Preview
  • The Black Hole War

  • My Battle to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics
  • By: Leonard Susskind
  • Narrated by: Ray Porter
  • Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,084 ratings)

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The Black Hole War

By: Leonard Susskind
Narrated by: Ray Porter
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Publisher's summary

What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decades ago, a young physicist named Stephen Hawking claimed that it did - and in doing so, put at risk everything we know about the fundamental laws of the universe. Leonard Susskind and Gerard 't Hooft realized the threat and responded with a counterattack that changed the course of physics.

The Black Hole War is the thrilling story of their united effort to reconcile Hawking's theories of black holes with their own sense of reality, an effort that would eventually result in Hawking admitting he was wrong and Susskind and 't Hooft realizing that our world is a hologram projected from the outer boundaries of space.

A brilliant book about the deepest mysteries of modern physics, The Black Hole War is mind-bending and exhilarating listening.

©2008 Leonard Susskind (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Black Hole War

Average customer ratings
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Amazing! I loved it!

Since finishing This masterpiece, I played roulette! Randomly spinning the chapter listing and picking a chapter to listen to! it was difficult for me to put down.

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More than just black holes

I guess it makes sense after listening to the book but I got more than I expected. Black holes force people to consider both quantum mechanics and gravity. So you get a little quantum mechanics, relativity as well as the history of the people/ideas involved. Very much enjoyed it.

Plus Ray Porter is one of the best narrators there is, imo.

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A great read to open your horizon to Black Holes

Very well written and the author tried to explain extremely complex concepts in simple ways. I must admit that at times I used to get lost but couldn't stop listening.
I loved thae narration, very engaging.
All in all a job well done.
Syed Razmi

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Turn Pager with forward thinking with incredible relevance!

Leonard's life's passion, friendships and solid values allows the reader to take one of the greatest rides and fly close to the sun with so many of the great physicist of our time. I have read close to 100 books on this and or related topics and Leonard's sensibilities and abilities to articulate very complex concepts in an entertaining and informative!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not the best book for an “audiobook”

I like Leonard Susskind, but I never realized how important those diagrams are until I read the physical copy of this book. That being said: I love how he does not “dumb down” the material present in the book. however, there is a lot of him “hamming it up” and the book could have been compressed to about 8hrs

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Awesome

Awesome as expected... a bit vain, but fantastic writing, narration, and story.. sometimes mind bending, but worth the trip. highly recommend and looking for more...

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great book Very educational

loved it, the physics was written in a way that was very easy to understand

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The universal battle royale

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

Absolutely, this book is excellent. It does an incredible job telling the story of science, professional relationships, the capacity of the human mind to understand, and foreshadows important areas of study in the upcoming century.

What did you like best about this story?

The human relationships involved within scientific discovery were fascinating.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, there were discussions that required a bit of reflection before I could continue.

Any additional comments?

This is one of the best books I have ever read/heard. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in science and human achievement.

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Wonderful and accessible physics book

I’m no physicist, but I enjoy exploring the ideas in theoretical physics. The black hole war is a wonderful journey into theoretical physics that isn’t dumbed down, but is still presented in an understandable and entertaining way. Leonard Susskind’s unique voice and personality comes through wonderfully through the narrator.

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breathtaking

The book was very well written and was breathtaking; and also yhe narrator deserves special mention and commendation.

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2 people found this helpful