Merlin's Tour of the Universe, Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First Century: A Traveler's Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far Hardcover – Unabridged, October 29, 2024

Better answers. Love the poems! Love the quips. Expected the science but found it very entertaining which also increases learning value for many people. Fun illustrations too (line drawings). Questions are asked by named people and categorized into chapters - so you can pick what to read when, not necessarily reading from start to finish. There is no dumb question (although i don’t know how many didn’t make it into this book - which is a small size). And some excellent answers which are also short and approachable. Age appropriate? 10 to 90+?

This a fun, highly informative read. great for Kids (over 10). This is an excellent learning tool, for Adults as well.

This is an informative - and amusing - collection of facts from the world of astrophysics. Tyson takes extremely complex ideas and puts them within the grasp of the curious Everyman. Even if you only retain a fraction of what you read, you’ll come away with a new appreciation of the vastness and complexity of the univers.

The Q&A format is used well in this work. It answered several questions I didn't know I had. Tyson's, err Merlin's, answers presented information I a easy to understand manner.

Easily read, always entertaining, and surprisingly comprehensive. I don’t know that I really learned all that much new, but I certainly got a good and quick explanation of lots of things that I “knew” at some level, but didn’t really appreciate (or understand).

I am a big fan of NGT and have read most of his books, and am a weekly listener to Startalk, it is my favorite podcast and I think he is an excellent science communicator who regularly has great guests as well. I had not read this book prior to the new release. I recognize this is NGT back in the 1980s when he was much younger, and was his first book. But reading it now, I can easily find quite a few errors in the answers provided, some misleading answers elsewhere, and sometimes feel as though the original question was not properly interpreted. If I had been the person asking, I would not have felt I got a good answer in these cases and in others felt that the answer simply was not clear.In one example, he gives a completely incorrect answer as to what a geosynchronous orbit is (and what it is vis-a-vis a geostationary orbit). In another, someone wrote in saying that he has heard different things about just what the first words spoken from the moon's surface were. NGT answers this by saying it was 'Houston, Tranquility...' but that is simply not accurate, and the reason the questioner has heard different things is because of that. The real first words were technical jargon about making contact and ensuring the engine shut down properly and no abort had to take place, followed after a short pause by the famous line. In another question, someone appears to ask why spacecraft heat up on the way back down, but not on the way up. But the answer given does not appear to match the question at all. In a fourth example, someone asked what would the biggest hazards be for a human trip beyond Mars. NGT says going through the asteroid belt without spacecraft damage. That's nonsense, and I find it hard to believe he would answer in that way now. The asteroid belt is mostly empty space, not the way it is portrayed in cartoons in movies. That's why there is no concern when spacecraft are sent to the outer planets.So, a bit disappointed. It's a fast read, however, and I am still glad I got it.

My 9 and 12 year old grandsons love this book. We have such interesting conversations while and after reading each section.

This book is the perfect coffee table book. The cover guides your eyes on an iridescent adventure spiraling into Merlin’s universe. And that’s just the cover. The index makes it easy to find answers. Great research tool. Best of all, it’s well written and all of the questions were taken seriously and thoughtfully answered. For anyone who struggles with the apprehensions of asking questions, this book just may hold the key.