Unbound Worlds
THE ORDER OF TIME by Carlo Rovelli
“Meet the new Stephen Hawking…The Order of Time is a dazzling book.”—The Sunday Times
From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, a concise, elegant exploration of time.
Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to “flow”? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective, better understood starting from the structure of our brain and emotions
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking
A landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are their boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What happens when it all ends? Told in language we can all understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilites are wondrous and unexpected.
FROM ETERNITY TO HERE: THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE THEORY OF TIME by Sean Carroll
In A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking tried to explain time by understanding the Big Bang. In his book, Sean Carroll says we need to be more ambitious. From Eternity to Here is no less than the next step toward understanding how we came to exist, and a fantastically approachable read that will appeal to a broad audience of armchair physicists, and anyone who ponders the nature of our world.
TIME TRAVEL: A HISTORY by James Gleick
From the acclaimed bestselling author of The Information and Chaos, a mind-bending exploration of time travel: its subversive origins, its evolution in literature and science, and its influence on our understanding of time itself.
FICTION:
HOW TO STOP TIME by Matt Haig
A love story across the ages—and for the ages—about a man lost in time, the woman who could save him, and the lifetimes it can take to learn how to live. How to Stop Time is a bighearted, wildly original novel about losing and finding yourself, the inevitability of change, and how with enough time to learn how, we just might find happiness.
THE BEST TIME TRAVEL STORIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY: STORIES BY ARTHUR C. CLARKE, JACK FINNEY, JOE HALDEMAN, URSULA K. LE GUIN, LARRY NIVEN, THEODORE STURGEON, CONNIE WILLIS, AND MORE Edited by Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg
Some of the finest science fiction writers of the 20th Century, writing seventeen of the most exciting time travel short stories ever published.
THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells
When a Victorian scientist propels himself into the year a.d. 802,701, he is initially delighted to find that suffering has been replaced by beauty, contentment, and peace. Entranced at first by the Eloi, an elfin species descended from man, he soon realizes that these beautiful people are simply remnants of a once-great culture—now weak and childishly afraid of the dark. They have every reason to be afraid: in deep tunnels beneath their paradise lurks another race descended from humanity—the sinister Morlocks. And when the scientist’s time machine vanishes, it becomes clear he must search these tunnels if he is ever to return to his own era.
FOR YOUNGER READERS:
CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES by Penelope
A time-travel story that is both a poignant exploration of human identity and an absorbing tale of suspense.
It’s natural to feel a little out of place when you’re the new kid, but when Charlotte Makepeace wakes up after her first night at boarding school, she’s baffled: everyone thinks she’s a girl called Clare Mobley, and even more shockingly, it seems she has traveled forty years back in time to 1918.
TIME TRAVELING WITH A HAMSTER by Ross Welford
One of New York Public Library’s Best Books for Children
Back to the Future meets The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in this original, poignant, race-against-time story about a boy who travels back to 1984 to save his father’s life.
For more on these and related titles visit Time
There’s a Book for That! is brought to you by Penguin Random House’s Sales department. Please follow our Tumblr by clicking here—and share this link with your accounts: theresabookforthat.tumblr.com. Thank you! Did you see something on the news or read about something on your commute? Perhaps you noticed something trending on Twitter? Did you think: “There’s a book for that!”? Then please, send it our way at theresabookforthat@penguinrandomhouse.com
There’s a Book for That: Time Travel
May 16, 2018
This time, it’s about time: Italian theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli’s latest book, THE ORDER OF TIME, released last week and his calendar is full! Rovelli discussed time travel, how he’s working on a way to quantify gravity in which time doesn’t exist.and more on NPR’s “Science Friday.”(Listen to the full segment here).
In a parallel universe, the site Unbound Worlds has also taken up the theme of time travel in excellent fashion. All worm-holes and word worlds considered, if there is no “time” then the following books are indeed timeless:
THE ORDER OF TIME by Carlo Rovelli
“Meet the new Stephen Hawking…The Order of Time is a dazzling book.”—The Sunday Times
From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, a concise, elegant exploration of time.
Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to “flow”? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective, better understood starting from the structure of our brain and emotions
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking
A landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are their boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What happens when it all ends? Told in language we can all understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilites are wondrous and unexpected.
FROM ETERNITY TO HERE: THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE THEORY OF TIME by Sean Carroll
In A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking tried to explain time by understanding the Big Bang. In his book, Sean Carroll says we need to be more ambitious. From Eternity to Here is no less than the next step toward understanding how we came to exist, and a fantastically approachable read that will appeal to a broad audience of armchair physicists, and anyone who ponders the nature of our world.
