George and the Big Bang

By: Stephen Hawking, Lucy Hawking

Narrated by: James Goode

Explore how the universe began—and thwart evil along the way—in this cosmic adventure from Stephen and Lucy Hawking that includes a graphic novel.

George has problems. He has twin baby sisters at home who demand his parents’ attention. His beloved pig Freddy has been exiled to a farm, where he’s miserable. And worst of all, his best friend, Annie, has made a new friend whom she seems to like more than George. So George jumps at the chance to help Eric with his plans to run a big experiment in Switzerland that seeks to explore the earliest moment of the universe. But there is a conspiracy afoot, and a group of evildoers is planning to sabotage the experiment. Can George repair his friendship with Annie and piece together the clues before Eric’s experiment is destroyed forever?

This engaging adventure features essays by Professor Stephen Hawking and other eminent physicists about the origins of the universe and ends with a twenty-page graphic novel that explains how the Big Bang happened—in reverse!

Story great, narrator not.

Hugh Dancy was the best of the three narrators used for the George books. James Goode’s version is the worst. Annie, a complex and lovely character, is voiced as shrill and hysterical throughout. Her friend Vincent has a very odd and distracting accent. As someone whose son insists we listen over and over again, I am really wishing Hugh dancy had done the whole series!

Way less enjoyable than prior two

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Not sure

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

My 10 year old son really enjoyed the prior 2 Hawking books in the series, but this one seemed to be a much weaker story and narration.

Would you be willing to try another one of James Goode’s performances?

No, it was awful

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

boredom