The Science Of Discworld
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Terry Pratchett needs no introduction. Ian Stewart has written fine nonfiction books on mathematics, and he and Jack Cohen collaborated on the quirkily inventive pop-science titles The Collapse of Chaos and Figments of Reality. What on earth, or on Discworld, are they all doing in the same book? Pratchett provides a very funny 30,000-word novella about Discworld science, beginning in the High Energy Magic faculty of Unseen University and leading his eccentric wizards to investigate an alien cosmos where there's no magic to keep things going. This is the Roundworld universe--ours. The key point: much that's true only on Discworld (eg: that suns orbit planets and not vice-versa) was once believed on Earth and the wizards' comic misunderstandings echo the history of real science ... Unusually, Pratchett's story is split into chapters and in between his chapters Stewart and Cohen wittily discuss the concepts underlying the fiction, from the Big Bang through stellar formation to life and evolution. Much of the science we know, they cheerfully insist, is "lies-to-children": good stories that are mostly untrue, like thinking of atoms as tiny solar systems. Discworld operates by narrative plausibility and so does human thought even when our Roundworld universe disagrees. Between the laughs, The Science of Discworld is a provocative, informative book that'll make you think about what you think you know. --David Langford
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'The hard science is as gripping as the fiction', The Times .'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. More that that, it offers a fresh look at the place that humans hold in the history of the planet', Richard Wentk, Frontiers
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book really shouldn't hold together. The inspired lunacy of Discworld should not by rights mix well with the equally inspired sanity of the Stewart's and Cohen's scientific world-view. Amazingly enough, it works. The result should be a required reading for everybody even minimally interested in looking under the bonnet of the world -- and that really ought to be everybody.
What really impressed me was how Stewart's and Cohen's contribution managed to remain readable and easy to understand, while simultaneously presenting a truly up-to-date report on the state of our understanding of the world, AND managing to avoid mushy and patronising "lies to children", of the kind only too common in popular science writing. Equally impresive is Pratchett's ability to weave his story through and around the science chapters (but then we all know that Pterry is a tory-telling genuis!).
The idea of aiming a scientific presentation at the millions of Discworld fans was audacious to put it mildly. To carry it off with the panache achieved by the three authors, is a supreme achievement. It is also a deeply reassuring one: whenever I start worrying about the slipping standards of popular understanding of the world (so painfully apparent in the proliferation of pseudo-scientific fads), I only need to remind myself of the millions of people likely to read this book (and its equally good sequel) -- and the world looks immediately brighter.
Bravissimo!!
What really impressed me was how Stewart's and Cohen's contribution managed to remain readable and easy to understand, while simultaneously presenting a truly up-to-date report on the state of our understanding of the world, AND managing to avoid mushy and patronising "lies to children", of the kind only too common in popular science writing. Equally impresive is Pratchett's ability to weave his story through and around the science chapters (but then we all know that Pterry is a tory-telling genuis!).
The idea of aiming a scientific presentation at the millions of Discworld fans was audacious to put it mildly. To carry it off with the panache achieved by the three authors, is a supreme achievement. It is also a deeply reassuring one: whenever I start worrying about the slipping standards of popular understanding of the world (so painfully apparent in the proliferation of pseudo-scientific fads), I only need to remind myself of the millions of people likely to read this book (and its equally good sequel) -- and the world looks immediately brighter.
Bravissimo!!
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Right, let me get this clear from the word go: I'm a huge Discworld fan. I want to live in a world where politicians have all got a Sam Vimes to keep them honest, Granny Wetherwax is around to glare at the baddies and give us what we know we really need rather than what we think we ought to want. How can you not love a world where death gets a capital letter, a horse called Binky and a fondness for kittens?
As has been said in other reviews The Science of the Discworld is not a normal Discworld book. The only comparison I can think of is to Sophie's World wherein chapters alternate between fiction and philosophy (or in this case science). I enjoy reading about science but I wondered whether I would end up skipping the science in favour of the story, being curious, I bought the book anyway.
