Rating: 
Summary: Classic in its time, but...
Review: Its time was 1979. That's a long time ago, now there are better books. Zukav's "Wu Li Masters" is a new-age blend of science, pseudo-science, and Eastern philosophy. It does provide an easy-to-understand and not inaccurate account of quantum theory and relativity theory. Zukav is also correct to point out that these theories, especially quantum theory, helped free intellectuals from the chains of mechanistic determinism. He goes much further than this, and he quietly acknowledges that he is going beyond scientific theories.
People who like Deepak Chopra might enjoy Zukav, because the latter is scientifically more careful. But if anyone is really interested in well-explained theoretical physics, without pseudo-scientific and superficial mysticism, Brian Greene's book is better. It is more well-written, well-explained, and up-to-date. If anyone wants a more intellectually respectable treatment of Zukav's concerns, consider Kafatos and Nadeau, "The Conscious Universe."
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books I have read
Review: There are not too many books that can satisfy everybody. This book is for the whole family- scientists, lay-men, the religious aunt and the rebel teenager can enjoy this book equally.
Rating:
Summary: Certain Considerations
Review: First let me start by saying that I, as a layman, enjoyed this book intensely. I don't have a degree in Physics by any stretch of the imagination, rather I have a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, which is a nice way of saying I have a little bit of knowledge about everything.
I was given this book as a gift by a friend of mine who is deep into "New Age" writing. I was told that Zukav's writing style is dry, and though I can't confirm or deny that statement, I haven't read any of his other work, I found this book to be witty and engaging. I'll agree with certain other reviewers in saying that his attempts to unite certain Eastern philosophies with modern Quantum Mechanics seem somewhat contrived and at times bewildering. The world he describes is truly pure enchantment, but based on his credentials I now wonder if its his fantasy about Quantum Physics or a factual description of Quantum phenomena.
In the end, the major thing this book accomplished is whetting my appetite. Due to the exquisite writing and poetic descriptions in this book, I've chosen to look into Quantum Mechanics more closely with books by actual Quantum Physicist. I'm steadily considering continuing my education in the field, perhaps choosing a career in it if it continues to fascinate.
Rating:
Summary: A really good physics book without equations.
Review: Taking a subject like Quantum Mechanics and explaining what it is all about is a difficult task. The author has achieved that difficult task without the use of equations and symbols. When I first started reading the book my initial impression was that it was going to be a whole bunch of philosophical mumbo jumbo. By the time I finished reading it (it took me a couple of months), I was very much impressed with Gary Zukav's ability to cover all the major aspects of quantum mechanics and in covering the contributions of the physicists behind quantum theory in an easy to understand language without having to resort to equations and symbols. My only gripe about the book is that every chapter is numbered as chapter 1 in order to make some point about Chinese philosophers. Many people are used to keeping track of which chapter they have read or are reading by remembering chapter numbers. But using a bookmark solved that problem for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Second-hand gibberish
Review: When theoretical physicists try to explain their very mathematical field, without using math, they usually produce sentences that sound like gibberish. In this book the author (a proud non-physicist who is totally ignorant of math) regurgitates the gibberish he got from a theoretical physicist. So this book is second-hand gibberish. Why would one want to read it?
I will give argument for and against.
For: Zukav is a better writer than most physicists, so this book reads better than a first-hand report from the likes of Davies or Greene. For the general reader, this book makes the point that the world described by modern physics (and confirmed by experiment) is really weird.
Against: the explanations lack depth and degenerate into mysticism. I have nothing against mysticism, but the kind of mysticism the author pushes is not the only one possible. And so I get to my main objection against this book: the author has a particular religious-mystical agenda. He is not just pushing a generic mysticism, but a particular kind, one that is alien to my (western and Christian) worldview.
Rating:
Summary: A quantum joyride!
Review: I did not have the problems that the last two or three reviewers had. The part of the book that mentions the Dancing Wu Lei Masters was an analogy. I happen to like analogies and I understood completely why he used it. I also have a very open mind. Think of everything in this book as a theory, as a possiblity, as a chance and an excuse to stretch your imagination. The author, in my opinion has a way with words and breadth of vision which to my mind is a formula for some pretty exiciting writing. He is able to make associations that actually make sense (to me anyway). I found his descriptions easy to understand and I had no trouble with the prose. You know I wish I could read a physics book and learn about physics but then there's the math thing...and is it me or are those books incredibly dry? To all the scientist that read these reviews...of course this book isn't going to appeal to you....you know the math!! Some of us aren't blessed with that ability or the inclination. I am grateful to the writer of this book. I found it riveting, enjoyable and incredibly facinating. The analogies made it fun and everyone knows the best teachers make their subject enjoyable and interesting. This author has definately done that for me. If you have trouble with abstract concepts and/or are offended by the integration of science and philosophy you may not want to waste your money and perhaps go to a college bookstore instead.
