Steven S. Gubser (1972–2019)

Little (and only lightly mathematical) the book may be, but it is far from superficial. General readers will learn much more (about, e.g., black-hole entropy and the astonishing theories regarding the interiors of spinning black holes) than they could from many other accounts (e.g., Janna Levin's recent, visually dazzling, 2-hour _Nova_ episode). If I had to say something negative about the book, it would be that at least one of the authors is a "whicher" when it comes to restrictive relative clauses.… (más)

The bad news: some of Gubser's descriptions are quite baffling and confusing, even in the context of such relatively familiar string-theory concepts as D-branes. The good news: he mentions a lot of concepts (tachyon condensation, solitonic 5-branes, fermionic dimensions, five-color gauge symmetry, ...) one would be hard-pressed to find in any other popular-level account. Deciding, as I almost did, to skip this slim volume on the grounds that I had already read Musser's admirable "complete idiot's guide" on the subject would have been a big mistake.… (más)