Rating: 
Summary: author's comments; reader reviews and web contacts
Review: I will be particularly interested in readers reactions to this book compared to The Physics of Star Trek. Also, I will be setting up a web site for people to look up links to reviews etc. From Nov 19-Dec 19, Compuserve will have a web site for readers to send in questions to me. I understand that Hotwired may also set up a site with links. Stay tuned.
Rating: 
Summary: Believe the title
Review: It seems an immutable law of SF that sequels don't live up to the original work. Fortunately for Dr. Krauss, Star Trek proved an exception to that rule, and his own sequel borrows some of that magic, succeeding both on its own and in comparison to "The Physics of Star Trek".That being said, the book's title is significant. This is not a book about Star Trek, or even a book about SF in popular culture, but a book about science. The SF is there, but mainly as a springboard to discuss issues in physics, astronomy, and other sciences. And the issues are fascinating: Dr. Krauss explores the theoretical underpinnings of starship propulsion, ESP, and inter-species mating, all with the same careful, humorous style that characterized his first book. And as a bonus, you get one of the best explanations of the principles of quantum mechanics, translated into layman's terms, that I've ever read. But above all, believe the title. If you're looking for a catalog of science errors made by the writers of SF TV and movies, pick up one of the 'Nitpicker's Guides' assembled by Phil Farrand. If you want extra background material about the fictional worlds of Star Trek, the X- Files, or what-have-you, just browse through the SF section of your local bookstore (or Amazon)--the words are out there. But if you want a solid, entertaining look at the way things work on the real Planet Earth, then pick up this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the original
Review: This book expands on the theme of the "Physics of Star Trek": namely drawing upon the science of today to ponder the validity and feasibility of the sci-fi science. Like its predecessor though somewhat to a lesser extent, this book suffers from a lack of vision by adhering to today's understanding of science (see my review for that book). The end result is still a readable and nice introduction to important questions in modern physics using science fiction as an example. I found this book somewhat less interesting than its predecessor. For one thing there is some repetition with "The Physics of Star Trek". Further, the most interesting issues have already been addressed in the earlier book, leaving the crumbs to this one. So, if you have read the first book, you might not be as excited by this one. Nevertheless it is still an enjoyable read. A word of caution, despite the "Star Trek" in the title, there is very little Star Trek in this book. Instead, the author expands the comparison to cover other cinematic shows like "X-files" or "Independence Day" (the "Beyond" part of the title). While this is OK and does not diminish the interest of the book, pure Star Trek fans who buy this book expecting to read about Star Trek will be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the original
Review: This book expands on the theme of the "Physics of Star Trek": namely drawing upon the science of today to ponder the validity and feasibility of the sci-fi science. Like its predecessor though somewhat to a lesser extent, this book suffers from a lack of vision by adhering to today's understanding of science (see my review for that book). The end result is still a readable and nice introduction to important questions in modern physics using science fiction as an example. I found this book somewhat less interesting than its predecessor. For one thing there is some repetition with "The Physics of Star Trek". Further, the most interesting issues have already been addressed in the earlier book, leaving the crumbs to this one. So, if you have read the first book, you might not be as excited by this one. Nevertheless it is still an enjoyable read. A word of caution, despite the "Star Trek" in the title, there is very little Star Trek in this book. Instead, the author expands the comparison to cover other cinematic shows like "X-files" or "Independence Day" (the "Beyond" part of the title). While this is OK and does not diminish the interest of the book, pure Star Trek fans who buy this book expecting to read about Star Trek will be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the original
Review: This book expands on the theme of the "Physics of Star Trek": namely drawing upon the science of today to ponder the validity and feasibility of the sci-fi science. Like its predecessor though somewhat to a lesser extent, this book suffers from a lack of vision by adhering to today's understanding of science (see my review for that book). The end result is still a readable and nice introduction to important questions in modern physics using science fiction as an example. I found this book somewhat less interesting than its predecessor. For one thing there is some repetition with "The Physics of Star Trek". Further, the most interesting issues have already been addressed in the earlier book, leaving the crumbs to this one. So, if you have read the first book, you might not be as excited by this one. Nevertheless it is still an enjoyable read. A word of caution, despite the "Star Trek" in the title, there is very little Star Trek in this book. Instead, the author expands the comparison to cover other cinematic shows like "X-files" or "Independence Day" (the "Beyond" part of the title). While this is OK and does not diminish the interest of the book, pure Star Trek fans who buy this book expecting to read about Star Trek will be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad for a sequel, but could have been stronger.
Review: This book is not a bad read, but unfortunately it will be compared to Krauss's previous book, The Physics of Star Trek, which was a much stronger book. His sequel leaves something of the impression that he used most of his best material in the earlier volume. This book lacks the number of illustrations from the world of sci-fi and instead has more theoretical and technical exposition, much of which may be over the head of the lay reader. Also, readers (X-Files fans in particular) may be disappointed with the way in which the author seems to dismiss the possibility of such things as ESP and clairvoyance. Krauss goes to great lengths to explain why such phenomena are not probable or plausible, according to the laws of physics. But it is precisely because such things seem to operate outside the realm of physics that they have such interest and appeal. If anything, this book points to the limitations of physics and empirical science as a whole. Some things may simply lie outside the purview of science. Krauss tries to give scientific explanation to things which may more correctly belong to the field of the metaphysical, the supernatural, or the spiritual. In doing so, he demonstrates that science does not hold all the answers.
Rating:
Summary: Advertises more than it delivers.
Review: This is a book about physics, and as such it's certainly entertaining and informative, if at times hard to fathom for certain people (such as myself). But I didn't necessarily buy it for the physics; I bought it to see how physics relates to Star Trek, The X-Files, and other shows, and there was not, in my opinion, nearly enough of that in this book. It went on for entire pages without mentioning any media connection at all. There are plenty of books for which that would not be a problem; a book that specifically advertises itself as media-related is not one of them. Still, it was interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Good science, not much sci-fi
Review: This is an enjoyable, informative science book, wide-ranging from ESP(which he doubts)to quantum mechanics to the likelihood of ETs. All these things are common subjects of science fiction, yet unlike Krauss' earlier book, The Physics of Star Trek, in here he seldom refers to specific sci-fi stories. the first chapter ridicules the lack of science behind the film "Independence Day," but afterward it is mostly a book of science essays. It maintains a fairly complex level of discussion, yet is accessible to us non-scientists.
Rating: 
Summary: Hollywood lookout!
Review: This is an excellent book to help combat some of the myth and misinformation propagated by Hollywood. Anyone interested in how to discuss science with non-scientists should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A really good book!
Review: This was an excellent book. It gives a good explanation on some of the more exciting areas of physics, without needing to take a course in physics or needing to understand all the math it would (normally) involve. I highly recommend it!
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