The Book of Universes

Thisisabookaboutuniverses,astorythatrevolvesaroundasingleunusualandunappreciatedfact:thatEinstein'sfamoustheoryofrelativitydescribesuniverses--entireuniverses.NotmanysolutionsofEinstein'stantalizinguniverseequationshaveeverbeenfound,butthosethathaveareallveryremarkable.Someofthemdescribeuniversesthatexpandinsize,whileotherscontract,somerotatelikeatopandothersarechaotic.Someareperfectlysmooth,whileothersarelumpy,orshakenindifferentdirectionsbytidesofenergy;someoscillateforever,somebecomelifelessandcold,whileothersheadtowardsarunawayfutureofever-increasingexpansion.Somepermittimetravelintothepast,andothersallowinfinitelymanythingstohappeninafiniteamountoftime.Onlyafewallowlifetoevolvewithinthem;therestremainunknowabletoconsciousminds.Someendwithabang,somewithawhimper.Somedon'tendatall.Ourstorywillencounteruniverseswherethelawsofphysicscanchangefromtimetotimeandfromoneregiontoanother,universesthathaveextrahiddendimensionsofspaceandtime,universesthatareeternal,universesthatliveinsideblackholes,universesthatendwithoutwarning,collidinguniverses,inflationaryuniverses,anduniversesthatcomeintobeingfromsomethingelse--orfromnothingatall.Gradually,wewillfindourselvesintroducingthelatestandthebestdescriptionsoftheUniverseweseearoundustoday,togetherwiththeconceptofthe'Multiverse'--theuniverseofallpossibleuniverses--thatmoderntheoriesofphysicsleadustocontemplate.Thesearethemostfantasticandfar-reachingspeculationsinthewholeofscience.Othercosmologyandastronomybooksfocusonparticulartopics--darkmatter,darkenergy,thebeginningoftheuniverse,inflation,life-supportingcoincidences,ortheendoftheuniverse--butthisbookintroducesthereadertowholeuniversesinacoherentandunifiedway.