About The Book

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK * AN NPR SCIENCE FRIDAY BOOK CLUB SELECTION * NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST, THE ECONOMIST, NEW SCIENTIST, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, and THE GUARDIAN

From the cohost of the podcast The Universe with John Green and one of the most dynamic stars in astrophysics, an “engrossing, elegant” (The New York Times) look at five ways the universe could end, and the mind-blowing lessons each scenario reveals about the most important concepts in cosmology.

We know the universe had a beginning. With the Big Bang, it expanded from a state of unimaginable density to an all-encompassing cosmic fireball to a simmering fluid of matter and energy, laying down the seeds for everything from black holes to one rocky planet orbiting a star near the edge of a spiral galaxy that happened to develop life as we know it. But what happens to the universe at the end of the story? And what does it mean for us now?

Dr. Katie Mack has been contemplating these questions since she was a young student, when her astronomy professor informed her the universe could end at any moment, in an instant. This revelation set her on the path toward theoretical astrophysics. Now, with lively wit and humor, she takes us on a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos’s possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know.

About The Author

Photograph by the Perimeter Institute

Katie Mack

Dr. Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist exploring a range of questions in cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. She currently holds the position of Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, where she carries out research on dark matter and the early universe and works to make physics more accessible to the general public. Her first book, The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking), was a New York Times Notable Book. Dr. Mack has written for a number of popular publications, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Slate, Sky & Telescope, BBC Science Focus, and Cosmos magazine. You can read more about Dr. Mack and her work at AstroKatie.com.

About The Readers

Gabra Zackman

Gabra Zackman knows romance. Her clever and “thrilling romantic caper” (Library Journal) Bod Squad series was inspired by the more than one hundred romance and women’s fiction titles she has narrated for audio. She divides her time between her native New York City and Denver, Colorado.

Photograph by the Perimeter Institute

Katie Mack

Dr. Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist exploring a range of questions in cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. She currently holds the position of Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, where she carries out research on dark matter and the early universe and works to make physics more accessible to the general public. Her first book, The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking), was a New York Times Notable Book. Dr. Mack has written for a number of popular publications, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Slate, Sky & Telescope, BBC Science Focus, and Cosmos magazine. You can read more about Dr. Mack and her work at AstroKatie.com.

Product Details

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (August 4, 2020)
Runtime: 6 hours and 21 minutes
ISBN13: 9781797106502

Raves and Reviews

"While forecasting the death of the universe may seem morbid, this audiobook, written by astrophysicist Katie Mack and narrated primarily by Gabra Zackman, is surprisingly fun and informative. Mack delivers the introduction, in which she introduces listeners to her field of study, along with some of its basic concepts and terminology. Mack's enthusiasm and wry sense of humor set the tone for the rest of the audiobook. Zackman then delivers the five major theories on how the universe could end. . . . [She] channels Mack's personality while leading listeners on a jaunty tour of the astrophysical end of everything."

– AudioFile Magazine