The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook: a history of the Renaissance mathematics that birthed imaginary numbers, probability, and the new physics of the universe

`This beautifully written book is a kind of experimental scientific biography that mashes up science with what seems to be non-science, the better to explore the boundaries of what we still don't know ... a quite superb book.'

`An enthralling biography of the polymath Jerome Cardano, which doubles as a primer on the strangeness of quantum physics ... This vivid book offers belated recompense to a gambler who lost more than he won in an eventful and turbulent life.'

`4 stars ... Cardano turns out to be an intriguing figure, deserving of Brooks' obsession ... [they] make for very entertaining and illuminating companions.'

`Brooks is an exemplary science writer. His explanations have the sort of clarity you often yearn for when you read about science, but rarely find.'

`[Brooks's] history of [quantum theory] and his sketches of its principals - Einstein, Schro dinger, Bohr - are swift and precise, but he really shines in his lucid discussions of theory and experiment.'

`Michael Brooks is the canniest science writer around. He writes, above all, with attitude.'

`Jerome Cardano is my all-time favourite mathematical rogue. Michael Brooks has brought him vividly to life in entertaining, informative, and highly original conversations about frontier physics, held across a gulf of centuries. A daring and successful experiment and a new kind of popular science writing.'

`A beautifully novelistic fusion of physics and biography.'

`Brooks communicates difficult stuff in an amiable and lucid manner.'

`Michael Brooks is a magician in the old sense - both scientist and artist. He uses both disciplines to create a compelling, fresh look at the quantum world. A fantastic read for students of reality.'

`[A] fascinating and accessible primer on some of the meatiest and most controversial ideas in modern science ... Brooks is known for his ability to explain difficult science to non-specialist audiences, and his passionate interest in quantum physics and history animates every page of this engrossing book.'

`This unconventional biography reads like a playful, postmodern novel full of ambition, intrigue, tragedy and an amazing array of scientific discoveries ... a risky conceit but Brooks pulls it off magnificently.'

`The premise of Michael Brooks's book linking Cardano and quantum physics is bonkers but curiously effective.'