The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook

by Michael Brooks

A book of science like no other, about a scientist like no other.

This is a landmark in science writing. It resurrects from the vaults of neglect the polymath Jerome Cardano, a Milanese of the sixteenth century. Who is he? A gambler and blasphemer, inventor and chancer, plagued by demons and anxieties, astrologer to kings, emperors and popes. This stubborn and unworldly man was the son of a lawyer and a brothel keeper, but also a gifted physician and the unacknowledged discoverer of the mathematical foundations of quantum physics. That is the argument of this charming and intoxicatingly clever book, which is truly original in its style, and in the manner of the modernists embodies in its very form its theories about the world.

'The Quantum Astrologer’s Handbook' is a science book with the panache of a novel, for readers of Carlo Rovelli or Umberto Eco. It is a work of and about genius.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Physics, Historical, Mathematics

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Michael Edward Brooks is an English science writer, noted for explaining complex scientific research and findings to the general population. Brooks holds a PhD in Quantum Physics from the University of Sussex. He was previously an editor for New Scientist magazine, and currently works as a consultant for that magazine. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, The Times Higher Education Supplement. His first novel, Entanglement, was published in 2007. His first non-fiction book, an exploration of scientific anomalies entitled 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, was published in 2009. Brooks' next book, The Big Questions: Physics, was released in February 2010. It contains twenty 3,000-word essays addressing the most fundamental and frequently asked questions about science.

Reviews

[Michelle Curie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd, but compelling book. Despite all the descriptions and summaries I couldn't really figure out where reading this would take me. Was this fiction? A science book? A biography?



In the end, it turned out to be all and none of that. It's a re-imagination of the life of the Renaissance astrologer and mathematician Jerome Cardano, who played an important role in laying the foundation of quantum theory as we know it today by inventing what we call imaginary numbers, (the square roots of minus numbers). Not an easy subject to write about and certainly not an easy one to get creative with, either, but Michael Brooks does so in a playful and innovative way.

Instead of telling Jerome Cardano's story and achievements chronologically, Brook instead pictures himself as a guardian angel in conversation with he mathematician. What sounds like a corny and simply bad idea somehow works surprisingly well, and I enjoyed these chapters. These fictionalized history bits are mixed with passages in which Brooks explains both Jerome Cardano's achievements as well as the general ideas of quantum physics that developed from them.

It might sound silly, but it made me realize how used I am to having illustrations and graphics help me in science books and the lack of these slowed my reading down severely, having to focus more on the words in order to understand what is being explained to me.

It's certainly an odd book, not a bad one and it was definitely fun to read. I'm still left wondering what its main aim was - to teach me about quantum physics? To pay tribute to Jerome Cardano? The crossover of science and fiction, of biography and non-fiction is what made this book appealing, but at the same time left me feeling like it had its fingers in just a few pies too many.

[Terry Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a science book, this is as odd as it is beautiful and compelling. The rich and rollercoaster life of Jerome Cardano, astrologer, scientist and rogue, serves as a great device for making this an interesting and relatable intro-level introduction to quantum physics. Some may feel there's too much of Jerome, but for me I loved the biography as much as the science, and felt the two each made the other better. I'd read one of Brooks' more straightforward science books before and thought it was okay, but this was something special. I hope he writes more along these kind of lines.

[oviya · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was the first book I've read in 9 months... which is something in itself. Definitely was a really interesting read though. Much like the polymath it's about, this book managed to do many very different things all at once, managing to simultaneously be a biography, textbook and novel (that sentence was basically lifted from the blurb). The explanations of quantum mechanics are well presented, and while a lot of it is basic enough for beginners to understand there's enough new information to keep the attention of someone who already knows a bit about the subject. I'm honestly very impressed by how Brooks wove together mathematics, physics, philosophy and 16th-century history into one book, along with his own entertaining commentary.

