I finished reading this book not fifteen minutes ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be - I thought it would be a history of the universe and our world, but it was more like a history of science, if you will.
Bryson discusses all the avenues of science and gives an overview how and why disciplines study what they do. The key figures of each discipline are detailed along their amusing quirks and eccentricities - of which there are many.
Having studies geology for a year at AS level, I particularly enjoyed the chapters on palaeontology and plate tectonics as Bryson reminded me of all the amazing facts about the planet geologists have often literally unearthed.
There are countless head-spinning facts and statistics to digest - Bryson's descriptions of the sheer size of the universe and the minuteness of particles are stunning. A few pages will give you plenty of interesting facts to 'impress' your friends with.
My only real criticisms are that the final chapter on extinctions seemed like a slightly less than fitting conclusion to a book with such enormous scope and that there are only two illustrated diagrams in the whole book. I would have like more. Then again, the book is more of a starting point for science - it makes for a great introduction to the disciplines which further reading will provide more dense detail. Not that Bryson skimps - information practically oozes from its pages. A satisfying and enlightening read.
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