42 Reasons to Hate the Universe:

by Chris Ferrie, Wade David Fairclough, Byrne LaGinestra

If you've always suspected the universe was out to get you… you were right!

Yes, the universe we live in is cosmically beautiful and mysterious and all that crap. But it's also a bit of an asshole. After all, remember that you are just a group of atoms structured in a specific way for barely long enough to try to understand this thing we call existence. Those atoms could just have easily been used to make the dog shit you're cleaning off your shoe or the mold that grows on your bread! The fact is, when you zoom out to look at the universe and how it functions, you'll see that it's usually not in our favor, and many of the laws of physics are actively working against our survival. In this book, you'll discover

You're an aging mutantInvisible rays are melting our genetic codeThe Earth is covered in explosive pimplesLiterally everything is poisonousAnd more true and terrifying scientific facts!But don't worry! While it's true that there are (at least) forty-two grudges to hold against the universe, the good news is that there is also one very good reason to forgive them all and embrace the wild, improbable fact that we are alive (for now) and we should take advantage of it while we can. 42 Reasons to Hate the Universe (And One Reason Not To) is a hilarious, no-holds-barred exploration of all the reasons we shouldn't exist—but somehow do anyway. Rooted in scientific research but written simply so that evolved apes such as ourselves can understand where the heck we came from and where we're likely going, this book is for all the nerds and nihilists who know they're going down in the end but want to enjoy the rollercoaster ride of existence on the way.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Audiobook, Humor, Comedy, Adult

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2024

About the author

I am Chris Ferrie, father of four and happy husband. My day job is academic research where I follow my curiosity through the word of quantum physics. My passion for communicating science has led from the most esoteric topics of mathematical physics to more recently writing children’s books.

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Universe cares about you, but only inasmuch as it wants you dead. Once you take the rose-colored glasses off, you soon realize that the Universe really wants nothing to do with you, and often it is trying to kill you.”

This book is trying to explain to the optimists what we, cynical pessimists, have known all along — the Universe is a jerk. And a murderous one, too. We humans, those soft squishy apes who need perfect conditions for merest survival, have no chance in the long term. We’re screwed, scientifically speaking.

The 42 ways in which we are screwed start right at home — and the authors mercilessly mock the hurt feelings of those readers who, like me, expected the cool space stuff from the get-go. But before you get to the black holes you need to sit through the very brief chapters on microbes, oxygen radicals (yeah, antioxidants are indeed just as much bullshit - but pricey bullshit - as the cynics stated from the start), pollution, human biases, the dangers of future nanotechnology going rogue, ionizing radiation, bad diets, autoimmune diseases, poisonous environment, earthquakes, volcanoes, sex (yeah, humans are surprisingly not the grossest Earth inhabitants when it comes to sex, just ask the antechinus or a horny bedbug), and all kinds of deadly animals (“Wherever you go, mosquitoes are the same—jerk-offs with hypodermic needles strapped to their face, prepping to inject you with pestilence while you sleep.”)

But then - finally - the book turned to the stuff beyond our atmosphere and my long-suffering attention span finally perked up. As it always does once one casually works the very scientific term “spaghettification” into any conversation because, let’s face it, you know it’s awesome in the most gruesomely funny way.

Living on Mars seems fun (yes, I do own a t-shirt that says “Sign me up for the Mars colony”, duh!) but apparently I’m wrong about it. Black holes and star deaths are pretty deadly as well. Expanding universe, entropy, miniature black holes, living in a simulation, vacuum decay, quarks and strange matter. Not to mention outer space — there’s a good way to sour - I mean, soil - my future dream space hike:

“Clearly we are in the future, so perhaps long space hikes will be a thing. It could be romantic—a low-gravity expedition with a loved one across a distant moon, listening to the sound of them shitting in their space suit through your earpiece.”


(Did you think I was kidding about this t-shirt?)

The chapters are short and the ways in which the universe can make life difficult are plentiful. And here unfortunately is the weakness of this book — it scatters its attention too much among all of it. It’s personal preference, of course, but I would have much rather seen it focus on fewer things (and most of it for my liking would have been the space stuff outside of the bounds of Earth atmosphere, even if that causes the authors to make merciless fun of my expectations - but “cosmic chlamydia” just sounds more fun than the plain earthly one) and go a bit more in depth about those instead of short and playful overviews. (But maybe they really really wanted to get the number 42 here, which is obviously the answer to the question of the life, universe and everything, and if I have to explain that to you, then my head just may explode all over my living room).

Of course I have a “42” shirt. Duh.