TIME TRAVEL: A HISTORY by James Gleick
From the acclaimed bestselling author of The Information and Chaos, a mind-bending exploration of time travel: its subversive origins, its evolution in literature and science, and its influence on our understanding of time itself.
FICTION:
HOW TO STOP TIME by Matt Haig
A love story across the ages—and for the ages—about a man lost in time, the woman who could save him, and the lifetimes it can take to learn how to live. How to Stop Time is a bighearted, wildly original novel about losing and finding yourself, the inevitability of change, and how with enough time to learn how, we just might find happiness.
THE BEST TIME TRAVEL STORIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY: STORIES BY ARTHUR C. CLARKE, JACK FINNEY, JOE HALDEMAN, URSULA K. LE GUIN, LARRY NIVEN, THEODORE STURGEON, CONNIE WILLIS, AND MORE Edited by Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg
Some of the finest science fiction writers of the 20th Century, writing seventeen of the most exciting time travel short stories ever published.
THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells
When a Victorian scientist propels himself into the year a.d. 802,701, he is initially delighted to find that suffering has been replaced by beauty, contentment, and peace. Entranced at first by the Eloi, an elfin species descended from man, he soon realizes that these beautiful people are simply remnants of a once-great culture—now weak and childishly afraid of the dark. They have every reason to be afraid: in deep tunnels beneath their paradise lurks another race descended from humanity—the sinister Morlocks. And when the scientist’s time machine vanishes, it becomes clear he must search these tunnels if he is ever to return to his own era.
FOR YOUNGER READERS:
CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES by Penelope
A time-travel story that is both a poignant exploration of human identity and an absorbing tale of suspense.
It’s natural to feel a little out of place when you’re the new kid, but when Charlotte Makepeace wakes up after her first night at boarding school, she’s baffled: everyone thinks she’s a girl called Clare Mobley, and even more shockingly, it seems she has traveled forty years back in time to 1918.
TIME TRAVELING WITH A HAMSTER by Ross Welford
One of New York Public Library’s Best Books for Children
Back to the Future meets The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in this original, poignant, race-against-time story about a boy who travels back to 1984 to save his father’s life.
For more on these and related titles visit Time
There’s a Book for That! is brought to you by Penguin Random House’s Sales department. Please follow our Tumblr by clicking here—and share this link with your accounts: theresabookforthat.tumblr.com. Thank you! Did you see something on the news or read about something on your commute? Perhaps you noticed something trending on Twitter? Did you think: “There’s a book for that!”? Then please, send it our way at theresabookforthat@penguinrandomhouse.com
How Brightly, Signature and Unbound Worlds Celebrate #BannedBooksWeek
September 29, 2017
To mark, celebrate and note the importance of Banned Books Week (September 24 – 30), three of Penguin Random House’s corporate verticals – Brightly, Signature, and Unbound Worlds – feature articles that highlight the ways in which banned books can immeasurably influence, shape and impact our lives. 
In the Brightly article, 12 Authors on the Banned Books They’ll Never Forget, Brightly editors asked a range of Penguin Random House writers, including Andrew Clements, Danielle Younge-Ullman, Kate Shatz and Peter Brown Hoffmeister, to share and discuss the banned or challenged book that made a lasting impact on them as young people.
Hoffmeister said, “When Toni Morrison published her first novel, THE BLUEST EYE, she knew she was writing something different, and right from the beginning of my first reading, that difference was apparent. I was a young, hopeful writer and I was reading widely — attempting to learn from the greats — when I came across Morrison’s Dick-and-Jane primer material at the start of the seasonal chapters. Slowly, the Dick-and-Jane paragraphs transformed and I thought, ‘This, this is what a book can do.’
To read the complete Brightly article and learn what books other authors picked and why, click here.
In his Signature article, 16 Quotes from Great Authors for Banned Books Week, Tom Blunt wrote, it’s important to remember what we do when we censor: we not only restrict the freedoms of the present, we commit violence against the freedoms of the past.” Blunt collected “quotes by authors reaching out from the past, in hopes of inspiring us to speak and read freely, confronting our own prejudices as well as others.”
Here are three author quotes:
Judy Blume, in a speech for Virtual Read Out, 2011:
“Censors never go after books unless kids already like them. I don’t even think they know to go after books until they know that children are interested in reading this book, therefore there must be something in it that’s wrong.”
Robert A. Heinlein, TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE: “A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill.”
Henry Louis Gates, Jr: “Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.”
To see more author quotes and read the complete Signature article, click here.
