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This is the fourth or fifth book that I have read by Charles Seife. I liked the others so much that I have deliberately spaced out reading more of his work to "savor" the experience when I do pick another up.

First off, this book is very well written, researched and organized. It presents a tricky and important topic with clear exposition, excellent examples and morsels of humor, much like his other works (although perhaps with a greater dollop of wit). If you simply like a great book on any topic, just grab a copy and read it now!

Salon.com is quoted on the cover as saying, "For the former liberal arts major and other right-brainers, Seife is the man." I agree that Seife takes intricate, difficult topics and concepts and presents them in a lucid and understandable manner. This book probably best exemplifies the quote as pretty much all formulae and the "hard" parts of "hard science" are translated into easy-to-read text. Whether or not the average right-brainer will follow all of the reasoning and points is not for me to say.

In my own professional work I deal with some of the science parts that Seife has written about (including information theory), but as an implementer, not as a researcher. That is why I try to find authors covering material that I want to know about, but haven't the opportunity to do the basic research on. Charles Seife is one of the best at this.

I count myself lucky that prior to picking up "Decoding the Universe", I read a couple of books on codes and cryptography (very interesting and very, very detailed) and Walter Issacson's biography of Albert Einstein: "Einstein: His Life and Universe". Everyone "knows" that Einstein created the theory (ies, actually) of Relativity, but most are unaware of his seminal contributions to the establishment and development of Quantum Theory and Mechanics. He was and in deep and surprising ways. (Another book I've recommended and reviwed.)

Prior knowledge of these theories is not essential for enjoying Seife's book, but knowing how they were developed and how they impacted Physics, War, and the World give one a far better appreciation for their importance and how Information Theory actually addresses many of the issues raised by Quantum Theory (and troubled Einstein for the last 30-odd years of his life.)

Seife makes a strong argument that Information Theory is the third major revolution in physics of the 20th century, after Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Although parts of the "solutions" personally trouble the author, he gives the reader all of the facts and theories that are shaping scientists and theorists understanding of the world and the cosmos. Pick it up and judeg for yourself!