Quite disappointing. While “A Brief History of Time” might have been revelatory at the time of publishing, it didn’t make for a great reading experience in 2025.

The title doesn’t seem adequate — rather than a history of “time”, this is a history of the most important discoveries in physics throughout the millennia. I might have listened to an abridged version that is only half as long as the original. The content seemed quite general and superficial. There are very few chapters that deal with the concept of time, time travel, etc.

The tone felt dry and, at times, patronising.

I would recommend listening to or reading a book that was recently published, especially if you already have some knowledge of physics and astrophysics.

A truly wonderful book from the celebrated scientist, which discusses Einstein’s general and special theories of relativity - having to do with gravity at a macro level - and the uncertainty limits imposed by quantum theory, which examines reality at the most micro levels. Hawking’s great search was for a Grand Unified Theory that brought gravity and quantum physics together, and he believed it was coming. It has yet to come. I cannot confess to having understood all of the concepts in this book, yet I understand enough, I think, to appreciate his conclusion. Hawking asks lots of questions about God - is there a place for a creator in a potentially boundary-free universe without singularities past or future? Hawking acknowledges that our best theories are still only models which can potentially explain the how of the universe, but never the why. Why does life, reality, creation insist? He says to understand that would be to understand the mind of God.