The Magic of Reality

By: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

What are things made of? What is the sun? Why is there night and day, winter and summer? Why do bad things happen? Are we alone?

Throughout history people all over the world have invented stories to answer profound questions such as these. Have you heard the tale of how the sun hatched out of an emu’s egg? Or what about the great catfish that carries the world on its back? Has anyone ever told you that earthquakes are caused by a sneezing giant? These fantastical myths are fun – but what is the real answer to such questions?

The Magic of Reality, with its explanations of space, time, evolution and more, will inspire and amaze readers of all ages - young adults, adults, children, octogenarians. Teaming up with the renowned illustrator Dave McKean, Richard Dawkins answers all these questions and many more. In stunning words and pictures this book presents the real story of the world around us, taking us on an enthralling journey through scientific reality, and showing that it has an awe-inspiring beauty and thrilling magic which far exceed those of the ancient myths. We encounter rainbows, earthquakes, tsunamis, shooting stars, plants, animals, and an intriguing cast of characters in this extraordinary scientific voyage of discovery. Richard Dawkins and Dave McKean have created a dazzling celebration of our planet that will entertain and inform for years to come.

©2011 Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward (P)2011 Random House Audiobooks

Magical Listen for all ages

The Magic of Reality is positioned as a book for children and teens, and compared to the complex biology of most of Dawkins' other books and the vehement arguments of The God Delusion, this is certainly his most accessible of books. But it would be a mistake to think this book is only for younger listeners. It is certainly accessible to them and includes a number of delightful anecdotes and analogies that take complicated ideas from the world of science and make them intelligible to all. But is remains entirely true to the complex laws of the natural world it is concerned with and thus is fascinating listening for all ages. I loved the way each chapter, which centres around a central question or concern, begins by looking at how humans in different eras and on different continents have tried to make sense of this issue. What is the sun? How has the sun been understood through the ages? What do we, with the benefit of modern science, understand the sun to be now? The scientific process is also masterfully explained. The narration is clear and enticing. This makes for a wonderful present for children and teens and, indeed, for adults.

FANTASTIC!!

Absolutely loved this book. Richard has a way of explaining things in great detail without it be boring. Didn't want the book to end.

Splendid and good for the brain

Compared to the Selfish Gene, this was much easier to understand and many simple examples are cite. Overall, this is a good book that in classic Dawkin's style raises some logical questions that anyone with a sense of logic and science would appreciate.

Great for people w/o a science background

This book mostly covers high school science. Great if you need a refresher, or if you'd like to revisit the basics with a new appreciation. I was personally hoping for a little more in terms of depth, and the wonder invoked.

Fun listen

What did you love best about The Magic of Reality?

Was a great laugh listening to Dawkins dryly explaining why fairy tales like "a pumpkin turning into a stage coach" cannot actually happen. But still had me thinking about some of these topics a bit more than I had to date.

Instructive, but not condescending

Would you consider the audio edition of The Magic of Reality to be better than the print version?

I have not yet read the print version, so it's hard to say. I really enjoyed the narration by Dawkins and Ward, but I also feel that it would be good to own a copy of this book, given that it contains many illustrations that may help clarify some of the concepts.

What did you like best about this story?

Dawkins' 'thought experiments' (you'll see/hear!).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It did what it set out to do, which was to make me feel astonished about "everyday events", such as rainbows, without attributing the phenomena to any kinds of supernatural causes.

Any additional comments?

If you're looking to learn more about the basic principles/explanations underlying the natural world, then this is a good place to start. Dawkins has a great ability to explain a concept so that the reader/listener can sufficiently understand it without him resorting to being condescending. Also, whenever he goes outside of his area of expertise, evolutionary biology, he emphasises this, thus the listener is assured that they are not being misled.

Another wonderful book from Richard Dawkins

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would whole heartedly recommend this book and especially this audio version narrated by Richard and his wife, Lala.
I am a biomedical scientist by profession so I thought the content, aimed as it is at 12 yr. olds and up, would be a bit basic. I was, however, pleasantly surprised at how much I learnt. Richard's beautiful prose style makes any book written by him a pleasure to read, but this book is especially charming and it keeps your attention eagerly fixed, as Richard and Lala demystify topic after topic with a sweeping coverage of the basics of science.
Having listened now to several audio books I can honestly say that the effortless way that Richard and Lala read to you is a welcome exception to the rule, and leaves you wishing that they would read aloud all of the books in your audio library.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The alternating voices of Richard and Lala worked very well and enabled me to listen for much longer in one session than I would normally.

Which scene was your favorite?

I thought that the way that Dawkins introduced each myth with its corollary explanation in several major religious texts, will do a lot to dispel the notion in children's heads that the Christian myths are in any way special or unique.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The insistence on following evidence to where it leads whether you like the result or not I thought was a truly important message for our children in these times of conspiracy theories and religious obscurantism.

Any additional comments?

Read it and then get your children to read it and maybe there will a future for us all.

Dawkins for Teens

This is a children’s book I guess, probably aimed at educated youngsters in their mid-teens, but I still found it very informative and enjoyable in my mid-50s. I’ve read so many Dawkins books now that it felt like a déjà vu jigsaw puzzle of little pieces from his other works, but I didn’t mind because I’m sort of addicted to his brilliant powers of reason and explanation, and I like the fact that he always narrates his own audiobooks.

This book is a very brief attempt at explaining life, the universe and everything; a concise version of Bill Bryson’s Short History of Nearly Everything, but with a definite Dawkinsian agenda and edge to it.

One, relatively innocent, aim of this book is to teach people the value of science and the use of reasoning to determine what is true, or real, and what is not. The other aim of this book is a bit more unusual; it is to emphasize that in all societies throughout human history people have created myths to explain natural phenomena such as the sun, earthquakes, rainbows, animals and humans. Nowadays, however, we have science to explain all this. Dawkins debunks a whole swath of creation myths from obscure tribes from around the World, knowing that his audience will have no problem in seeing that they are obviously just made-up nonsense - and then, without skipping a beat, he nonchalantly dismisses the central tenets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as if they, too, are just far-fetched, fanciful fairy stories.

I’m perfectly happy with this, as I’m comfortable with the fact that there was no Adam and Eve, that God didn’t create the world in seven days, that Jesus wasn’t born of a Virgin, didn’t perform miracles, and may not have even existed. But there are lots of people who would find this book to be highly offensive atheist propaganda, an attempt to contaminate vulnerable young minds with heretical beliefs.

I don’t suppose we’ll be seeing this book in the school libraries of the Bible Belt any day soon, but, if you’re comfortable with religious skepticism, you’ll find it an enjoyable book.

I can't say enough good things about this book.

The topic is close to my heart. The authors are favourites of mine. With the book being audible we were treated to hearing their own emotional attachment to the subject. I couldn't get enough and will be giving it a second run through very shortly. Highly recommended for anyone who loves reality and reason.

nurtures your curiosity!

I like the style of this book, the story telling and myth buster style helps put the science behind reality into the context of our daily lives and break those silly asumptions we make about the nature of reality when we don't know better.