Popular Science Review - Faster than Light

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Review - Faster than Light - Nick Herbert

Nothing, said Mr Einstein, travels faster than light. But... and it's the 'but' that Nick Herbert fills in, cover as the subtitle points out 'superluminal loopholes in physics'.

Herbert looks at different ways of getting around the barriers that seem to prevent anything breaking the light barrier. Whether it's quantum entanglement, wormholes in space (Hawking's favourite), black holes or tachyons, Herbert whisks us through the possibilities.

Unfortunately, this book was written before the Chaio and Nimtz superluminal experiments of the 1990s and early 2000s, when a rather different superluminal effect was demonstrated in the laboratory - and his view of quantum entanglement is rather old fashioned - but it's still a useful survey of the possibilities.

Less effective is the writing style. Like many (but not all) scientists who write popular science, Herbert isn't as easy to read as an effective science writer, and this shows in paragraphs that have to be read several times to try to understand what he had in mind. Age and this so-so style pull down the star rating - but bear in mind the content is still very interesting!

Also in hardback:

Reviewed by Brian Clegg

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