A book about physics, economics, or biology might not get very far with most teens. But a book about constructing robots that can climb over walls, embedding microchips that waft smooth ocean sounds directly into your ear, and creating 3-D printed food might be the way to spark an interest in STEM. This title offers 10 possibilities for potentially life-changing scientific advancements. Complicated subjects are broken down into readable chapters, each with a description of a different topic (augmented reality, fusion power, etc.), its current status, concerns, and how it would change the world. Teens who like to build or figure out how things work; fans of science, math, or medicine; gamers; and those who love the weird and wonderful will gravitate to this volume. Science teachers will find much to appreciate here, too, as they can use the volume to create inspiring, imaginative assignments. The math isn't easy, but the authors explain it with humor and informative science, using entertainingly outlandish examples. VERDICT Give this to teens interested in STEM and those who don't quite understand the science they're studying—both will find much to interest them here.—Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA

“Kelly and Zach Weinersmith's SOONISH is an exceptional science book: it concerns itself with ten(ish) coming technologies that hold enormous, potentially world-changing promise (and peril), and it delves into each of those subjects with admirable depth, including all the caveats and unknowns, and still keeps the excitement intact.”—Cory Doctorow, Boing-Boing

“A great book. [SOONISH] is wonderful to read.”—Ira Flatow, Science Friday

“Soonish addresses heady scientific concepts in an accessible, readable way. . . . Part of the benefit of the book is that it doesn't promise we'll all be sipping printed cocktails on the moon in 2067. The Weinersmiths just lay out, clearly and with a wry sense of humor, exactly what it might take to get us there.”—Tasha Robinson, NPR.org

“[A] wild glimpse into a future that may or may not involve space elevators and brain-computer interfaces and programmable matter. . . . [Kelly and Zach Weinersmith] sift through mountains of literature and pick the brains of the researchers at the forefront of things like bioprinting (like 3-D printing, only more bio) and augmented reality (like reality, only more augmented), turning a skeptical yet exuberant eye toward the technologies of tomorrow.”—Matt Simon, Wired

“Beautiful.”  —Forbes

“Fans of science, math, or medicine; gamers; and those who love the weird and wonderful will gravitate to [SOONISH].”—School Library Journal

“An entertaining look at future tech wizardry, from space tourism and asteroid mining to nuclear fusion power, matter replication, synthetic biology and direct brain-computer interfaces. . . . The text is very well-researched, with a casual, friendly style (“Tinkering with the language of life. What could go wrong?”), and color cartoons add a wry counterpoint to the narrative of a future that, as always, might be utopia or disaster.”—Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal

“Curiosity is a beautiful thing, and Kelly and Zach Weinersmith have it in spades. Their coauthored SOONISH is an unabashed nerd-out of a book, zinging from outer space to DNA, hardly pausing for breath. . . . The gleeful geeking out makes for a great read—I couldn’t help chuckling or outright cracking up a number of times—while surreptitiously teaching some really important science. It’s a winning combination. The sheer breadth of topics covered is also amazing: Probably no other book in history has seriously described the science behind both tentacle construction robots and the human nasal cycle.” —Colin McCormick, Science

"Space elevators, gold asteroids, and fusion-powered toasters - who knew science could be so much fun? And who knew fun could be so scientific? 'Soonish' is hilarious, provocative, and shamelessly informative." – Tim Harford, author of Messy and The Undercover Economist
 
"Basically, I think this book is a masterpiece, and something I wish I'd written myself.” – Scott Aaronson, David J. Bruton Centennial Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Quantum Computing Since Democritus
 
"Playful, yet deep." – Dr. George Church, Harvard University
 
"I love this book so much I 3D printed myself a second heart so I could love it more." – Dr. Phil Plait, astronomer, author, writer of the Bad Astronomy Blog
 
"Kelly and Zach promised me a crystal ball, but what I got is both more insightful and far more entertaining than staring into a dumb glass orb. Soonish will make you laugh and -- without you even realizing it -- give you insight into the most ambitious technological feats of our time. You should read this book, sooner than soonish." - Alexis Ohanian, Cofounder of Reddit

“[An] enthusiastic exploration of ten areas of potentially world-changing innovation. . . . Excellent.”—Library Journal

“Predicting the future of scientific endeavor isn’t easy, but this fun title from this husband-and-wife team gives readers plenty of amazing possibilities to think about. . . . The authors leaven even the most serious topics. . . . The Weinersmiths deliver a fascinating look at the most provocative and promising research going on today and how it could alter the way we work and live.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The world of emerging technologies is a fascinating place, though for the layperson, the specifics and implications of scientists’ most groundbreaking research can be mind-boggling. . . . Thankfully, husband-and-wife team Kelly and Zach Weinersmith boil down some particularly juicy advances and present them in a compelling, accessible, and wryly funny way. . . . With infectious enthusiasm, the Weinersmiths serve up the perfect combination for curious, critical minds. Popular-science writing has rarely been so whip-smart, captivating, or hilarious (albeit occasionally terrifying).”—Booklist, starred review

“Astute. . . . [Kelly and Zach Weinersmith] deliver excellent descriptions of the science behind each [technological] wonder and the state of current research that may or may not bear fruit.”—Kirkus