Rating: 
Summary: passionate, he is - but it's hard to follow
Review: Apparently Sgr A* is shrinking - at various points in the book, it's described as the size of Mars' orbit, the size of Mercury's orbit, and several times the diameter of the Sun. Then there's the "how fast are the nearby stars going", in units of millions of kilometers per hour in one chapter, and kilometers per second in another - unit confusion! It's an enjoyable book, but somewhat choppy in nature - he introduces a segment on Hawking radiation, then mentions that it's totally useless in detection for supermassive black holes. The descriptions of Sgr A* are well done at the various wavelengths and very helpful; the background on why each wavelength conveys certain information was particularly excellent.
Now: why go to Australia to look at the Milky Way?
Rating:
Summary: passionate, he is - but it's hard to follow
Review: Apparently Sgr A* is shrinking - at various points in the book, it's described as the size of Mars' orbit, the size of Mercury's orbit, and several times the diameter of the Sun. Then there's the "how fast are the nearby stars going", in units of millions of kilometers per hour in one chapter, and kilometers per second in another - unit confusion! It's an enjoyable book, but somewhat choppy in nature - he introduces a segment on Hawking radiation, then mentions that it's totally useless in detection for supermassive black holes. The descriptions of Sgr A* are well done at the various wavelengths and very helpful; the background on why each wavelength conveys certain information was particularly excellent.
Now: why go to Australia to look at the Milky Way?
Rating: 
Summary: superb and clear
Review: As I was reading this book, I was already thinking of how great it is. It flows and the presentation is logical and helpful that it great aids giving an appreciation of this incredible phenomena. Absolutely read this.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Detective Story
Review: Hooray for Carolyn Collins Petersen, who wrote a review of this book for the January issue of Sky and Telescope. She absolutely captured the essence of this worthwhile read, and convinced me to pick up a copy of my own. I agree with her assessment wholeheartedly. Melia's book is a detective story, but more than that, it's an up-to-date account of what black hole astronomers are aiming for. The only thing I was somewhat disappointed with was that the last chapter ended too early. The subject of supermassive black holes in general deserves a lengthier discussion.
Rating:
Summary: passionate, he is - but it's hard to follow
Review: I chose this book for my assignment this semester on how science is conveyed to the general public. The question is always, do you paint a superficial picture, watering down the material to make it more "palatable", or do you keep all the details and risk losing the majority of the audience? Well, it seems that sometimes it IS possible to stay true to the science and yet explain things in a way that everyone can understand. I felt compelled to write this review because I was caught by surprise. Fulvio Melia writes with the style of a storyteller, at times with passion, and always with obvious attention to the reader's needs. I just got my graded report back: A+.
Rating:
Summary: How to write
Review: I chose this book for my assignment this semester on how science is conveyed to the general public. The question is always, do you paint a superficial picture, watering down the material to make it more "palatable", or do you keep all the details and risk losing the majority of the audience? Well, it seems that sometimes it IS possible to stay true to the science and yet explain things in a way that everyone can understand. I felt compelled to write this review because I was caught by surprise. Fulvio Melia writes with the style of a storyteller, at times with passion, and always with obvious attention to the reader's needs. I just got my graded report back: A+.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Detective Story
Review: Last week I was fortunate to hear Prof. Melia speak on the subject of his two new books, this title, and "The Edge of Infinity," and was so impressed I rushed out to get copies of both. I was not disappointed. Both books are very well written, and beautifully produced, with color images throughout. His style is similar to that with which he presented the subject at our amateur astronomy meeting---clear, lively, and thoughtful.
I am recommending these to all my friends and relatives. They're the best astronomy books I've read in years, and am looking forward to reading more from him in the years to come!
Rating:
Summary: Great Show!
Review: Last week I was fortunate to hear Prof. Melia speak on the subject of his two new books, this title, and "The Edge of Infinity," and was so impressed I rushed out to get copies of both. I was not disappointed. Both books are very well written, and beautifully produced, with color images throughout. His style is similar to that with which he presented the subject at our amateur astronomy meeting---clear, lively, and thoughtful.
I am recommending these to all my friends and relatives. They're the best astronomy books I've read in years, and am looking forward to reading more from him in the years to come!
Rating:
Summary: Science Writing At its Best
Review: Take an exciting and exotic topic like "black holes"
and a gifted writer like Fulvio Melia, and what do
you get? A surprisingly and satisfyingly accessible
book like "The Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy."
At times it reads like a science fiction novel, until
you realize that all of the contents are factual. It's
amazing how far astronomers have come in unravelling
the mystery behind arguably the most bizarre objects
in the universe, and especially the supermassive blackhole at the center of our own Galaxy. And Melia does
a great job setting the stage and then explaining where
things stand. I particularly liked chapter 3, in which
he sets out in everyday terms what mass is, and how it
is related to gravity. I read it twice before going
on to the next. Several questions that have bothered
me for years were finally answered. Read this and
catch up on where science has gone in the past decade!
Rating:
Summary: Science Writing At its Best
Review: Take an exciting and exotic topic like "black holes"
and a gifted writer like Fulvio Melia, and what do
you get? A surprisingly and satisfyingly accessible
book like "The Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy."
At times it reads like a science fiction novel, until
you realize that all of the contents are factual. It's
amazing how far astronomers have come in unravelling
the mystery behind arguably the most bizarre objects
in the universe, and especially the supermassive black hole at the center of our own Galaxy. And Melia does
a great job setting the stage and then explaining where
things stand. I particularly liked chapter 3, in which
he sets out in everyday terms what mass is, and how it
is related to gravity. I read it twice before going
on to the next. Several questions that have bothered
me for years were finally answered. Read this and
catch up on where science has gone in the past decade!
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