I needn't have worried. The story itself is an enjoyable Discworld short, but I quickly realised I wouldn't be skipping chapters here. TSOTD covers everything from cosmology to evolution to chaos theory to interstellar travel. This is a book I am better off for reading; difficult concepts are explained in an understandable way without the reader ever feeling patronised. The authors make it clear that there are times where they are lying to you, but they are lying in a way that lets you see what the truth should look like. As I was reading the book I realised that there was something missing, yet the book was better off for it. It was not until some time after I had finished that I realised the underlying pessimism or current of doom so prevalent in other science stories was missing here. Unlike other books involving a discussion of future science when I closed this book I didn't have to wonder why I got out of bed that morning.
As has been said in other reviews The Science of the Discworld is not a normal Discworld book. The only comparison I can think of is to Sophie's World wherein chapters alternate between fiction and philosophy (or in this case science). I enjoy reading about science but I wondered whether I would end up skipping the science in favour of the story, being curious, I bought the book anyway.
I needn't have worried. The story itself is an enjoyable Discworld short, but I quickly realised I wouldn't be skipping chapters here. TSOTD covers everything from cosmology to evolution to chaos theory to interstellar travel. This is a book I am better off for reading; difficult concepts are explained in an understandable way without the reader ever feeling patronised. The authors make it clear that there are times where they are lying to you, but they are lying in a way that lets you see what the truth should look like. As I was reading the book I realised that there was something missing, yet the book was better off for it. It was not until some time after I had finished that I realised the underlying pessimism or current of doom so prevalent in other science stories was missing here. Unlike other books involving a discussion of future science when I closed this book I didn't have to wonder why I got out of bed that morning.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book has far less of Terry Pratchett's work in it that you may expect from the cover. It is not a Discworld book. What it is, however, is a very good, and compelling book on the state of science today.
The two 'co-writers' who actually wrote most of this book are both thought-provoking science writers. They understand that you have been taught certain "lies-to-children" (simplifications that make science teachable) at school, and break these, replacing them with today's cutting-edge science.
The 'Discworld' aspect of this book is short interleaved chapters written by Terry, to fit the 'story' of the science, and the fact that the 'real' science writers can share a few 'in jokes' with the reader.
Closer to 'A Brief History of Time' than 'Men At Arms', 'The Science of Discworld' should appeal to anyone with a real interest in how the world in which we live came to be, and how it works.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Needs further updating and revision
I read a copy a few years ago and recently bought my own to complete a collection. It is a good read and an interesting introduction to some concepts. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Mr. K. Hayfield
Service and smiles
First, UK booksellers are much faster than those in my home state. Second, UK satire is brainy and brilliant. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Albert P.Brewster
Nice divulgation.
This book is a nice piece of science divulgation. I have used successfully some of this material in a medical symposium, where I had to speak about evidence based madicine, so for... Read more
Published 6 months ago by RAMON
the science of discworld
yet another essential read for discworld fans, this is not your usual outing into the world of mad wizards, instead its part story and part background, all in all still worth... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2010 by hobojock
Unfortunately, a great disappointment
To keep it short: it's Dawkinist propaganda. There's much LESS science than politics in the book; it was written solely as a pamphlet of the author's views on what they want people... Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2010 by Jessica
Interesting but not science of discworld
The format is part Discworld story, with all of Pratchett's usual charm, and part a very long exposition about how ROUNDWORLD's physics works, not that of, well, Discworld. Read more
Published on 27 Oct 2009 by Mawgirl
Excellent book
Along with Science of Discworld II, a couple of the best science books ever written, but a fun story as well.
Published on 29 Oct 2008 by Mr. Simon R. Waters
MAGIC IS FICTION; PERIOD
As a scientist and a fan of Terry Pratchett's books I was intrigued by this book, but the authors soon went down the science IS magic route, first of all, by saying science can... Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2008 by Mr. C. M. Gallagher
Yet another excelent book!
Although a slight detour from the normal type of Discworld book, I found the combination of the story (which was great) and the explanations of the real science behind the story to... Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2008 by N. Grace
Boring
There are 336 pages in this book, 336 sentences would have covered it. The one star is for the cover and the index.
Published on 17 Oct 2007 by gronow
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