[Andrew H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly absorbing. Through the character of Jerome Cardano, the unacknowledged inventor of probability theory, Brooks unveils the mysterious world of Quantum Physics. The book brings Cardano to life and draws parallels between a Renaissance polymath and modern Renaissance men. The book is not a history of science so much as probing of the scientific mind: a re-occurring theme is that genius and the good are not automatic partners, great minds can belong to flawed human beings, like the bellicose Cardano or the predatory Scrodinger. Cardano was a Marlovian over-reacher: he dared to apply probability theory to the Virgin birth and conclude that the odds were against it. No wonder that he attracted the eyes of the Inquisition. This is a book written with insight and modesty -- Brooks admits that he does not grasp Quantum Physics ... it hovers beyond the mind just as the Universe hung tantalisingly above Cardano's head.

[Elisabeth Orion · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I most liked about this book was the description of mathematic duels in Renaissance Italy. Intellectuals fighting over solutions to difficult maths problems. The public studying maths to keep up with the celebrities. The fact that a general solution to an equation is more valuable than gold, guarded with secrecy, passed on with dying breath to your closest relatives, because it can guarantee your victory, and thus position and fame.

[John Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated by Girolamo Cardano for many years, chiefly through his critical role in developing early theories and explanations of probability. In this quite starnge book, a modern quantum physics PhD becomes part of Jerome (in this book) Cardano's life an a a sort of dialogue takes place, as Brooks also writes about quantum theory in a very easy way, wthout ever denying its difficulties, and gives a very sympathetic version of Cardano's life. I enjoyed it, but am not sure how much better informed I am at the end of it; butperhaps the way with qusatum theory.

[Krystelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is wonderful, a study of life in a microanalysis, but at the same time, it teeters dangerously close to a historical work that reads like a dictatorial textbook, which isn't at all where this belongs. To remain in the stars and provide that full immersive experience is where I wish this would be going, but it's just not there, and I wanted it to take that a little further. This book isn't bad persay, but it just needed a little more art and a little less doctrine.

[Johanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this - quantum physics, biography and renaissance history all combined together. It occasionally made my head hurt (but that's the quantum stuff). The life of one of the unsung heroes of maths and physics Jerome Cardano who was making key discoveries long before the eponymous discoverers put stuff together.

[Abraham Tsoukalidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best popular science books I’ve read

[Gordon Clarke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was wanting to read a book about Cardano the man, about his work and his life, as detailed on the back of the book. I sort of got that but (spoiler alert) also a good deal of quantum physics that wasn't necessary nor in the long run pertinent to him, regardless of the numerous justifications. If Brooks had concentrated more on Cardano then I would have given it 3 stars.

There were several printing errors that rendered some sentences unreadable, with the meaning lost. A real pity.

[Christopher Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The interpretation of QM chapters could easily have been left out and made no difference to the story. Seemed like a gimmick to make the book marketable. Otherwise interesting way to present the personal history of Gerolamo Cardano who I was unaware of prior to this book.

[Danilo Poccia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, interesting, strange book!

Mixing history and science, this book is a great introduction to quantum mechanics and the life of Gerolamo Cardano, one of those Renaissance geniuses crossing so many different fields, from medicine to mathematics.

[Dimitris Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Λίγη κβανιτκή μηχανική, λίγο από εποχή του 16ου αιώνα, η ζωή του αστρολόγου, μαθηματικού, γιατρού Καρντάνο, αρκετά ανούσια. Ένα άνοστο μίγμα για τα δικά μου γούστα

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into quantum physics and medieval Italy looking through the life of Jerome Cardano. I love the way that the science was woven into the biography. The principles were explained clearly and were relatable. I am so excited to find out more about the history of scientific discovery and the theories that try to explain the wonderful universe that we live in.

[Javier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro de difícil catalogación nos cuenta la vida de Girolamo Cardano, el primer matemático que formuló unas leyes para la combinatoria y que describió los números imaginarios (entre otros muchos logros) a la vez que recorremos la Física del siglo XX, desde la teoría de la Relatividad de Einstein hasta la Mecánica Cuántica y la más reciente Teoría de Cuerdas.
Es un libro sin pretensiones académicas, de fácil lectura, en el que el autor (Doctor en Física Cuántica) va desgranando los problemas más actuales de la Física teórica con la misma facilidad con las que nos cuenta las proezas y miserias de este humanista italiano, completamente olvidado en nuestros días, del que se encuentran referencias en las obras de personajes posteriores como Newton o Shakespeare y al que el narrador considera el verdadero padre de la Mecánica Cuántica.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected. But not in a bad way. Entertaining, easy to read, and I think a good, light, introduction to the strange world of quantum physics.

[Consuelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy interesante. Biografía de un científico del siglo XVI, que no tuvo una vida precisamente aburrida, salpicada con explicaciones de matemáticas y física cuántica, y contada como si fuera una obra de narrativa. Hasta tiene un elemento fantástico metaliterario. Para frikis-frikis.
Reseña completa en Origen Cuántico:
https://www.origencuantico.com/el-man...

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is ultimately not a success.

It’s audacious and unusual, yes, but its basic gist is quite simple: it’s a book about Gerolamo Cardano, the Italian mathematician, written by a quantum physicist, and therefore alternates between a brisk novelistic telling of Cardano’s life and a survey of topics in quantum theory.

‘Therefore’? The question it necessarily raises is: why? A work like this implicitly claims some justification for the juxtaposition of its two seemingly unrelated topics. It promises to illuminate the both by showing them, novelly, in each other’s light.

This one doesn’t, not really. Brooks obviously has a great personal affection for Cardano, and clearly feels an affinity for the man. That’s fine; I do too, and I too am not a Renaissance mathematician.

But we require a little more. Here’s what I’ve come up with: Cardano was instrumental in the foundations of probability theory and of complex numbers, and both probabilities and complex numbers are involved in the quantum mathematics.

This isn’t really enough. The connection is tenuous and, more to the point, could be employed to link any foundational mathematician with any modern field that relies on a lot of mathematics. I’m tempted to write a fantasy where I try to explain computer architectures to Blaise Pascal (the programming language pun leaps to mind), but I’ll leave it at that.

Unfortunately, what starts off as tenuous only gets weaker as we go deeper into the quantum side of things. The wheels really start to fall off because in fact Brooks finishes with the bit of quanta that has to do directly with probabilities and complex numbers pretty early. So you can really see him strain when he has an opportunity to insert an otherwise totally unnecessary reference to “Cardano’s *i*” into a section on the theory that doesn’t need it, simply because he needs to take all the moments he can to justify (or impose) the relationship between his chosen field and the actual alleged subject of his book.

[Gillian]

What an amazing read! I'm still floundering to grasp some of the theories but am fascinated at how Michael Brooks can relate everyday examples to outline the principles behind the science. This book has left me wanting to explore the subject further.

To quote from the review in the Guardian:

'This superb book by Michael Brooks is in part a biography of the mathematician Jerome Cardano. But it delves into the most fundamental questions'
and
'What, you might ask, is a quantum astrologer? 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. If quantum astrology were a thing, after all, it wouldn’t be any more ridiculous than what modern physics asks us to believe.'

[A.J. McMahon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not really about quantum physics, nor really about astrology, nor is it really a handbook. Brooks tries to wring every drop of drama he can out of a fairly limited resource, and in the end I felt the entire book to be an overstatement. It is said that some Wild West towns had false two-storey fronts to houses that were really only one storey tall, or that might only have been the sets built for movie making, but that was my impression/feeling about this book, that it was some kind of misrepresentation. Anyway, I really can't recommend this book.

[Edmond Dantes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo Spunto sarebbe ottimo: e se lsa scienza Quantica confermasse la efficacia della Strologia ? Lo Sviluppo di questo libro che vorrebbe essere contemporaneamente una Biografia di Cardano e una Storia della Fisica dei Quanti.
Interessante ma il Mix non funziona perfettamente e la Parte "teorica" è un pò troppo approfondita per un leettore "profano".

[Michiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is both a biography of Jerome Cardano, physician, astronomer, gambler and inventor of the mechanical gimbal. The history, written in pleasant prose, is supplemented with fictional dialogues between the author and the subject and some musings about the nature of quantum mechanics.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story, and not about astrology!

