This book is a collection of essays covering a variety of critical disciplines do justice to the complexity and intrigue of this trilogy, exploring the answers to questions such as: Is His Dark Materials a new antireligious myth, or a failed perversion of Christian truth? and How does the story of the Specters of Cittagazze challenge our modern-day scientific practices?

The world of 'Dune' is filled with fascinating scientific speculation and 'this book aims to educate readers as to how such science does, and might, work.

This book delves into the archaeology of witchcraft, tracing the origin and uses of wands and cauldrons as revealed at ancient European dig sites. He speculates on the astounding connection between hallucinogens and flying broomsticks and the bizarre drug-taking practices of medieval witches. The potions and charms that Harry has so much trouble replicating in Snape's class are in fact grounded in the science of ethnobotany. Here too is a plausible account of the cutting-edge physics that explains the invisibility cloak and the genetic engineering behind the creation of Fluffy the three-headed dog.

This book examines whether dinosaurs can be cloned, if nanotechnological particles can evolve intelligence, and if we can go back in time.

This book explaining the scientific basis for how all that wizardy, sorcery, and magic really works in JRR Tolkien's fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings and his other fictional books featuring Middle-earth.

This book looks at how does the subtle knife cut through anything? Could there be a bomb like the one made with Lyra hair? How do the Gallivespians lodestone resonators really work? And, of course, what are the Dark Materials? Drawing on string theory and spacetime, quantum physics and chaos theory.

This book explores the connections between the famous playwright and the beginnings of the Scientific Revolution--and how, together, they changed the world forever.

This book explores of concepts as diverse as ESP, pyrokinesis, time travel, artificial intelligence, quantum chemistry, alternate realities, string theory, and the possibility that we'll be visited by aliens or that we'll face a global pandemic.