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Icarus at the Edge of Time
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Icarus at the Edge of Time

4.8 6
by Brian Greene
 

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From one of America's leading physicists—a moving and visually stunning futuristic reimagining of the Icarus fable written for kids and those journeying with them toward a deeper appreciation of the cosmos. With a minimum of words set on 34 full color boardbook pages, Icarus travels not to the sun, but to a black hole, and in so doing poignantly dramatizes one
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Overview

From one of America's leading physicists—a moving and visually stunning futuristic reimagining of the Icarus fable written for kids and those journeying with them toward a deeper appreciation of the cosmos. With a minimum of words set on 34 full color boardbook pages, Icarus travels not to the sun, but to a black hole, and in so doing poignantly dramatizes one of Einstein's greatest insights.

Unlike anything Brian Greene has previously written, Icarus at the Edge of Time uses the power of story, not pedagogy, to communicate viscerally one small part of the strange reality that has emerged from modern physics. Designed by Chip Kidd, with spectacular images from the Hubble Space Telescope, it's a short story that speaks to curiosity and wisdom in a universe we've only begun to fathom.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
“Terrific . . . Page after page shows gorgeous, swirling color set in the blackness of infinity . . . Against these stunning visuals is a retelling of the classical myth of Icarus.”
–Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal

“Do your part to get kids psyched about science with physicist Brian Greene’s Icarus at the Edge of Time, a futuristic fable that will take you and your budding scientists to the ends of the universe and back. Full-color photos from the Hubble Space Telescope bring the beauty of the cosmos right to your fingertips.”
–Parade Magazine

“A perfect book for smart parents to read to smart children. Plus, it will make all concerned even smarter.”
–Tim Follos, Washington Post Express

“Moving and successful . . . Beautifully illustrated . . . The images frame the deep and complex thought at the heart of the tale . . . [Greene] weaves the wonder of modern physics through the fabric of his story–and thus enables his readers to confront its strangeness themselves.”
–Thomas Levenson, Seed Magazine

Publishers Weekly
Be forewarned: this is not like anything else the bestselling physicist Greene (The Elegant Universe) has written. Nor is it a children's book, though it looks like one, with simple, didactic text and Chip Kidd's design for spectacular photos, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, of nebulae, galaxies and other cosmic phenomena, all on thick board. So what is this strange book? According to the publishers, it's a science title, but really it's a retelling of the myth of Icarus for the Star Wars generation. In Greene's version, Icarus, like his father, will live out his life on the starship Proxima, headed on a 23-trillion-mile journey to a planet that had sent intelligible radio signals to Earth. But the 14-year-old yearns to escape the Proxima's confines. So he gears up his Runabout-with a "micro-warp-drive engine" of his own design-and flits nimbly to the edge, not of the Sun, but of a black hole. But Icarus has forgotten about gravity's ability to warp time, and he will never reunite with his father or the Proxima again. Greene's impulsive teenager embodies well our insatiable desire to explore the universe, and Greene offers an ingenious transposition of the Icarus myth for the modern era. Yet the lesson Greene wants readers to take away is unclear: rather than dying, this Icarus is granted a stunning, if unbelievably optimistic, view of the future.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:
9780307268884
Publisher:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:
09/02/2008
Pages:
34
Product dimensions:
9.00(w) x 11.90(h) x 0.90(d)

Meet the Author

Brian Greene is the author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos. He was educated at Harvard University and at Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. In 1996, he joined Columbia University as a professor of physics and mathematics. He has lectured at both a general and a technical level around the world and is internationally acknowledged for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory. In May 2008 he’ll be chairing the first annual World Science Festival, a gathering of the world’s leading scientists in New York City. Brian Greene lives in Andes, New York, and New York City.

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Icarus at the Edge of Time 4.8 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 6 reviews.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
Jacques-Conejo More than 1 year ago
"Icarus at the Edge of Time" is a terrific book for adults, for youngsters, and for shared reading... Brian Greene expresses some of the varied perceptions and dynamics of "time" - it entertains those who already recognize "time" in flexible terms, and opens new doors of perception for those who haven't... Bravo!
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
melmiller More than 1 year ago
My son is 4 years old and is intrigued by anything with the universe and galaxies. I bought this book for him and he loves it. It's a wonderful book to explain in simple terms to children about Science. It gets their attention because of the way it is written. They can imagine themselves being on the way to a black hole in the universe. It helps their imagination and it helps them develop their own story in their heads. Highly recommended for children that are interested in the Universe.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
This book, featured on National Public Radio, helps explain the relativity of the 4th dimension, time. Although, that subject can be quite hard to understand, Brian Greene makes it easy with Icarus's space journey. Perfect for children who like space stories, and adults alike.