Rating: 
Summary: Mind-blowing!
Review: A wonderful overview of the history and science of this extraordinary new discipline. Brown's documentary approach interlaces explanations of quantum computers with comments from the pioneers of this field including David Deutsch and Richard Feynman. It makes for riveting reading with many witty asides thrown into some far-sighted discussions of where the subject is leading. David Deutsch comes across as a true visionary even if his ideas concerning multiple universes sound far-fetched. Rather like Penrose's, "The Emperor's New Mind", Brown caters for multiple tastes by writing for a general audience but adding (mostly in appendices) some mathematical explanations and circuit diagrams. These can be can be safely skipped without losing the narrative thread. A pity to do so though because his explanations are a delight. Thoroughly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A book I really wanted to like...
Review: But didn't. It tries really hard and has a noble goal, but I think falls quite short. This is a topic that I am quite passionate about and was one of the first books on the topic. At the end of reading this book you will have very many more questions and unfortunately very few clear ideas about the workings or theory of quantum computers. Over and again Brown stops just before giving you the details that you hope for. I've actually found David Deutsch's papers on quantum computing (at qubit.org) almost as accessibe and much more informative than this book, not to mention that they are much more concise. If you're hoping to get a basic grasp of quantum computing, read John Gribben's "In Search of Schrödinger's Cat" for a non-technical crash course in quantum mechanics and then head for the scientific papers. This book fails to gauge what a reader will be able to understand. This is a difficult task at times, but when writing "popular science" the author must choose a level to present the material at. Unfortunately in parts that aren't particularly interesting the author pushes this only to retreat at a point where things are getting interesting. You're left feeling, "No, really. I can take it!"
Rating:
Summary: A book I really wanted to like...
Review: But didn't. It tries really hard and has a noble goal, but I think falls quite short. This is a topic that I am quite passionate about and was one of the first books on the topic. At the end of reading this book you will have very many more questions and unfortunately very few clear ideas about the workings or theory of quantum computers. Over and again Brown stops just before giving you the details that you hope for. I've actually found David Deutsch's papers on quantum computing (at qubit.org) almost as accessibe and much more informative than this book, not to mention that they are much more concise. If you're hoping to get a basic grasp of quantum computing, read John Gribben's "In Search of Schrödinger's Cat" for a non-technical crash course in quantum mechanics and then head for the scientific papers. This book fails to gauge what a reader will be able to understand. This is a difficult task at times, but when writing "popular science" the author must choose a level to present the material at. Unfortunately in parts that aren't particularly interesting the author pushes this only to retreat at a point where things are getting interesting. You're left feeling, "No, really. I can take it!"
Rating:
Summary: An Astounding book, not just for the layman
Review: Covers the topic in enough detail as to be useful
for the professional.
An astounding composition.
Rating:
Summary: An Astounding book, not just for the layman
Review: Covers the topic in enough detail as to be useful
for the professional.
An astounding composition.
Rating:
Summary: for anyone
Review: do not have to be an exoiert to understand
Rating:
Summary: Grate book
Review: Excellent well writen and conciscivly coherent
Rating:
Summary: Meaty, Comprehensive, Fascinating
Review: I must say, this is one of the very best popular science books I have ever read! There is a lot of material for everyone here, from history to personalities to theory to experiment, and even to philosophy. Finally, here is a science book introducing one of the key new fields to emerge in the last decade that doesn't condescend to the reader or waste 100 pages rehashing high-school level science! This book also serves as an excellent companion to David Deutsch's 'The Fabric of Reality', as we get to hear prof. Deutsch further elaborating on his ideas, in addition to hearing about the history of his insights that led to the conception of quantum computers. Unlike most popular science books, one finishes it without that all-too-familiar nagging feeling that, because of oversimplification, one has been 'cheated' out of learning what is 'really' going on!
Rating:
Summary: Important topic marred by dull presentation
Review: I read "Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse" (reprinted in paperback as "The Quest for the Quantum Computer") alongside David Deutsch's "The Fabric of Reality," thinking that Julian Brown's journalism would help elucidate Deutsch's text, which I assumed would be more difficult. Ironically, not only did I find "The Fabric of Reality" far more exciting and readable, but, even on its own terms, Brown's book was often monotonous and unimaginative. While the first and last chapters are quite fascinating, the meat of the book reads like an endless serious of abstracts of articles excerpted from mathematical, physics, and computing journals, separated by droll subheads ("Beam Me Up, Atom by Atom"). The major problem is that Brown doesn't seem to have any particular audience in mind. On the one hand, it's hard to imagine most lay readers sitting through his detailed expositions on various mathematics and physics concepts; on the other, math-savvy readers don't need to be told (to cite just one example) what ASCII is. It's not just that Brown's book is knee-deep in mathematics, however. In fact, the math presented is really not that difficult--it's just boringly presented. The endless series of Alice, Bob, Carol, and Eve stories has all the verve of the litany of questions on the SAT. (Several times I found myself asking, "Which Bob is this?"). Likewise, the descriptions of logic gates are about as exciting as my college textbooks on linear algebra and number theory. Brown's presentation is hampered further by the lack of a glossary; he repeatedly expects the reader to remember terms he discussed over 100 pages earlier. In sum, computer programmers and armchair mathematicians looking for a primer on the theoretical underpinnings of quantum computation might find this book a helpful introduction. The general reader, however, will have to wait for a well-written overview of the subject. In the meantime, I recommend "The Fabric of Reality" as a starting point.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: If you're the type of reader who loves to devour an entire book on a rainy day, you'd better wait for a Noah-size deluge before tackling Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse. Wet or dry, you will marvel at author Julian Brown's encyclopedic knowledge. He uses charts, graphs and the occasional equation to try to make the inscrutable plain. However, unless reversibility, the Fredkin Gate and the von Neumann machine mean something to you, the essence of Brown's narrative may elude you, beyond rough translation. He explains the possibility that the notion of alternative universes can be used to create a quantum computer that would be far more powerful than any computer heretofore. Brown persistently reveals possibilities that seem like dreams. We [...] recommend his book to those who strive for news heights of techie theory or who think of physics as a hobby. Though fascinating, it may leave mere mortals feeling uncertain and somewhat overwhelmed.
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