It’s written very colloquially, with puns and jokes and a huge dose of crass humor. Usually I love this, but even my immature sense of humor had to admit that at times Ferrie and co. may be trying a bit too hard to be constantly and enthusiastically funny. Perhaps reading this books in small chunks, one short chapter a day, would help dilute the eventually somewhat overwhelming irreverent humor onslaught.

(Although I’m always happy about unsubtle mocking of astrology in any form:)

“The photo you’ve probably seen (as it is the only one ever taken at the time of writing this) was from the Event Horizon Telescope of M87*, the black hole at the center of galaxy Messier 87. This galaxy is in the constellation Virgo, which makes it hardworking, funny, and a great lover. It also means that it is super-compatible with objects in the Taurus constellation, which are graceful, diligent, but stubborn at times. Just watch out when the Sun passes through Aquarius, which if you haven’t rolled your eyes yet means you’re a fucking idiot.”

And now I’m realizing that the voice of this book is exactly what *my* inner voice sounds like, so screw it — I’m rounding my 3.5 stars to 4 because crass nerdy dorky humor is the best.

“Oh, and if you are the Universe, the jig is up—we are calling you out. From extinctions to murderous artificial intelligence, all the way to the collapsing of space and time itself—this is bullshit! Sure, many of the shitty things you have in store for us are preventable, and there is a perverted sort of beauty in staring into the darkness of your infinite depths. You may have fooled people with your pretty space dust and golden ratios, but these things are just a front. We have science now, and we are watching you.”

——————

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
——————

Also posted on my blog.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The approach is great. Instead of the usual the universe is great sort of thing, the approach here is that the universe is terrible. The book then explains in a clear and conversational tone, how the universe operates. While there is an undertone of humour throughout the book, at times the book is laugh-out-loud funny. And some of the passages are so well-written that I would re-read them. This is a great way to teach science.and to communicate a message. This book is well worth reading even for people who already have a background in science. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advance reader copy. .

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

42 Reasons To Hate The Universe by Chris Ferry, Wade David Fayerclaw Anburn la Ginestra is a book that is exactly what the title states 42 reasons one should completely have nothing but distain for the universe with a sardonic tone the authors give us all the facts we need so we too can have animosity towards this world we live in. They cover everything from the atmosphere aliens are fellow humans Lightning strikes that cost fires to little transistors and just FYI I love the ignorant comments they bring to light out people said years ago that turned out to be so dumb it made me laugh this is a very intelligent book and although most of it is told in humor it is all based on fact and head glaring off into the distance at times especially during the chapter about DNA in the double helix having said that for the most part like 99% of it it was entertaining informative humorous and just an all-around awesome read by the time it’s over you will be more in awe of this world we live in as opposed to disliking it if you love amazing facts or just useless information you would definitely love this book because you could view it as either/or but whatever you label it you will definitely enjoy it I certainly did. I want to thank Sorsa Books non-fiction and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you feel anxious because of global warming and war and everything else that's happening to destroy the planet? This book will give you some perspective. Things are so much worse than you imagine.
I love books where a great science communicator can so clearly explain complex concepts. This book breaks down so many interesting ideas!
In the end, after explaining how terrible everything is, there is something almost like optimism.
There is also a lot of humor here, and it was a really fun ride.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great fun. The "science" part is fine; each brief chapter actually has a factoid or two that's interesting, or at least a novel take on something you probably already knew, (like, say, the Great Filter theory). But the star here is the fact that the text is honestly amusing. And I don't mean jokey or at the Dummies books level. The writing is clever, a bit dry, and often surprisingly witty. The overall tone is congenial, and the authors do a decent job of carrying off the premise/conceit that everything in the universe is trying to kill you. I don't think I'd sit down and try to read this through from cover to cover, but in bite size 5-6 page chapters it's just right as an amusing diversion.

[Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I requested this book because of the title (of course) and being a person of a certain academic persuasion, I always enjoy an opportunity to nerd out, even if at times, things out there can be a bit, well, dark.

One thing most academics have in common is a certain sense of humour and this is found in abundance in this book.

I really enjoy books that dismiss with the jargonese of science and instead adopt a more relaxed rhetoris. This makes learning a lot more accessible and less intimidating for a lot of students. It aso primes them for more academic texts as they are already armed with a solid grounding in the subject

I would absolutely reommend this book to teachers, academics, students, mutants, aliens etc, You know you will live it really. And don't forget your towel. IYKYK

Thank you to Netgalley for this wonderful insight to hating the universe and a great reason not to. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

[Katelyn Grandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, fear-inducing, and incredibly informative. I picked this up on a whim, and it was one of the most entertaining books I've read in a while. If you are someone who stays away from cosmology books because of how math-heavy they can be, fear not; the more complex theories are only explored at the surface level. 

