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Death by Black Hole
- And Other Cosmic Quandaries
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
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Death by Black Hole
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Publisher's Summary
“[Tyson] tackles a great range of subjects…with great humor, humility, and—most important—humanity.” —Entertainment Weekly
Neil deGrasse Tyson has a talent for guiding readers through the mysteries of outer space with stunning clarity and almost childlike enthusiasm. Here, Tyson compiles his favorite essays that he wrote for Natural History magazine across a myriad of cosmic topics, from astral life at the frontiers of astrobiology to the movie industry’s feeble efforts to get its night skies right.
Tyson introduces us to the physics of black holes by explaining the gory details of what would happen to our bodies if we fell into one, examining the needless friction between science and religion in the context of historical conflicts, and noting Earth’s progression to “an insignificantly small speck in the cosmos.”
Renowned for his ability to blend content, accessibility, and humor, Tyson is a natural teacher who simplifies some of the most complex concepts in astrophysics while sharing his infectious excitement for our universe.
What the critics say
"Tyson takes readers on an exciting journey from Earth's hot springs...to the universe's farthest reaches....witty and entertaining." (Publishers Weekly)
"Smoothly entertaining, full of fascinating tidbits, and frequently humorous, these essays show Tyson as one of today's best popularizers of science." (Kirkus Reviews)
"[Tyson] demonstrates a good feel for explaining science in an intelligible way to interested lay readers; his rather rakish sense of humor should aid in making the book enjoyable." (Library Journal)
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What listeners say about Death by Black Hole
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Allison
- 2023-06-14
Great book !!
I thought the subtle incorporation of humour in this text made it easier to digest as i am not an astrophysicist or even an adult. I’m a 16 year old girl with adhd and this piece rarely bored me.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- don
- 2022-12-26
Strayed far from the title.
Very informative and well presented. That said the majority of the book is only distantly related to black holes. Still a good listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Danny Erickson
- 2019-10-31
second favorite book
this is an amazing book second only to "welcome to the universe" highly reccomend both.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- 101
- 2019-04-10
Lackluster
Found the title kind of boring. It was a bit of a disappointment. I like Neil deGrasse Tyson, but I just coudn't get into this book. I'd give it a pass.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Aarik
- 2019-02-06
Great general book of science.
Great book on a wide assorted range of topics. I felt it was quite an unfocussed book of Dr.Tyson. I loved his other books. Despite the title, it has surprisingly less to do with Black holes. Please just half a chapter. In any case, the final few chapters are the best parts of the book. Worth a read, but not a "must read".
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Deep
- 2017-12-16
truly amazing
I will be there at the same time I don't have a car so I can get a ride
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Sarda
- 2007-04-19
Well worth the time
I read a lot of popular science and I really appreciate a well read, well written, presentation of the information. The author, a good choice for reading his own book, gives flavor and enthusiasm to his reading. He knows where he wants the emphasis and conveys his own excitement of the subject with his voice.
This is a basic introduction to the subject of astrophysics, and thus presents no mind-boggling discoveries to those who read or watch this subject closely. He does, however, answer many questions, sometime with speculation, which he freely admits, which I have been asking most of my life.
I listened to this book while I worked around the house, and my reluctance to stop listening gave me the opportunity to get lots of work done in the yard.
I highly recommend the book.
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44 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Lind
- 2007-05-25
Well written and well read
Neil deGrasse Tyson presents this complex subject in a clear and gripping way. The reader,Dion Graham, has just the right pace and inflection to keep your attention. Normally, this subject requires diagrams to clarify what is being said but this presentation is clear without them.
An absorbing book that I look forward to hearing again.
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32 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Brad
- 2007-04-10
A decent alternate perspective
The author adequately provided an alternate perspective on many issues facing the scientific community and succeeded in being an enjoyable distration from the daily commute. The only reason this didnt get 5 stars from me was because of the obvious prejudice he demonstrated against Creationism. The author would have been better served had he left out that chapter as I feel he lost a good deal of his objectivity in favor of his dislike for Creationist on the cutting room floor. Up to the final chapter where he expressed more feeling than fact, I would say this is an excellent book. Definately worth the credits if you enjoy science.
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31 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Jason
- 2008-10-07
Tyson dishes it up and up...good show!
Tyson is an authoratative television personality who also has a great grasp of physics and the universe. This book had such a catchy title, how could I have even passed it up?
