Faster than the Speed of Light by João Magueijo

  (out of 5 stars)

What an unexpected gem of a book this turned out to be! Lee Smolin mentioned this work in his own popular science effort titled The Trouble With Physics, having worked with the author for some time. So, I picked this one up, hoping to get a peak at an alternative to inflation theory. Faster delivered this and a lot more.

João Magueijo is a cosmologist who values his identity as the somewhat anacharistic outsider, concentrating on alternative theories including his groundbreaking work on one called varying speed of light (VSL) which challenges the basic assumptions of special relativity and inflation. Faster explores João's progress toward the VSL concepts as well as serving as a memoir for his own scientific career (through its publication in 2003).

The first chapters of the book offer some history of various individuals and their theories which are central to any cosmological framework. João's explanation of Alan Guth's work toward establishing inflation as a primary theory in the field is outstanding and one I've not seen delivered better in a work not dedicated to inflation itself. His section and references to Einstein, while not terribly new, were humanizing rather than placing him on a golden pedestal as so many other authors like to do. We get glimpses into the mortal genius who we appreciate even more as a result. The author clearly likes to fancy himself an Einstein-like outsider, the kind who had to work around the system rather than through it. Even though I knew much of the history offered, Magueijo produced an excellent and engaging overview that kept me reading regardless.

Once Magueijo himself enters the picture later on, the reader learns of his work which became VSL, introducing numerous famous (and not-so-famous) cosmologists and physicists who partnered with or mentored him. VSL is more accurately a classification of theories rather than a specific one (just as inflation theory and string theory are not single theories). João keeps the math and technical details very light and moves quickly through his points, interweaving solid physical passages with personal stories and experiences. However, he doesn't skimp on the cosmological explanations, so there is plenty here for the science junkie to explore, much of it never presented in another popular science book (to my knowledge).

The writing is excellent, though presented quite differently from most popular science books. Magueijo is brash, sometimes cursing to get his points across, and I've read other reviewers balk at his treatment of such a noble field as cosmology. The cursing is not that bad, maybe a dozen instances in total.

I'd argue those readers missed one of João's main points of the book (other than to describe VSL and his journey toward it), that being his passionate disgust with the way the physics world has behaved and his belief that giving the system a big FU is both healthy and necessary.

I must say, that while I enjoy the delightful and professional presentations of other writers in the field, including Brian Greene, Carl Sagan, and Lee Smolin, this unique style was a very nice change of pace, and I very much appreciated João's honesty and clarity throughtout. This book is as much about Magueijo's impression of his own field as it is about VSL and cosmology, and in that light, his treatment was outstanding, unique, and very enjoyable to read. I've read few science authors capable of writing so clear and engaging in her/his non-native language.

While I have no idea whether Magueijo's VSL theory will stand up to experiment (he offers that even he has no idea if it can), João is convincing in his argument that allowing cosmology to settle comfortably into accepted but far-from-proven theories is flat out wrong. Inflation itself is simply accepted based on postdictions, the dominant theory has yet to be proven as correct despite the fact that it is presented as gospel by most everyone. Work on VSL and other alternative theories, even to the point of undermining long-standing and solidly placed theories such as special relativity (which some versions of VSL do undermine) is vital, Magueijo argues, to continue to break new ground and challenge the way cosmology views the universe.

Maguiejo provides an incredibly enjoyable and fascinating look at VSL theory and his own life. The science is strong but not technical, the personal stories are relevant and revealing, and few popular science books have attempted, let alone delivered, such a fun-to-read experience, delivered in this author's unique way. Maguiejo is passionate about his subject and every page drips with enthusiasm for his work. Five big stars, and very highly recommended to any popular science reader willing to open her/his mind to alternative ideas.