Funny and interesting. The style is very similar to the “What If” essays on the XKCD website – a mixture of scientific fact, acerbic wit and cartoonish humour. (Indeed, several of the chapters seem to be lifted directly from the original articles.)

I skipped a couple of chapters that I’d read before, but otherwise there was enough to keep me interested throughout. I particularly enjoyed the question about building a physical table of elements, and swimming in a radioactive fuel pool.

Firmly in the ‘pop science’ category – not one to read for the hard science, but for the entertainment value – a good way to spend two days of commuting.

(see all reviews)