Rating:
Summary: Nah
Review: This is one of those sneakey books that tries to use the shortcomings (things humans haven't figured out) of quantum theory as a basis for religion. Don't buy this if you are actually smart.
Rating:
Summary: Dissenting Opinion
Review: This book is a reminder of why non-physicists ought not to be in the business of explaining physics. It might be easier to use physics to illuminate the Tao than Taoism to find physics. In this context, modern physics is a specific description of all that is. The Tao, on the other hand, is a generality which may be affirmed or denied by the specific but which does not encompass the level of detail needed to arrive at the specific. This is why Gary Zukav so often loses his way. (Pardon the pun.) He suffers from the standard American aversion for even the simplest mathematics. As a result his description of the macro world, in which the interactions of forces and particles appear deterministic, are sometimes awkward and always inelegant. Once we enter the quantum world of Einstein's dice throwing God, Zukav loses the distinction between physics and metaphysics. The world is neither the predetermined clockwork envisioned by Descartes and his friends nor a collection of anthropomorphic particles dancing to the Wu Li Waltz. Unlike Gary Zukav and his intended readership, I am quite comfortable with a universe that cannot be explained without random variables. The Dancing Wu Li Masters might be satisfactory for those who need a spoonful of philosophy to make the physics go down were it not that the physics being swallowed is wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: Danger Ahead
Review: I read this book when it was new, and found it entertaining. I didn't think much more about it after that. Then I came upon a reference to it in one of Gardner's books concerning bad science. Looking back at it knowing so much more now, I agree, it's borderline nonsence. E.g. electrons don't "think" about making a choice about which way to go; they enter into superposition.
Rating: 
Summary: Flow Like a River, Understand Relativity Like an Physicist
Review: Do you want to understand all the mysteries of the universe? Hoping to discover the essence of existence? Well, if you desire to do anything along these lines, there are certainly worse ways to start than through reading The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav.
This information-packed book represents the pinnacle of popular science achievement, as it provides a gentle guide for the average reader through the intellectual minefield of modern physics from quantum mechanics to relativity. Rather than bogging down the reader with dozens of equations and complicated graphs, Zukav chooses to demonstrate the concepts of new-age physics through metaphors, diagrams, and an explanation of the thought processes that led to such startling theories as the Theory of General Relativity and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. Sure, Zukav may explain the experiments that confirm the viability of a theory, but he doesn't force you to sift through the data; instead, writes in plain English while including lots of easily-followed, pretty pictures. Particularly for a high school student without too much exposure to physics, this style provides an excellent overview of the most interesting, cutting-edge ideas in science.
Zukav's subject-matter couldn't be more interesting: using the backdrop of Eastern philosophies to better link physical concepts to ideas more compatible to the human mindset, he breezes through Newtonian physics, quantum mechanics, and both theories of relativity in just a little over 300 pages. Zukav also admirably presents the problem of the irreconcilability of quantum mechanics with relativity, which bothered Einstein to his dying days. While none of these concepts is dealt with entirely thoroughly (it is a short book), the book is an enjoyable and easily understandable introduction to one of the most difficult fields mankind has to offer At the same time, Zukav's book is not perfect. For one thing, the book is rather dated; he doesn't even deal with String Theory, which was by and large developed after the publication of this book. At the same time, the absence of String Theory may be advantageous to the reader who knows little about physics, since the five separate String Theories are both difficult to understand and incredibly theoretical (that is, no physicist has been able to design an experiment that actually produces data to prove String Theory, which means that the concept is rather ephemeral and hard to describe in a concrete way; for more on this, see http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0311047). Further, the whole Zen thing seems a little excessive. Sure, Eastern philosophies are generally conducive to modern physics in that Eastern philosophers have always realized that sometimes the human mind can't comprehend everything at once, but the fact is that people reading this book probably aren't doing so to learn about "Wu Li" ("The Way"); they're reading it to learn about "New Physics." Despite these minor deficiencies, though, this book does a good job of explaining very difficult concepts to a "normal" reader. There was a time when only the very top physicists in the world understood Einstein's theories of relativity, but books like The Dancing Wu Li Masters have helped rectify this problem by making complicated physics accessible to the general public.
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