View all 6 comments. Apr 18, Michael rated it really liked it. Another eclectic mix of science, philosophy and the madness of Discworld. This can be read purely for the entertainment value but dig a little deeper and there is some really thought provoking stuff here about the science of evolution, time and the Many World Theory. I loved the risks taken by the authors to state personal and sometimes political opinions. Full of surprises and highly recommended. I shall be reading number 4 in the series.
I think I've read too many of these Discworld stories embedded in abbreviated science discussions. I found myself wanting to skip the science and just get on with the tale. On the other hand, there was a chapter a really long one that explained string theory so I felt I had some actual understanding of it - well, almost.
I did like the story and can only imagine Darwin's confusion at encountering the Wizards of Unseen University. Jul 12, Craig Smith rated it it was amazing.
The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch - Wikipedia
Brilliant pretty much sums it up. Paci sa mi, ked vedci s chutou a gustom vyvracaju bludy, co vymysleli predchadzajuci vedci. Oct 29, Dane Cobain rated it it was amazing. I loved, loved, loved this book. What surprised me here was that I actually enjoyed the non-fiction parts more than the Discworld story that accompanied it. Aug 06, Molokov rated it liked it. Once again on this read through, we only covered the Discworld and not the Science chapters.
Unfortunately it treads a lot of the same ground as SoD2, with a different subject and different antagonist. And where SoD2 borrowed heavily from Lords and Ladies, this one borrows heavily from The Last Continent and Thief of Time - and the fact that ideas from other Discworld Once again on this read through, we only covered the Discworld and not the Science chapters. And where SoD2 borrowed heavily from Lords and Ladies, this one borrows heavily from The Last Continent and Thief of Time - and the fact that ideas from other Discworld novels are recycled makes the story here fall a little flat.
Still, as with the previous ones, it's good to get a bit more of the UU Wizards, especially as Rincewind plays a larger part in the proceedings, and he's always a good foil to Ridcully and Ponder Stibbons. Feb 20, Gil T. So with the Science of Discworld series, Terry Pratchett is educating people on all things physics, math, science, evolution and more. All this is done with the sense of humor found in all the Discworld books. Whether you want to learn or not the humor with this book is worth it, who knows you may learn a thing or two.
The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch
Jul 06, Tom Sims rated it liked it Shelves: Continuing from the previous two "science of This one covers Darwin, evolution, time travel, the concept of spacetime, the theoretical size of space itself, infinity, and actually gets too big in the pages. Sep 09, Ernest Rivera rated it liked it. Good walk through evolution and related subjects with a fun story following Rincewind and the other wizards. Tends to ramble a bit and repeat ideas.
Probably could have shortened the science part and expanded the story. May 29, Sandro rated it it was ok Shelves: Hmm, not so impressed. The Discworld story was just so-and-so and the intermittent chapters lacked the cohesion that was present in the previous 2 Sciences. At the end, I had the feeling that Jack and Ian started ranting. Sep 12, Sara rated it liked it Shelves: Bit too much physics for a book that is supposed to be about biology. And infinities being bigger than other infinities is still confusing.
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Oct 31, Robert rated it liked it. I gave this three stars largely because the fiction Discworld chapters were dull and irrelevant. I did enjoy most of the science chapters, though. They are very are well written and interesting. I like that the authors delve into the philosophy of science. Their explanations of multiple dimensions and multiple universes were probably the best I've seen for public consumption. I'm glad someone finally explained to non-scientists the difference between a useful mathematical model for something a I gave this three stars largely because the fiction Discworld chapters were dull and irrelevant.
I'm glad someone finally explained to non-scientists the difference between a useful mathematical model for something and the thing itself. Physicists often get so caught up in the very productive practice of pretending that the mathematics is the physical reality that they forget to mention the difference when they are explaining physics to others.
Sometimes they seem to forget the distinction themselves. I was glad to see the description of the multiverse as a phase space. I'm not sure how many people would understand it, but at least it is accurate. The long section on Cantor and transfinite numbers was not particularly interesting for me, but then I already know that material.
