For some reason, I was under the impression that this book was a collection of short stories set on Discworld. I'm not sure why I thought that.While it's definitely not what I expected (duh), it was a very enjoyable read. I love Pratchett's way of reading, he can make anything interesting. And, being a major science nerd, the subject was already interesting to me. Maybe it was a very superficial approach to the science, but it gives you a very good, general idea of astronomy and physics (at least the current theories).

There are a ton of these auxiliary-Discworld books out there, and most of them have typically been difficult to find. Luckily, it looks like they're getting easier to track down, which is exciting.I wasn't sure what to expect opening the book, but I'm happy with how it was presented -- alternating chapters of the Wizards (who I never felt had enough books in the latter half of Pratchett's writings) and a deep dive into a pop science topic. While the information in many cases is already dated (!), I still learned quite a bit. And, of course, loved spending more time with the Wizards... good prep for my eventual Discworld re-read.Recommended for the die-hard Discworld fan.

My girlfriend tried to buy this book for me while we were browsing a second hand bookshop. I said "No thanks" and I said it firmly because I really don't like those series tie in books that people write which might have the original authors name on the cover but are actually written by second rate hacks hired by the publisher to milk the last drop of cash from the cow.Luckily my girlfriend ignored me completely and bought it anyway because this is not one of those books.This book doesn't try and give a scientific explanation for how a discworld could exist supported on the backs of four elephants or how discworld light can move slowly enough for you to watch it wash over the landscape. Instead it describes our universe, the solar system, earth and the life on it through the eyes of people living on the discworld. It does it darned well too.

Okay, this is the reason it took me forever to get on with the Great Discworld Reread, because I kind of got stuck on this book for two months.The Science of Discworld is half a Discworld novel (well, more of a novella, since it's actually quite short) about the wizards first inventing magical nuclear power and then using it to create Roundworld, aka our Earth. The other half (or more like three-quarters) of the book is scientists Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen explaining the physical and biological forces behind the corresponding developments on Earth. These include topics like evolution, astrophysics, the probable development of planets and stars, elements, nuclear power, and the origins of life.Now, the scientific sections of the book are very clearly written and very understandable for the layperson. I'm just really not scientifically-minded, and so it was kind of a slog for me to get through those parts. The Discworld novella contained within is hilarious, though, and very much worth the reading. I also would actually recommend reading the scientific sections, but maybe take your time about it. They're more rewarding if you can let them sink in.

I wonder if math and sciences would be more popular if they had writers of Pratchett's quality to write the textbooks. I mean, a phone book provides information but isn't exactly pleasurable to read, much like many textbooks I've come across which are undoubtedly informative but dull and utterly unenjoyable. Would there be more (for example) biologists if the writing quality of the textbooks were such that students would want to read them rather than being forced to by a teacher or parent?Therein lies the magic of 'The Science of Discworld'. It's a tour of various topics in science written in a vivid and enjoyable fashion. The hard science is interspersed with chapters of pure (wizardly) fantasy which serve to cleanse the palette before the next dose of science. It's an unusual approach but I find that it works well.I personally wonder if, had I read this book some 20 years ago, I'd have become a chemist or physicist rather than a computer programmer.