[Bubba · Rating 1 out of 5]

how did this thrash get published.

[Claudia Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a quantum physicist with a tarot set on my desk, I'm probably the ideal target audience for this most curious book. I do find myself wondering who else would appreciate it though; I found lots of the science explanations to be very vague and fluffy and (I speculate) hence difficult for a layperson to follow or appreciate, as the mechanisms described sometimes bear little connection to the conclusion drawn and I was forced to wrack my brains for memories of bygone lectures to fit the pieces together. Some notions like spin don't seem to be introduced at all, before being casually mentioned a few times. Of course, for someone with a background in physics, rather than there being insufficient explanation, there was sometimes too much, hence my sense of confusion about whom this book is aimed at.
I also raised my eyebrows at some of the descriptions of contemporary scientists (Aharonov: speech-impediment and champion of retrocausality? Felt like exaggeration to me, from all I've seen and heard of the man himself.) and the idolisation of some of the big names like t'Hooft. A great talent, yes, and certainly worth listening to when he speaks of interpretations of quantum physics for his arguments, but not worth listening to just because of his name.
But perhaps this is just an example of extreme meta-cleverness: 'On Subtlety', indeed. After-all, Brooks draws attention to a previous biographer of Cardano disposed to exaggeration...
And also, the book never purports to be a scholarly reference book. In fact, unaware as I was of Cardano and having received the book as a gift, as I embarked on reading it, I didn't know if it was fact or fiction, and could easily have believed Cardano to be fictitious. So I appreciated this introduction to such a seminal, fascinating figure. As a biography, this is more successful than as a primer on interpretations of quantum physics.
The writing style made this easy to read -- a fine example of why a "tell, not show" narrative is perfectly good way to write a story -- and transported me to renaissance Italy, reminding me somewhat of the Stravaganza novels I'd read when younger. Equally as riveting a story.
So an odd book, and not without its flaws (in the big picture, but also in my hardback copy, some typographic problems too), but one I'm nevertheless glad I'm read, and would certainly recommend to the right audience.
I'm just not sure who that it ;)

[Rathy Srikanthan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook is a lot of fun. It drops you straight into its novel premise of a contemporary science writer (Brooks) locking horns with an incarcerated 16th century polymath (Jerome Cardano), by way of a rather convenient manifestation of quantum theory.

For readers who find themselves wanting to know more about the fabric of reality, but lacking the knowledge to truly dig into the challenges faced by science today, this book is mostly hit but a little bit miss.

Most concepts covered, including the double-slit experiment, the Copenhagen interpretation, quantum entanglement and superdeterminism, are given a generous amount of air time. Brooks' explanations are accessible and honest; he does not shy away from being dumbfounded himself.

I would, however, have liked my hand held more in certain parts - particularly in the latter half of the book. Diagrams would have served well, for example, to illustrate the de Broglie-Bohm idea of the pilot wave and Bell's test for the theory.

The book would also benefit from an index, to allow comparisons between the different theories and thinkers who have been discussed, and how ideas have been amended or discarded over time.

The underlying narrative of the Quantum Astrologer's Handbook is its chief accomplishment. Brooks' self-insertion and his portrayal of Cardano are joyful in their disregard of time and space, and they serve as excellent anchors, carrying the reader with humour and pathos. The hand of historiography in the telling of Cardano's story is a particular delight, and a clever way to squeeze in a "plot twist".

I love this approach to what can be a rather didactic genre, as it encourages the critical thought it aggrandises in telling Cardano's tale. It's such a clever book.

[steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The style of this book is entirely unique and such a pleasure to read. The blurb on the back sums it up best when it describes this book as “a science book with the panache of a novel”.

Moving back and forwards in time, Brooks talks you through the fundamentals of quantum physics (which are certainly not as rudimentary as one may hope) while in parallel telling the story of polymath, Jerome Cardano, and the drama that unfolded throughout this life in the 16th century.

