The Science of Interstellar

You can expect a heady but well written dive into multiple scientific disciplines in this one. Kip Thorpe paints a more wholistic perspective of a film that was already sweeping in scale and scope. You finish with a new found respect and appreciation for the cast and crew for their preparation and commitment to making a film grounded in real science. Though some sections will have you questioning your basic intelligence, it’s enlightening to see what we really know and what remains to be discovered. Likewise optimism abounds at the potential of what future generations can discover if the current ones don’t ruin it for them. How fitting it was then that the first images from the James Webb telescope came out at the same time I finished this book. Those majestic vistas of the heavens will hopefully motivate many to pick up books like this one. That said, this breakdown is accessible to them but having a primer in basic physics and astronomy principles doesn’t hurt. The best part is that no matter what you don’t understand, the beauty of the film can fill in your imagination for you. Such a wonderful pairing this book and the movie.

I purchased the audio version of this book to listen to on a long flight home. I was convinced to purchase on based on my love of the movie and the books great review...boy did I get suckered!!! The author drones on and on with trivial details about completely speculative ideas and theories. The book was boring and painful to listen to. The description and reviews of this book state that it fills in the gaps in the movie, much as using deleted or extended scenes...this it doesn't do and I gain nothing more about the movie except maybe a headache from enduring such boredom!!! After listening to the book, I watched "The Science of Interstellar" extra on my copy of the movie. The extra was done in a documentary style and was quite fascinating with multiple speakers, visuals and most of all not spending to much time on trivials. Do yourself a favor and watch this instead of reading or listening to this book!!!

Although I freely admit that I didn't understand all of it, it was a fascinating read that explained many advanced concepts. The book was easy to follow and moved quickly without getting bogged down. Just thinking about some of the theories and ideas will keep you up late at night wondering what is possible. I highly recommend this book as well as the incredibly entertaining movie it was based on.

I applaud Kip Thorne for his outstanding work in helping the Nolan brothers put together a great movie deeply rooted in actual science and math. I am a theoretical science hobbist and found this book to be both approachable as well as fascinating. Understanding where they drew the line between science fact and science fiction (based on some scientific license) makes me crave more movies like Interstellar. Excellent read and can’t wait for a sequel… C’mon Chris, please!!

If you're an astrophysics nerd like myself then you won't get much new information. And if you're new to astrophysics then I don't think the explanations are clear enough. The author jumps around from topic to topic, which makes it hard to read. I'd skip this and grab one of the many science masterpieces out there.

Great book, theories explained well, easier to be understood(relatively). Enjoyed it

This book was beautifully written. It is absolutely mesmerizing in every way. Kip Thorne manages to explain some of the world’s most difficult and mind bending theories in a way for the average person to understand. The illustrative style of his writing is just breathtaking. If you are curious about the mysteries of the universe, this is the book for you. Kip will take you form the hard fact, to the educated guess, to the pure speculative, but never into a world that can be ruled out through scientific theory. That is the best part of this… it very well may be all possible!

I loved the film, and it is just made exponentially better reading this book after watching it. It does a great job to show how ambitious all of these ideas were, and how they were still tackled scientifically. It is also a beautiful illustration on a grand scale of how art and science can influence one another in facsinating ways that are mutually beneficial.

I bought this book as a primer to help me understand the science before I watched the movie. It’s helpful to know the movie is science fiction and not fantasy … there’s no sense writing a book to explain fantasy as “anything goes”! Reading the book allowed me to enjoy the movie without straining to understand the movie … that will come later after I’ve had a chance to discuss it with my movie-going partner.