“A rare and compulsively readable blend of science and thriller, The Second Kind of Impossible tells of the quest to find a new type of matter that would rewrite the rules of reality. Paul Steinhardt, one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists, takes readers on a wondrous odyssey across multiple decades and continents as, against all odds, he helps to topple scientific orthodoxy.”
—Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe
“Scientists, smugglers, and spies—this book is an exciting and enlightening scientific detective story. The tale is about far more than a new form of matter; it is also a thrilling and wonderfully written look at how science works.”
—Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein
“An epic account of two scientific triumphs: a thirty-year theoretical search for understanding and a real-world expedition into the wilds of Kamchatka. It is as if The Origin of Species and The Voyage of the Beagle had been published together in one volume.”
—Freeman Dyson, author of Maker of Patterns
“A truly amazing adventure story, full of twists and turns, right up to the very end. It has my strongest recommendation.”
—Sir Roger Penrose, author of The Emperor’s New Mind
“Picture this. In Russia’s far east, a motley crew of conspirators races against time to solve a mystery hidden for billions of years. The enigma could link a speck of rock found in the dusty basement of an Italian museum to the evolution of the Solar System. To solve it, a brilliant theoretical physicist must overcome impossible odds, Kremlin agents, a vanished package, secret diaries and a trek across a volcanic peninsula.This is no Hollywood blockbuster: it is real-world scientific derring-do …”
—Sharon Glotzer, “Quasicrystals, the Thrill of the Chase” in Nature Books & Arts Review
“The book is a remarkably exciting recounting of the decades, of two steps forward, one step back, of miracle funding, miracle discoveries, fabulous loyalty and teamwork, and ultimate success over the impossible. Steinhardt has peppered the book with humor, humility, personality and humanity. There’s nary a mathematical formula to sully the story. It is a joy to read.”
—David Wineberg, The Straight Dope
“An intriguing blend of science and international adventure. [Steinhardt] takes readers on a wild ride in search of a new kind of matter…full of intrigue and adventure, culminating with the epic Kamchatka journey….A general audience can and should enjoy this original, suspenseful true-life thriller of science investigation and discovery.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An admirable popular account of the quasicrystal, an oddball arrangement of atoms that seems to contradict scientific laws…A gripping scientific quest…Readers will enjoy this enthusiastic introduction to a weird but genuine new form of matter.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Cutting-edge science as high adventure.”
—Booklist
“Steinhardt does a masterful job of making a complex subject more accessible…The quest-filled narrative along with the author’s casual style create an extremely readable work that gives insight into the work involved in scientific discovery.”
—Library Journal