I am puzzled about who the intended audience for it was, though. I've taught the subject to many math majors and know they often have difficulties with it. I have serious doubts about whether a lay-person would understand it particularly well. It also seemed like a major digression. I'm sure the authors felt that people needed a lesson on infinity since many other things in the book depend on it.
Still, there was a lot of space used to describe transfinite numbers and not much used to explain other types of infinity. Unless one assumes the universe is discrete, this is putting the emphasis in the wrong place. I was amused, however, to read a review by an evangelist who ridiculed the book for spending so much time on "numerology". Just so you know, there is no numerology in the book. There is some mathematics, actually quite a lot of it, but the two are not the same. I am not particularly surprised that an evangelical would equate mathematics with numerology.
Such a tragic waste of a mind. My biggest disappointment was that the topic of evolution was not discussed much more here than it was in previous books in the Science of Discworld series. A whole lot of talk about Darwin doesn't substitute for good coverage of the primary topic of the book. Then again, maybe the authors had something other than evolution in mind. Maybe they just wanted to talk about Darwin and time-travel. If so, then way to stay on topic! Another downside of the book is that it uses the exact same plot device as the preceding bookthe wizards have to travel through time repeatedly to get the protagonist onto the time-line in which he will write the stuff he is "supposed" to write.
In book two this is Shakespeare writing his plays and sonnets; in book three it is Darwin writing The Origin of Species. One last thing, I don't care for the wizards. Wizards are rarely interesting. Including large numbers of them in a story doesn't make that weakness go away.
Aug 26, James Adams rated it really liked it. This is an odd duck of a series.
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- The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch by Terry Pratchett.
It is a combination of fiction and nonfiction, in which both aspects illustrate and expand upon each other. The fiction side is a side story to the Unseen University subseries of the Discworld books, whereas the nonfictional portions are an exploration and examination of modern science, as well as the various paths taken to reach the current level of understanding.
Oh, and the science sections are more engaging than the fantasy ones. In this book, the a This is an odd duck of a series. In this book, the authors examine the consequences of Darwin and his writings, both the ones he did that changed the world, and the ones he would have written if just a few things were different. Along the way, we of course examine evolutionary theory, but also quantum and relativistic physics, the possibility of time travelthe various merits of Victorian society, and much more. It is surprising and heartening that the authors can juggle all of this while spinning a darn good tale.
There are issues, of course.
For one thing, limited appeal. The fictional sections may not rely on knowledge of the main series, but they certainly benefit, while the science sections would get a significant boost from working knowledge of basic, current theories. Also, the wizard parts are typical Discworld farce, with little to no effect on the Disc in the novels, as this is not a main, or perhaps even canon, entry. All in all, this is a fun entry in a fun series.
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If you are someon who, like me, is a fan of both Terry Pratchett and Sam Kean , this is a must. If, however, that combination does not appeal, this will not be the book for you Nov 22, Sarafina Skov rated it it was amazing. So the overall themes of the plot could be said to be scientific thinking, time travel, and the history specifically of Victorian England. However, there is also focus on very human concepts through these motifs.
The authors emphasize the importance of getting our knowledge from several sources. Dec 26, Peter rated it really liked it. This is one of the topics covered in the book. I have to say the comments in the blog really do fit my own views, except that I come from the other side of the argument. The book starts out with a zeal for its message that the religious fundamentalists would understand.
The authors clearly have strongly held views, and have not considered adequately either the effect on the reader, or that many of the scientists have a strong religious faith of their own. If the probability of Darwin actually writing this book is so low, why did it happen? So what are we left with? Not the sort of science where a prediction is made and then tested, revised, tested, and so on. Entirely theory, and not able to be validated by observation. First a disclaimer - my rating does not mean this isn't a qualitatively good book.
It's just a book I really did not enjoy reading. This series manages something no other Discworld book has done - felt unnecessary. They're beating a dead horse with increasingly random topics of discourse. Ostensibly focused on Darwin, the Discworld story actually feels more like it is written to meet the science topics, rather than the other way around.
And the science topics range from time travel to the weakne First a disclaimer - my rating does not mean this isn't a qualitatively good book. And the science topics range from time travel to the weaknesses of the modern British culture, to 'Steam Engine Time,' to the oh-so-positive 'Everything you've ever been taught is wrong, and you can't even handle it if it were right Maybe it was the completely disassociated topics that make for a barely coherent throughline.
