Forces of Nature by Professor Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen – An Audio Book Review

Blurb: 

A breathtaking and beautiful exploration of our planet, this groundbreaking audiobook accompanies the BBC One TV series, providing the deepest answers to the simplest questions.

‘What is motion?’

‘Why is every snowflake different?’

‘Why is life symmetrical?’

To answer these and many other questions, Professor Brian Cox uncovers some of the most extraordinary natural events on Earth and in the universe and beyond.

From the immensity of the universe and the roundness of Earth to the form of every single snowflake, the forces of nature shape everything we see. Pushed to extremes, the results are astonishing. In seeking to understand the everyday world, the colours, structure, behaviour and history of our home, we develop the knowledge and techniques necessary to step beyond the everyday and approach the universe beyond.

Forces of Nature takes you to the great plains of the Serengeti, the volcanoes of Indonesia and the precipitous cliffs in Nepal to the humpback whales of the Caribbean and the northern lights of the Arctic. Brian will answer questions on Earth that will illuminate our understanding of the universe.

Think you know our planet?

Think again.

Author: Professor Brian Cox & Andrew Cohen

Narrator: Samuel West

Publisher: Harper Collins

Running Time: 7hrs 15mins

Audio Release Date: 09/03/2017

Genre: Non-Fiction

My Rating of ‘Forces of Nature’: 5 out of 5

Purchase: Audible, Amazon

Review:

I’ll not make this an overly long review as I’m no scientist and, therefor, not qualified to delve into this into too much detail. 

As I said, I am no scientist, but this book does not require you to be one. It simply requires that you have a curious mind as to how everything works and an urge to dive a tad deeper than simply being curious. The science in this book is accessible to anyone. There are, obviously, times when it does advance a tad, but for the most part it’s kept at a level where anyone can pick it up and feel like they’re along for the ride rather than simply nodding, smiling and waiting for the smart men with the big words to go away and leave you in peace.

The writing style is very witty and engaging, something that a lot of science books I’ve tried either attempt and don’t do very well, fail at all together, or simply do not try. In the case of the latter, it’s hardly their fault. Most scientists write for other scientists so assume all the big words and equations are understood (thankfully Cox and Cohen aren’t solely of that school of thought).

I enjoyed this from start to finish and was thoroughly upset when it ended. I wanted there to be more, more, more. But, that’s what these books are designed to do: give you a taste for the main course; a main course you need to track down and devour on your own, as opposed to being spoon fed here.

If you’ve the slightest curiosity about the world, solar system and universe around you, I’d highly recommend picking up this book (and others like it). Some of the things in here opened my eyes to different ways of seeing the world and I look forward to diving into more of their work to continue that journey.

Samuel West’s narration is utterly brilliant. It makes the witty, far more so and adds to the enjoyability factor knowing he was the narrator who did the original show. If that man was reading me the instructions to a microwave oven I’d sit down, take note and expect to enjoy it.