While being much more approachable in terms of use of analogy to explain very complex scientific concepts, it is also a sounding board for Tyson to rant on a few topics that drive him crazy about popular culture's views of science.
That said, it was a very fun book and well worth the money. Tyson is fun to listen to and his thoughts travel smoothly from point to point. He introduced me to some new information that I, even as an avid reader of all things science, had not known.
The only thing that could have made this book even stronger, perhaps, would be expansion on some of the scientific thoughts for those of us more versed in science. But Tyson's strength is reaching the common man, and so I wasn't surprised that occasionally very in-depth accounting of scientific preceps didn't meet my voracious appetite's needs.
I'll definitely be re-listening to this every now and again, though. It's wonderful for sitting outside and staring at the amazing sky. Bravo :)
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26 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jim "The Impatient"
- 2014-02-16
A Boy And His Stick
This is a group of Essays written at different times. This leads to him repeating himself several times. If you did not understand a concept the first time, chances are you will hear it again. I think I heard that Drake came up with the Goldilocks scenario about five times. I found it a bit annoying that he would rant and rave about movie directors, TV producers and even Jodi Foster, saying they should have gotten every nuance correct, when his own book had so many repeats. Sometimes he would say "as mentioned earlier" but, most of the time it was presented as new material.
Thou Doest Protest To Much.
His ranting and raving about shows and movies went on for hours and is done at least twice in the book. Mention it and let's move on.
Since it is different essays, you may enjoy some parts better then others. For instance, every time I hear Boson or Quirks, my brain freezes, but when talking about Galaxies, Quasars, Suns, the expanding Universe etc.., I am all ears. Some parts read like math word problems and some parts are Oh Wow!. I learned a few things and that is the most important thing to me. I came away knowing stuff I did not know before, so cool.
I thought the narrator was great.
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19 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- John
- 2008-04-15
Text 5, Narration 1
My star rating is an average of individual ratings for the author and the narrator. Taken for what it is, an anthology of essays, this book gives a good overview of many topics in astrophysics and science in general. As others have noted, if you are familiar with the current state of affairs, there will be little new to you. Tyson is clearly the heir apparent to Carl Sagan as popularizer of science. Someone should have provided the narrator with a pronunciation guide, though. To say that he pronounced non-English names and titles in a sometimes "non-standard" way would be charitable. The thing that set my nerves on edge the most was everytime he referred to the Apollo launch vehicle, the venerable "Saturn V", as the "Saturn Vee", not realizing that the "V" was a Roman numeral and the rocket was called the "Saturn 5". I never got the feeling the reader really understood what he was talking about and, therefore, all the excitement and emotion of Tyson's words came out as flat and forced. Too bad.
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17 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 2007-05-08
Reeaalllyy Bad Narration
Hi. For those who know what I'm talking about - its clear that this narrator has either no a)Interest in or b) Ability to speak in the proper tone about physics and astronomy. The guy narrates it like he's reading Sports Illustrated....his tone is all wrong. Listen to the "Short History of Nearly Everything" sample or "Pulp Physics" to see what good narration can do for a book.
Listen to this book to hear what bad narration can do. I'm not saying the guy is a bad narrator - but his vocal characterisations just AREN'T APPROPRIATE for this type of book.
I've listened to every physics/astronomy book on this site - and I've learned its very difficult to narrate one in an interesting and authoritative way, especially if you aren't a technical person. But pass on this one, it will drive you NUTS!
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17 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Charles
- 2008-10-01
Great for an introduction to space and astronomy
This is a great read for those looking to get an introduction to Space and Astronomy. The presentation bounces around lots of fascinating space facts and theories that keep you captivated. Even if you are not new to space, astronomy and the solar system, this is a great read. I found myself enjoying the many things I didn't know before and discovering space a new.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- CFS
- 2007-10-27
Hard to put down
Of the scientific book I listened to lately, this one was probably one of the best. Not just did it provide a comprehensible excursion through astrophysics, it also provided insights into other areas of the physical world and was intellectually quite stimulating...to the point where I had to write an E-mail to the author to ask a question about something I did not understand in the book...and the E-mail was promptly answered by a member of his lab...well worth the read!
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Malcolm
- 2007-12-04
A good listen
Very enjoyable, offers brief explanations the sciences behind the objects which we use in everyday life as well as understandable clarifications of the findings in todays scientific frontiers. The author has a gift for making humorous and enlightening analogies and the narrator has an engaging voice. This is an audible offering I shall listen to many times.
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13 people found this helpful