Rating: 
Summary: Author needed to stick to the subject.
Review: Over all, I found the author's style very abrasive and convoluted. Faster than the Speed of Light is a semi-autobiographical account of the author's work on the theory of the variable speed of light (VSL), a controversial theory that attempts to address some of the "Big Bang riddles" for which the inflationary theory has failed to account. Unfortunately the largest portion of the text is dedicated to an excoriation of academic bureaucracy, peer-reviewed journals, and "senescent" senior scientists who according to the writer discourage new innovation by forcing young hopefuls into the old, accepted mold under threat of non-tenure. While I have no doubt that his indignation is justified, I still found his invective somewhat juvenile and at times bordering on the libelous. One has the distinct impression of a youngster stamping his feet in outrage. His comments on individual scientists were very ungraceful. Though unnamed, these people are probably identifiable to anyone familiar with the author, the venue of his work and the individuals with whom he has been associated. One has the feeling that Dr. Magueijo is intellectually precocious but socially delayed. I suspect that unless he tones down his angry young man act, he will continue to [fight] with the establishment and have to fight for every inch he gains. Surely this can be no better for the furtherance of scientific discovery than the closed mindedness of his mentors! While the author does make his awareness of these behaviors and his appreciation of his peers known by the end of the book, I wonder how many will have set the book aside long before they reach that point. The account is full of vignettes of the author's life, many of them having little to do with the new cosmological theory that he proposes. In part this seems to be an attempt to give the reader some insight into the creative mind of the physicist, in part to create a bond with the reader. In general by the middle of the book, if it didn't have anything to do with the VSL theory, I skipped over it. I suspect many would have set the book aside before then, but I was determined to find out something about VSL of which I have only recently become aware. I also found it annoying to find that almost the entire first half of the book was dedicated to yet another discussion, albeit a less respectful one, of Einstein and his theories. Again the reader is treated to a "novel" means of explaining relativity and general relativity to the beginner. I've gotten so I read them now just to see to what extremes authors have to go to be "original" with respect to this topic. This time its jumping cows with their heads through an electrified fence. These complaints having been stated, I will say that I appreciated the author's clear and concise discussion of the riddles of the big bang: the horizon problem, the homogeneity issue, events before the Planck time, the cosmological constant, in essence all those theoretical problems that have yet to be resolved to explain why we see what we do in space. His outline of the VSL theory--minus all the personal invective and reminiscence--and its ability to explain them was particularly lucid, as were his short discussions of string and loop theories. As contentious and uncertain as the field of cosmology is these days--in all days, I suppose--the VSL theory does seem to be one that can be subjected to field observation and has met with some verification recently. As the author states, some of the astronomical findings made during his years of work on the theory and on getting it into publication have suggested that the speed of light did vary early in the history of the universe. Just recently, some findings on quasars also seem to support the theory. It will be interesting to watch the cosmological scene to see how the various theories fair in the future. An interesting topic, but the author needed to stick to the title subject more.
Rating: 
Summary: a new direction for popular science
Review: Since I myself am studying to become a physicist, I try to avoid reading popular science books. But this one was irresistible.
From the scientific aspects of this book: Magueijo gives a clear account of where cosmology currently stands and what its major problems are. He then gradually indicates how his theories might remedy these problems.
But this book isn't about the scientific facts alone. Intertwined with that discussion is the story-line in which the drama of scientific discovery takes place (and the great thing is that it's set right now: 1997-2002). Magueijo provides a gripping account of what life as a physicist is really like (failure, tenure, competition, refereed journals, grants, and the creative process itself are all discussed).
I found biographical dialogues possibly more interesting than the scientific aspects (it's as exciting as fiction, but it really happened). But the science part was nothing short of riveting, since I knew nothing about cosmology.
Overall, Magueijo's book provides a complete change of pace for popular science books. In the tradition of James Watson's "Double Helix," Magueijo brings the process of scientific inquiry to life by showing us the drama behind the scenes.
Rating:
Summary: This is not just another popular physics book
Review: This is a very interesting book for several reasons. Einstein's ideas, just like the man himself, have become mythic in their influence and popularity. This book puts forward an important post-Einsteinian theory of the nature of the universe and so challenges one of the most significant and well-known ideas of the 20th century. As if that wasn't courageous enough, Magueijo writes the book about his unconventional idea in an unconventional way - he also critiques the organisations and processes of science itself which produce new ideas, from the structure of present day universities to the process of scientific publication and peer-review. While some readers may see his critique of the institutions of science as irrelevant to his new ideas in physics, this ignores the real influence that the institutional status quo have on the development and acceptance of scientific innovation. The promotion of a revolutionary idea not only requires the challenging of existing theory, it also requires the challenging of the scientific institutions which currently hold that idea. This second battle is usually done silently behind the scenes, but Magueijo drops the pretence and writes about both in his book - and its about time science got this particular skeleton out of the closet! Magueijo is no crank - the Royal Society have given him a 10 year Fellowship - very very few get one of those. I for one, commend his gutsy swipe at both established theory and the establishments of theory. This book is a breath of fresh air and just what universities and research institutes need more of to keep them useful.
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