Once Before Time

A Whole Story of the Universe

By: Martin Bojowald

Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley

In 2000, Martin Bojowald, then a 27-year-old post-doc at Pennsylvania State University, used a relatively new theory called loop quantum gravity - a cunning combination of Einstein’s theory of gravity with quantum mechanics - to create a simple model of the Universe. Loop quantum cosmology was born, and with it, a theory that managed to do something even Einstein’s general theory of relativity had failed to do - illuminate the very birth of the Universe.

Ever since, loop quantum cosmology, or LQC, has been tantalizing physicists with the idea that our universe could conceivably have emerged from the collapse of a previous one. Now the theory is poised to formulate hypotheses we can actually test. If they are verified, the big bang will give way to the big bounce. Instead of a Universe that emerged from a point of infinite density, we will have one that recycles, possibly through an eternal series of expansions and contractions, with no beginning and no end.

Bojowald’s major realization was that unlike general relativity, the physics of LQC do not break down at the big bang. The greatest mystery surrounding the origin of the Universe is what cosmologists call the big bang “singularity” - the point at the beginning of the Universe, prior to the existence of space and time, when gravity, along with the temperature and density of the universe, becomes infinite. The equations of general relativity can’t cope with such infinities, and as a result big bang theory has never been able to give any explanation for the initial condition of our universe, succeeding only in describing and explaining the evolution of the Universe from that instant onward. Bojowald’s theory takes us right up to the first moment of the Universe - and then back, even before the big bang itself.

©2010 Martin Bojowald (P)2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Bojowald largely avoids mathematics for accessibility, but that can leave his writing dense with rigor as he strives to cover 'the Whole Story.' Readers willing to meet his challenge will find a fascinating new universe revealed by his enthusiastic firsthand approach." ( Publishers Weekly)

An Excellent Book

This is a five star book and the reader I found to be very good.

I have listened to many books on cosmology and quantum mechanics and this book is a must ???listen??? and read book.

I have most of the books I listen to on this subject and this book without hesitation will be added to my library.

felt like cowley was on Xanax when he read it

Would you try another book from Martin Bojowald and/or Jonathan Cowley?

Maybe if its edited better. E.g. footnote footnote footnote . I like what Bojowald is trying to say its just lifeless and needs an editor badly

What do you think your next listen will be?

I'm looking. There's not enough good books in this category

How could the performance have been better?

he did a great job in bad science. This was unacceptable

Any additional comments?

those with any type of ADD/ADHD need not attempt unless you want to constantly hit the replay button.

Once Before Time: A Whole Story of the Universe

Would you consider the audio edition of Once Before Time to be better than the print version?

No

Who was your favorite character and why?

...

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Unfortunately, the narrator ruined a very interesting book! I was warned about this issue by several reviews, but I wanted to try it myself....

Difficult Listen

I had to force myself to continue through this dry, disconnected, footnote riddled and meandering discourse. Very difficult to stay focused on what the author was explaining as the discourse bounced from technical ,to philosophical, to who got a nobel prize, to who published, what Greek's thought to what is thought of today. I lost the thread some place in this author's maze. If you know what existed before the big bang it all be very clear - otherwise listen to something else.

Monotonous, Droning Narrator

The narrator sounds like a computer voice reader with an Australian accent. The voice detracts from what may be an interesting book.

Decent Subject, But Narrator Ruins It All

Well, it was just a matter of time. This is my first review after 16 audiobooks from Audible.com. I regret that it is a negative review. What I mean is that the subject matter seems different enough and relatively (a very slight pun there) interesting, but I cannot suffer through another hour of the narrator. My gosh, I have listened to books on several subjects ranging from Augustus to The Edge of Physics and have enjoyed them all in one way or another, but this book is just awful given the way it is narrated. Jonathan Cowley could not have made a book more boring if he had tried (although one gets the feeling that he did try to make it so). The narration is a constant monotone with no emphasis whatsoever on any part of the text. And to add insult to injury, he reads so S-L-O-W that the listener loses interest. It ofter seems that the narration was a first take--either that or the sound engineer and director were bored to sleep because of lack of interest in the subject matter. Sadly, the robot voice from the NWS has more inflexion. I don't know how this guy made it through the editing process, if there was one. Anyway, it is a real shame that someone who appears to be a good author with a very difficult subject matter has their book ruined by a narrator with an uninteresting voice and annoying accent which is either real or terribly overdone. A mouthful of rocks wouldn't have interfered with the narrator's diction. I really am sorry to come down so hard on this guy, but after wasting $15 on this book I wanted to warn other potential purchasers. I hope that this fair warning is not censored by the reviewer of reviews. I have enjoyed a similar books: for example The Edge of Physis has a wonderful narrator. In a similar vein, the narrators of The Black Hole War and The Disappearing Spoon are also good. But be warned here, there are many other books on similar subjects which are much more enjoyable!