[Elijah Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and easy read. Written in a way that makes it simple to understand concepts that are typically difficult to fully comprehend.

The humor makes it not feel like you’re reading a textbook, but you still feel like you’re learning at the same time. The biology sections were surprisingly my favorite parts of the entire book.

The ending leaves you with a sense of appreciation at the fact that any of this, or us, is here at all.

[Keith Good · Rating 3 out of 5]

42 Reasons… is a snarky high school science textbook, covering everything from quarks to black holes to Earth’s atmosphere with a heavy dose of humor, pop culture and swears. There’s nothing especially in-depth here but the science is presented in an amusing and easy to understand format.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light read; science explained with humor and a lot of swearing. If Mary Roach had written it, there’d be laughing out loud. Here there was some chuckling and a little too much, “but don’t worry, it gets worse!” type of writing.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

satirical yet completely scientific take on facts abt how the universe is trying to kill you. really good humour and every single concept (this book includes all types of science!) has an easy explanation with an example of something you already know. super easy read and didnt know i was 200 pages in until i bothered to check. 😊

[Katie Norman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got to reason 14. Stopped when the authors, in one paragraph, declared the pyramids were built by slaves then made a "Rain Man" joke. WTF? Not worthy to use the number 42. Seriously, I think the 42 was like title clickbait.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lost it when they went to translate a metric weight "for American listeners" so they equated it to how many bullets that would be.

[Joel Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was slowly browsing the science section in Paragraphe (Montreal) one day and came across a book with a hilarious title that was also simultaneously blunt. I did not know what to expect, so driven by a pulsing curiosity, I started browsing the Introduction, some of the earlier pages and random chapters to get a feel of Chris Ferrie's writerly texture, the rhythm of the book and his angle. Ferrie--a principal author of the book, alongside Wade Fairclough and Byrne Laginestra--is a Canadian quantum physicist, mathematician with a PhD in Applied Mathematics, children's book author and an Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney.

"42 Reasons to Hate The Universe and One Reason Not To" is a skillful mashup of Neil deGrasse Tyson's 'Earth Is Bad for Life' FORATV talk with a watered-down, pop-cultural version of the Medea Hypothesis developed by the American palaeontologist Peter Ward, mixed-in with the irreverent misanthropic humour of George Carlin, which is to say, plenty of F-bombs, fart and dick jokes and a constant stream of nihilistic jabs aimed at the farce that is human stupidity. The Book is poetically organized like a catalogue. It lists 42 ways the universe by its astrophysical structure and physical constitution set out to snuff out life any way it can, as if it were a stone-cold serial killer on a rampage. With this angle to the cosmic perspective, it definitely pokes discursive, more so philosophical holes at the traditional Christian worldview, which treats the universe as a perfect, beautiful handiwork of God's precious creation, God taken to be benevolent and all-good as a starting assumption. Nothing could be further from the truth. The earth, along with the cosmos to which it is a part is not represented as a hospitable cradle of life, but instead; as a long drawn-out 'shitshow' spanning billions of years coldly bathed in cycles of death, cataclysm and destruction. Life is relegated to a mere fluke in spacetime, a product of chance.

An engaging conversational prose style unburdened by academic jargon, plus the humour, the sarcasm and various pop cultural references from classical Greek mythology, the James Cameron-directed Terminator films, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Marvel comics to Jurassic Park all bring much levity to an otherwise bleak outlook devoid of salvific hope, much less a Hollywood happy ending. Even the so-called building blocks of life: water and oxygen are revealed in some respects to be antithetical to the successful flourishing of life. My favourite chapters are as follows: "Reason 2: Radicalized oxygen is trying to kill you," "Reason 4: The environment is as fragile as a glass balloon," "Reason 8: We are one button-press away from self-destruction," "Reason 13: Your own personal army is planning a mutiny," "Reason 16: Literally everything is poisonous," "Reason 17: Sex Sucks," "Reason 22: Even the livable places are shit," and last few chapters on strange matter, and how dark matter is implicated the extinction of the dinosaurs via the work of Lisa Randall.

