Helgoland

Popular science has rarely been so good

Prospect

Theoretical physics often feels rather mystical. This mind-bending, lively book by the bestselling physicist Carlo Rovelli reinforces that other-wordly feeling. . . unforgettable

The Times

Travelogue meets biography meets a masterful explanation of quantum theory in this warm and fascinating account

Guardian

A great tonic for long-isolated minds . . . a thrilling story, written with Rovelli's accustomed wit and panache. After reading him, you'll look at the grains of beach sand between your toes with an entirely new eye

Irish Independent

Rovelli is often called the poet of physics. He writes elegant, wondering, enlarging books on time and quantum theory, much in the spirit of a priest bringing the word of God to his congregation, and I've found it good for my soul to be confronted with how little I understand the world and everything in it

Sarah Perry, Guardian

The greatest populariser of physics today. . . We are left in a world that is not disenchanted by science, but even more magical. A triumph

Julian Baggini, Financial Times

His most beautiful book yet. . . leaves an unforgettable impression of its author as a man struggling at the furthest limits of human comprehension

James Marriot, The Times

Another brilliant book by Rovelli. . . You'll have fun

Clive Cookson, Financial Times

A deep-thinking, restlessly inquiring spirit. . . His books continue a tradition of popular scientific writing from Galileo to Darwin that disappeared in the academic specialisations of the past century

Ian Thomson, Observer

One of the warmest, most elegant and most lucid interpreters of the dazzling enigmas of his discipline. . . A momentous book

John Banville, Wall Street Journal

If anyone can make sense of the topsy-turvy, counterintuitive world of quantum physics, it is Carlo Rovelli, the most poetically minded of today's science communicators

The Times

A remarkably wide-ranging new meditation on quantum theory. . . With the light touch of a skilled storyteller. . . Rovelli is not afraid to mix quantum physics and eastern philosophy

Manjit Kumar, Guardian

Inspiring. . . Without mathematics or experiment, by page 81 your thoughts are at the frontier of quantum theory

Alexander Masters, Spectator

A delight . . . it is a pleasure to travel in Rovelli's company

New Statesman

Explained with uncanny insight and lyrical grace

Time

A new vision, one with a remarkable power in delivering new answers to old quantum riddles. . . original and graceful

Jenann T. Ismael, TLS

Bracing and refreshing. . . Rovelli is offering a new way to understand not just the world but our place in it, too

NPR

Carlo Rovelli is a genius and an amazing communicator. . . What I love about his writing is that it always comes back to people -- people interacting with other people, who are interacting with their world. This is the place where science comes to life

Neil Gaiman

When life feels strange, Rovelli's books remind me that there is beauty in the strangeness

Johny Pitts

Rovelli is a brilliant and lucid teacher who uses his understanding of theoretical physics and the quantum world to talk about the complexity of our everyday reality

Russell Brand

Carlo Rovelli's imaginative rigour, his lively humour and his beautiful writing are inspiring

Erica Wagner

Rovelli opens windows onto the imagination for all of us

Antony Gormley

I always find with Carlo Rovelli's books that there are moments when you get a real hit of understanding -- a jigsaw in your mind that just falls into place

Robin Ince

Helgoland is a wonderful guide to the most extraordinary story in physics. It will reset your view of the universe

Marcus du Sautoy

The old, solid world, if you believed in it at all, breaks into a glorious shimmer of limitless potential

Brian Morton, Tablet

Rovelli has an uncanny knack for instilling wonder and explaining complex theories in plain, entertaining ways

Irish Times

I'm keen for everyone to read Helgoland: a wonderfully lucid and poetic account of the foundations of quantum physics. It combines a compelling history with Rovelli's own intriguing - and for me very appealing - views about the basis of all things

Anil Seth, author of Being You

Hooked me so hard I read the entire book in one sitting. And then twice more

Lisa Feldman Barrett, Chronicle of Higher Education