I am a high school student with no previous interest in the subject of unification in physics until this book. It was written plainly and so it was easy to read, but it was also too concise. The only problem was that, and the fact superstrings are discussed towards the end of the book. Also, probably from being new to the subject, I did not see why he had to describe group theory, it would have been better if he explained what the importance of group theory was and why he put it in the book. I do not think the book is horrible, but many better books exist as an introduction to unification. Search for a Supertheory by Barry Parker is better in that it doesn't suffer from conciseness. Particle Garden by Gordon Kane actually describes the particles in an understandable manner, rather than just listing particle after particle with little explanation as in this book. Too many questions remained to someone like me, new to the subject after reading this. Unless you already are familiar with the subject and want a quick review, this book is not worth the money.

If you are looking for more than " Oh, Golly" physics with some real mathematics, then this will be disappointing, but if you like Richard Feynman type informative lectures that name the names and give an understandable overview, then this is a well written book with history and facts and references. I got is as a gift from a friend who was trying to be of help! It was more help than some of my Google searches on the Internet!

Popular books on quantum theory are like cheap toilet paper, they fall apart easily. Gribbin's latest book is a triumph for the quantum wanabees who think they know some of the basic concepts, but in reality can only recite what they've read. Gribbin has a way of giving the reader an insight into what can only be properly understood mathematically. This book was written for those who don't know the math, but wish they did. The only thing "cheap" about this book is the price. Excellent!