Parallel Worlds : A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the… (2005)

This book is a science based review of alternate universes and their relevance to us. Michio Kaku moves into astrophysics and cosmology within this book; broadening approaches enormously. With simple explanations of strings, m-theory, and black holes there is also focus on the importance of electromagnetism. This book makes reference to the universe that we are not alone; and the possible travel connection to parallel universes. Michio Kaku makes an appealing presentation in science that connects to the everyday world. There is a list of contacts in the physicist community for other interesting reading. ( )

Here we have another decent book by Michio Kaku. I had recently read another of his books, Hyperspace, and was interested enough to try this one as well.

This book has some updates to various topics mentioned in Hyperspace. It gives the feel that there are a lot of people moving forward with all of these theories and research in a continuous search for more knowlege.

There's something cool about the whole process. The author might have started something back in college, them some other people later ran with it, then some others ran with that, building on it.

Anyway, we have the same kind of topics here as mentioned in Hyperspace. These felt covered more in this book: black holes, parallel universes, time travel, worm holes. Some things were less covered: string theory, less Einstien. Some things were new: M-theory, membranes, higher dimensions (before 10 and 26, but here 11 and membranes), white holes, how to keep a wormhole open.

It's another fun to read book, if you are interested in physics. I'm no scientist, and it's nice to have an author who can put out these type of books for us.

Toward the end of the book, he goes into a lot of what feels like pure speculation. It still feels to me that much of this stuff could be completely obsolete with a good experiment by a rival theory. Or simply proven wrong. But then again, it could be proven right. If the society that could literally escape our universe is at least hundreds of thousands of years in the future, we can't be expected to solve those problems. But it is fun to think about.

It also dawned on me, as I was reading this, how some of these guys can become fellow travelers with statists. There was some talk about the end of the nation state, which I found to be interesting. I, for one, would not want to see it. But it appears that the author thinks we will be held back in some primitive form of society until such a time as there is a global type of order. I find this humorous on one hand, because earlier in the book, he talks about these quick advances in some of the science when the US and USSR were in the cold war, trying to out do each other. Ah yes, competition has a way of doing that.

And it might be true that some of the experiments they need to set up cost such a huge amount, that probably no one nation could afford it. Somehow, these guys have an awful lot of equipment and testing stations set up all over the world. It's fascinating to read about the sensors they have to detect radio, microwave, gamma bursts, extremely complex telescopes, satellites in orbit, the LHC.

It's also of note that the author doesn't mind bringing up philosophical points as well. I feel that he tries to show different sides, and different views of some philisophical questions.

It seems a common theme amongst these science type of books (and sci-fi) to zoom in on the Inquisition. Its as if they can't understand those days are gone. Really, it's been a long time since those days. Maybe that horse isn't really dead until they *all* look at it, and collapse it's wave form :)

But don't read this book for political or religious themes, read it for the fun science topics, and inspiration for your imagination. ( )

This is a great book. It's well written, making a difficult topic easy to grasp, without dumbing down the physics.

There are so many interesting unanswered questions in this area, many of them the Big Questions. Kaku explores the strange implications which current evidence is forcing us to consider as possible realities; the fact that the universe appears to be 'fine-tuned' to allow our existence is strong circumstantial evidence that this observable universe is just one of many possible (unobserved) universes.

Kaku includes plenty of background about the personalities involved in cosmology & modern physics and also includes examples from science fiction stories, which have always led the way in exploring some of the bizarre implications and possibilities allowed (or forced upon us) by emerging Theories of Everything.

The book seemed to peak in Chapter 11, which was possibly one of the 'furthest-fetched' pieces of science writing I have ever read. Are advanced societies really going to be able to manipulate neutron stars in order to escape a dying universe? I'm not so sure.

A great book, though. ( )

Despite not having a science background I still found that I could understand and appreciate this book. I cannot honestly say that I would not get lost at times, but for the most part Kaku made these complicated issues understandable to this science novice. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in our understanding of our universe and where we could possibly be heading. ( )

This book holds a special place in my science library alongside Brian Greene's FABRIC OF THE COSMOS as being among the few easily understandable treatises on modern physics. As someone with little to no mathematical ability but a keen interest in what's up with the universe, PARALLEL WORLDS has helped me wrap my head around things like bosons, uncertainty principles and superstrings. Kaku has a talent for concise metaphors that get a concept across without getting bogged down in formulae and numbers. Thank you, Michio Kaku. Now I can nod in understanding when my smart friends talk big words :) ( )