it was a near disaster. This time they don't wish to interfere, but Hex advises them that the odds of Darwin writing the correct book are not only bad, but getting worse. Again, guidance of events is called for, but selecting which key events to change becomes an insurmountable problem.
In explaining the flow of time and how possible varients of that flow can affect history, the authors take you through the latest thinking on these topics. Discworld fans may be taken a bit aback by the level of theory encountered here. Never fear. There's nothing here anyone won't understand, but this isn't a just a romp with Pratchett's endearing wit. In the first place, the trio know that our society is facing a wave of anti-science sentiments. Religious dogmas, they argue, areno substitute for understanding the world around us. Dogmatic thinking blinds us to the dangers we all face. Pratchett and his co-authors all have children - children they wish to see grow up unthreatened. While their fellow humans may pose some dangers, it is Nature that weilds the ultimate weapon - extinction.
Unlike the previous Science of Discworld books, the integration of the three authors writing appears seamless. Although the scenes with the wizards, whether on Discworld or Round, are essentially Pratchett, the input from Cohen and Stewart is clear. Likewise, when the tale describes the meaning and validity of the concept of multiple universes and causality, the subtle wit and clarity of language bespeaks the Pratchettean genius of expression. Altogether, they have created a valuable and entertaining learning experience. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pratchett-coated Science Samples, July 5, 2005
This review is from: The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch (Discworld) (Hardcover)
This is the first piece of Pratchett's work that I haven't given five stars. Let me explain.
This a Pratchett short story involving the wizards and Unseen University. It seems that in an earlier Science of the Discworld book one of the wizards - the Dean of UU, in fact - accidentally created Roundworld, our universe, which is about a foot across on the outside but infinite on the inside. With the aid of Hex, UU's supercomputer (and a familiar character to Discworld readers) the UU faculty stave off disaster in Roundworld. This time, it seems that Darwin has gone and written the wrong book, "Theology of Species" instead of "Origin of Species." An excellent premise, with lots of opportunity for Pratchett to have his usual fun with both sides of the Creationism/Evolution debate.
But what you get are alternating chapters of Pratchett and his short story, laced with longer chapters by Stewart and Cohen (no relation to the Barbarian) talking about a Roundworld science topic that has popped up in the short story. The result is a chopped up short story and somewhat tedious popular treatments of science subjects. Make that shallow, tedious popular treatments.
Part of the problem is that Pratchett is a genuinely brilliant writer, possessed of a wonderful imagination and wicked sense of humor. Stewart and Cohen are new to me, and I read a lot of science, but their writing, their imaginations and their sense of humor suffer badly by comparison. It's not all their fault. I wouldn't want their job if it were Swift or Twain doing the writing either. But at the same time Stewart and Cohen are guilty of trying to do too much and too little with their chapters. Too much, in that they attempt to cover too many very complex science subjects; too little in that they write superficially and, sometimes, inaccurately, about their subjects.
I admire the effort. If wrapping science in Discworld magic will help science education, even a little, it is well worth the effort.
On a side note, I hope that SOD III isn't "canon" in the regular Discworld series. Hex's near-omnipotence in SOD III is troubling and, to the extent it is science, could have used a little bit of analysis by Stewart and Cohen as well.
There's better Pratchett - although this might not be bad if you just read his chapters - and there's better science popularization. The synergy from the two together almost, but not quite, works. Okay, but not great.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent Evolution, September 15, 2005
This review is from: The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch (Discworld) (Hardcover)
A story interspersed with essays, both detailing the fantastic set of coincidences that led to the publication of THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. Sly hints are made that such an event, with such far-reaching effects (including enabling the human race to escape the earth's entombment in ice) could not have happened without outside intervention following a purposeful and intelligent design, so as to steer the evolution of science.
I would, now and then, put down the book, turn out the light, and think about what I had just read. So be warned. Entertaining and thought-provoking.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