Brooks voice comes through so clearly in all the prose and that you can’t help but feel like he is talking directly to you. That is especially helpful when he is trying to teach you about complex theories in easy to digest analogies. These theories are pretty mind bending and so much is covered including atoms & their constituent parts, how photons behave with the double slit experiments (like waves or particles is the big question!), the Schrödinger equation, Planck’s constant, Hamiltonian operator, imaginary numbers, conic sections, cubic equations, psi, weak & strong measurements, Schrödinger’s cat, EPR, phenomenon of entanglement, the Casimir effect, uncertainty principle, interference effect, pilot wave theory, general relativity, superposition, superdeterminism, string theory and holographic principle. After writing out this list, I feel better for probably not being able to retain half of the information that I was introduced to in this book.

However, it is clear that within this book’s pages, Brooks does a stellar job of opening up to the wondrous world of physics in a way that is so fascinating and engaging I wish someone handed me a copy in Year 10 Science. Now I’m just left pondering all the mysteries of this tricky old Universe of ours.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of things I really liked about this book and I would have rated it a four-star read except that after finishing it and mulling on it for a couple of days, my overall response was 'meh'. It simply didn't grab me as much as I had expected and hoped.
Things I liked:
This is an innovative style of science book, and I enjoyed the mix of 'real science' (quantum physics explanations) and science history (Jerome Cardano's story). The mix helped me to keep reading when the science concepts became hard to follow or when the history became a little to much, because there was a switch in style and 'challenge' that kept me engaged. Sections generally didn't go on for too long.
I enjoyed delving into the quantum physics theories, which I didn't know a great deal about before.
I didn't mind the author's conceit of meeting with Jerome, despite the several hundred year gap between the two men's lives (in 'normal' time); and the use of present tense worked for me.
What I didn't like so much:
Number one peeve has to be the reference to Ernest Rutherford - he is a New Zealander, not a Brit!
The various truncated sentences (mostly in the sciencey parts of the book) were very frustrating.
I had expected more about Jerome and his life story than was included (maybe an expectation I'd mistakenly picked up from the blurb on the back cover?).
After a while the science sections became a little repetitive and not-so-great to follow.

[Marie Belcredi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book and even checked at the back for other books on Cardano's life for more details. Michael Brooks uses entanglement theory to explain how he and Cardano are entangled so that Brooks can meet Cardano in his cell at the end of his life and discuss his book, physics and the toxic life under the Inquisition across the centuries in between.
We also have time to learn about quantum theory and relativity. Many things are beyond our understanding as we live in a macro world and all suggestions seem to not make sense.
Cardano is a gifted man, a mathematician, doctor and a sceptic. He is credited with the discovery of i the imaginary number. His first book throws a bomb into the world of medicine where he shows that physicians of the time did not agree and were really just quacks. He uses common sense in treating his patients and has many successes which gives both friends and enemies.
In his cell, Brooks and Cardano talk about physics, Cardano's family, Cardano's many many books about philosophy, mathemtaics, medicine and many more topics. Brooks shows how i beccomes a foundation stone in modern physics.
It is a book very easy to read and in the end you realise that we, as Cardano was are at the threshold of a great time in physics. Is string theory the answer?

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jerome Cardano was a 16th Century mathematician who, among other things, was the first to look at probability theory and make sense of imaginary numbers. He oscillated from poverty to riches and back, was fêted in royal courts across Europe and, like Galileo, fell foul of the Inquisition. He defended but failed to save his simple son from execution for murder. He has been much maligned in any previous history I’ve read concerning him.

This book is written by a Quantum Physicist, not a Mathematician and it treats him much more sympathetically, warts and all. Brooks is a scientist, but he is perfectly happy to tolerate some of Cardano’s crazier beliefs (e.g. astrology; he wrote a horoscope for Jesus) since he himself defends some rather strange quantum ideas including String Theory.

This book is a very accessible introduction to the craziness of Quantum Theory and how Cardano laid some of its foundations. It requires little or no physics or mathematics knowledge. Its great value for me was how it uncovers how every age has its ideas that seem bizarre in retrospect and how we should show respect for those ideas and wait to see where they lead.