If there's a weakness to this book, it's an unevenness in its authors' abilities to communicate their subjects to a popular audience. Some of the writers are naturals, they get to the essence of their work with a minimum of jargon and a maximum of depth. Others are clearly more used to submitting to academic journals, and their style is similarly technical. The subject matter is undoubtedly interesting, but some readers may find it a struggle to get through some of the more scholarly essays.
Science writing is a balancing act between maintaining interest, clarity, and accuracy. It's possible to lose your audience in detail whether you're talking about genetics, string theory, or behavioural psychology. I struggled with an article on cosmology, despite coming from a physics background myself.
But on the whole, Future Science delivers what it promises. It takes us to science's many frontiers, and gives us a sneak peek behind the curtain. I can't imagine another single book (well, other than its own predecessor) capable of giving such a broad view of scientific discovery on the cusp, as it stands right now. Not every major open question in the whole of science is covered — that would be unrealistic. But there's plenty of food for thought here.
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