Whatever it was, I had to force myself to read through this book, and the Discworld sections just weren't enough to reward reading the rest. I considered skipping the science chapters, and by the end really wished I had. I know there's a fourth book in the series, but I don't know that I'll be able to bring myself to read it considering all the self-important drek that surrounds it. May 16, Karen rated it it was amazing. Not so long ago a past Prime Minister of ours declared that History teaching in schools should be more about learning dates and less about interpretation and analysis.
Or something like that. I wasn't listening after the first bit about dates - I was curled up in a foetal position, fingers in ears, chanting "Make it Stop" "Make it Stop". Much like most of my, thankfully short, school years. Made me realise if they had given learning some narrative, actually chucked in a bit of fun, gave things some context and some interest I might have spent a lot less time fighting unconsciousness and a little more time actually learning something. PS - himself who is a science nerd of the first order read the book at the same time as me and was equally impressed.
They took some very complex scientific concepts and made them very accessible.
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I think that's what he said I've got my fingers in my ears chanting May 13, Angie rated it it was ok Shelves: Roundworld is causing problems for the wizards once again. They thought they had everything straightened out with Shakespeare, but now Darwin is causing problems. Something has caused him to not write The Origin of the Species and instead write Theology of the Species. This sets science back decades and means that humanity doesn't get off the planet before it turns into a snowball again.
The wizards are up against the Auditors and the god of evolution to set things right. This third Science of D Roundworld is causing problems for the wizards once again. This third Science of Discworld was probably the most difficult to get through. I thought it wasn't as cohesive as the other books. The Discworld story seemed a bit thinner and the science sections less relevant to the story.
I did enjoy the fantasy section of the book, but I thought the story could have been stronger. The role of the Auditors especially seemed very tacked on. However, it was the science sections that really bogged down. I will admit to skimming most of the chapters as I thought they were very dry and dull.
It didn't help that most of them didn't seem related to the fantasy story being told. Sure they discussed Darwin and evolution, but there were also chapters on infinity and black holes and other subjects I have completely blocked from my mind. I received this book from Netgalley. This is not a novel. It is an overview of certain aspects of actual more or less: The title is from a book, Natural Theology , by William Paley.
He describes a man walking across a heath uncultivated area. He sees a rock, and may imagine that it has always been there. Too bad no more Discworld from PTerry. Not my faverit of them. This is a bit boring if you do not fine Darwin intresting and intriging. The world is a wonderful place and books like these make us appreciate it more deeply. I feel so enriched. Would you try another book written by the authors or narrated by Stephen Briggs and Michael Fenton Stevens? The description is so misleading. The book is one eight story and seven eights school level science albeit interestingly delievered , but the description leads the reader to believe it is a regular Discworld story, with the regular characters involved elsewhere.
I read loads of science stuff for work, the last thing I want is a Janet and John history when I should be away in the magic of Discworld! What reaction did this book spark in you? I enjoy Discworld series very much as it is pure escapism. I would not have brought this book had I understood the format from the description. Having read this in paperback I leapt at the chance of listening to it via my mp3 player. The book comes alive and I understood so much more of the science it contained. The alternate chapters are written by Terry Pratchett and put the context of the science from the other chapters into perspective on the discworld.
I am now looking forward to the next installment of The Science of Discworld. This is not the usual fun filled Dkscworld novel. It's just a book full of science facts with the odd appearance of the wizards now and then. It was an interesting assortment of thoughts and ideas. I was entertained and educated, but some of the topics were on the the more abstract level of theory. What did you like least? Why or why not? Science of Discworld Series , Book 3 Length: Publisher's Summary Roundworld is in trouble again, and this time it looks fatal.
What members say Average Customer Ratings Overall. No Reviews are Available. Most Helpful Most Recent. A good popular science book, paired with fantasy This book is pretty difficult to classify - as a popular science book, it touches on subjects ranging from cosmology to evolution, with history of science and the history of societies that allowed science to blossom weaved in. A pleasure to learn science A wonderful way to learn about science - and now onto number four.