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Rating: 
Summary: Not Holmes
Review: First, I must warn you: this is not a Sherlock Holmes book. It is a science book using Sherlock Holmes charecters. It is also not realistic, in that there are anumber impossible situations (like a century-old atom bomb accidentaly being set off), and many scientific priciples discussed were not discovered until decades after the victorian era (the setting for the book) However, this does not make it a bad book. In fact it is an excelent book. It does a great job of explaining physics principles, even quantum mechanics, enjoyably and in layman's terms. It would probably be enjoyable for both adults who want to get an overall idea of the more unusual physics and for teaching high-school level physics. The earlier chapters can be used with younger students. Overall, a very good book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Holmes
Review: First, I must warn you: this is not a Sherlock Holmes book. It is a science book using Sherlock Holmes charecters. It is also not realistic, in that there are anumber impossible situations (like a century-old atom bomb accidentaly being set off), and many scientific priciples discussed were not discovered until decades after the victorian era (the setting for the book) However, this does not make it a bad book. In fact it is an excelent book. It does a great job of explaining physics principles, even quantum mechanics, enjoyably and in layman's terms. It would probably be enjoyable for both adults who want to get an overall idea of the more unusual physics and for teaching high-school level physics. The earlier chapters can be used with younger students. Overall, a very good book.
Rating:
Summary: Its yet another way to get physics to "non-physics" type.
Review: I love using this book in my high school classroom. I can reach students who normally think physics is boring and I can really appeal to the super geeks (like me.)
Rating: 
Summary: Strange way to give physics lessons
Review: This book has been languishing on my shelf for some time, so I finally gritted my teeth and read it.When I ordered it, I didn't realise it was written to explain the nature of Relativity and Quantum Physics to those who aren't mathematically inclined. I was looking for more Sherlock Holmes stories to read, and so this book was a disappointment. (One of the reasons for writing this review is to allow others to know what it is before they buy it.) Having read it, I'm still disappointed. While Colin Bruce does a decent job in explaining physics for the layman, I wasn't overly thrilled with his attempts to portray Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Professor Challenger and Professor Summerlee, all characters created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Their portrayal is variable, and bends to suit the explanatory purpose of the book rather than remaining true to the characters. Given that the book is et in Victorian London, its explanation of scientific theories that weren't derived until decades later is also disappointing. Had the minds featured in the book been able to come up with the theories that they did before 1901, we'd be more advanced than we are. Possibly useful to help explain physics to the layman, but not much use for Sherlock Holmes aficionados.
Rating:
Summary: Strange way to give physics lessons
Review: This book has been languishing on my shelf for some time, so I finally gritted my teeth and read it. When I ordered it, I didn't realise it was written to explain the nature of Relativity and Quantum Physics to those who aren't mathematically inclined. I was looking for more Sherlock Holmes stories to read, and so this book was a disappointment. (One of the reasons for writing this review is to allow others to know what it is before they buy it.) Having read it, I'm still disappointed. While Colin Bruce does a decent job in explaining physics for the layman, I wasn't overly thrilled with his attempts to portray Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Professor Challenger and Professor Summerlee, all characters created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Their portrayal is variable, and bends to suit the explanatory purpose of the book rather than remaining true to the characters. Given that the book is et in Victorian London, its explanation of scientific theories that weren't derived until decades later is also disappointing. Had the minds featured in the book been able to come up with the theories that they did before 1901, we'd be more advanced than we are. Possibly useful to help explain physics to the layman, but not much use for Sherlock Holmes aficionados.
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