However, don't allow the informal, nihilistically tongue in cheek writing style fool you, for it is in the book's bibliography the author gives any meaningful hint to his rigorous scientific training and his command/ familiarity with the scientific literature by way of a detailed assortment of peer-reviewed science papers. In the twenty-eight pages of scholarly references, only about eight books are documented. The majority of his sources are peer-reviewed science papers, government reports, documents prepared by multilateral organizations such as United Nations; web pages and websites of science organizations like NASA, reports from reputable news organizations: BBC News and Associated Press (AP). This is well-researched introductory material intended to inform the general public and leaves accessible avenues for advanced reading and learning. Another attraction of the book are the short, concise chapters that number between five to six pages on average that make the reading pace all the more swift and pleasurable. The font is large and very readable, therefore; easy on the eyes and notably, the book has sturdy binding as well.

There are a few chapters I felt could have been better, more clearly written and fleshed out where Chris Ferrie explains the concept of entropy (Reason 35), decay (Reason 38), strange matter (Reason 37). Of all the things I've read, strange matter is probably the most bizarre and yet, the most dangerous force in the universe, besides quasars, of course. I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it and it will definitely change the way you look at the universe and our place in it, particularly how fragile and vulnerable life is in the grand scheme of things. For further background, I recommend the book, The Medea Hypothesis, a critique of the Gaia hypothesis proposed by the late English scientist James Lovelock. I must say the book is not intended for a devoutly religious (Christian) audience, accustomed to regarding the Creator as masculine and the creation, sacred. Prepare to have your views savagely challenged!

[Kay S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freaking loved this book. Did it give me a small existential crisis while I drove home for the past two days?

Yes.

I really enjoyed the ever growing reasons the universe is out to get you. The authors started off small and easy to understand - like pandemics. We all know what that's like. And end with the mysteries and destructiveness of black holes. All the while taking shots at just about everything from the imperial measurement system to the human inability to leave alcohol alone.

It was snarky, poignant, wonderfully read and researched, powerful, and terrifying. Give this a read/listen and you aren't going to be disappointed.

[lo.yve · Rating 3 out of 5]

iako knjiga govori o milion stvari koje su loše i koje mogu (i žele) da nas ubiju, nije mi ulilo strah u kosti i nije me je nateralo da mrzim ovu bogom napuštenu planetu (što je i dobro, ne treba mi više razloga da želim da skončam). definitivno informativno (poooovršno ik ik) i na trenutke zabavno. šale mi nisu bile smešne, sem kad je autor pljuvao po amerikancima, which is always funny no matter how stupid. za većinu stvari sam čula, ali ću ih sad zbog ove knjige malo bolje proučiti

[Louis Lendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book sets out to be a light, humorous read and accomplishes both objectives too well. In their rush to handle 42 complex topics in only a couple of pages each, the authors end up saying silly things like groundwater is "dirty and requires a lot of filtration" and is a "largely unusable source of freshwater." In their zeal to be humorous, the authors deliver a steady stream of slapstick that simply gets tiring after a while. All that said, it's format makes it a perfect "bathroom book!"

[Tiega · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re a little bit of a nerd and find this type of thing interesting, this is a book you’ll want to listen to it. It was informative while also being funny and entertaining. I love a good “nerdy” book that doesn’t read like a textbook or use jargon that you need an advanced education to understand it.

[Antonietta tesfaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scientific description of our world with some humorous dialogue. It's the best way to explain and to get peoples attention. It will keep you interested throughout. It's unfortunate that the people reading this book are those who have a working functioning brain. And those who really need to hear this, are too busy wearing red hats.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's not a lot of book about universe which are both informative and entertaining. Well researched, compelling and thought provoking.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[PacMan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific book. Apart from the 42 reasons which are interesting, the book hums along with wit, laugh-out-loud writing, well placed swearing, a funny 'ass' reference in each chapter. This book was right up my alley! Well done.

[SWC · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cosmos is a very harsh place in which to exist and the author has plenty of reasons to back up that statement. However, the author is not all doom and gloom. He is able to approach the topic with some cheekiness. He does finish the book with some positive inspiration.

[Shaary]

DNF @19%
I think I lost my sense of humour. I appreciated the jokes at the start but then they just stopped being funny.
I might return back to it in the future.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not love it more if I tried. Do not listen to it while driving. You will laugh so hard, you wreck.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 3 1/2 but again, no options for 1/2 star. Sigh

[Rayfes Mondal · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy, funny read

[Dave Bann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book about why the universe wants to kill you. Australians have a strange and wonderful sense of humor.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who wants entertainment mixed with facts.

[John Tocci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great concept but author's snark, clever at first, wears thin. Plagued as well by redundancy.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tried too hard to be funny