In his Unbound Worlds article, The 3 Banned Books That Have Immeasurably Shaped My Life, Shawn Speakman discusses Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, The Qu’ran, and Philip Pullman’s THE GOLDEN COMPASS. Speakman writes, “The attempted suppression of thought by some religious leaders is the key to how THE GOLDEN COMPASS shaped my life. Just like with the Quran, I saw Fahrenheit 451 all over again, but it wasn’t one religion trying to outlaw another religion. It was a religion trying to censor not only creativity but carefully-wrought criticism. I saw it all come together then. In their imagined protection of others, book banners crack open a door that could easily lead to Guy Montag’s world. There are, of course, many different groups who attempt to ban books. Their reasons are as varied as they are. Religious extremism and the anti-intellectualism that often precludes it is my proverbial cross to bear in my own writing, so to speak. What is yours?”
To read Speakman’s complete Unbound Worlds article, click here.
Click here to enter for your chance to win a personalized Banned Books Box filled with ten of your favorite books and a special banned books mug courtesy of Out of Print Clothing (No purchase necessary. US residents, 18+. Ends 9/30/17. See Official Rules.)
Also during Banned Books Week, head over to Out of Print Clothing to find out how you can contribute to hurricane relief efforts through book donations from Penguin Random House. For each piece of Banned Books merchandise sold on the Out of Print website during Banned Books Week, September 24 – 30, Penguin Random House will donate one book in support of hurricane relief efforts through First Book up to 10,000 books. Click here to start browsing and give back.
Hoffmeister said, “When Toni Morrison published her first novel, THE BLUEST EYE, she knew she was writing something different, and right from the beginning of my first reading, that difference was apparent. I was a young, hopeful writer and I was reading widely — attempting to learn from the greats — when I came across Morrison’s Dick-and-Jane primer material at the start of the seasonal chapters. Slowly, the Dick-and-Jane paragraphs transformed and I thought, ‘This, this is what a book can do.’
To read the complete Brightly article and learn what books other authors picked and why, click here.
In his Signature article, 16 Quotes from Great Authors for Banned Books Week, Tom Blunt wrote, it’s important to remember what we do when we censor: we not only restrict the freedoms of the present, we commit violence against the freedoms of the past.” Blunt collected “quotes by authors reaching out from the past, in hopes of inspiring us to speak and read freely, confronting our own prejudices as well as others.”
Here are three author quotes:
Judy Blume, in a speech for Virtual Read Out, 2011:
“Censors never go after books unless kids already like them. I don’t even think they know to go after books until they know that children are interested in reading this book, therefore there must be something in it that’s wrong.”
Robert A. Heinlein, TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE: “A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill.”
Henry Louis Gates, Jr: “Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.”
To see more author quotes and read the complete Signature article, click here.
In his Unbound Worlds article, The 3 Banned Books That Have Immeasurably Shaped My Life, Shawn Speakman discusses Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, The Qu’ran, and Philip Pullman’s THE GOLDEN COMPASS. Speakman writes, “The attempted suppression of thought by some religious leaders is the key to how THE GOLDEN COMPASS shaped my life. Just like with the Quran, I saw Fahrenheit 451 all over again, but it wasn’t one religion trying to outlaw another religion. It was a religion trying to censor not only creativity but carefully-wrought criticism. I saw it all come together then. In their imagined protection of others, book banners crack open a door that could easily lead to Guy Montag’s world. There are, of course, many different groups who attempt to ban books. Their reasons are as varied as they are. Religious extremism and the anti-intellectualism that often precludes it is my proverbial cross to bear in my own writing, so to speak. What is yours?”
To read Speakman’s complete Unbound Worlds article, click here.
Click here to enter for your chance to win a personalized Banned Books Box filled with ten of your favorite books and a special banned books mug courtesy of Out of Print Clothing (No purchase necessary. US residents, 18+. Ends 9/30/17. See Official Rules.)
Also during Banned Books Week, head over to Out of Print Clothing to find out how you can contribute to hurricane relief efforts through book donations from Penguin Random House. For each piece of Banned Books merchandise sold on the Out of Print website during Banned Books Week, September 24 – 30, Penguin Random House will donate one book in support of hurricane relief efforts through First Book up to 10,000 books. Click here to start browsing and give back. Unbound Worlds Debuts Cage Match 2017: Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy
March 7, 2017
Unbound Worlds, Penguin Random House’s online destination dedicated to the literary worlds of science fiction and fantasy, today announces the start of Cage Match 2017: Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy. The annual character-bracket tournament formerly known as Suvudu Cage Match is back for a seventh year (and eighth tournament), making its debut on Unbound Worlds with a new theme, look, and interactive features.
Cage Match 2017 will feature 32 iconic characters from sci-fi and fantasy literature in five rounds of fictional battles to the death, which will result in one triumphant champion. Participating authors include Chuck Wendig, Seanan McGuire, C.A. Higgins, and others who have been invited to create original fiction that pits the characters against each other. At the end of each match, fans vote for one character that will advance to the next round. The results of those polls drive the next round of matches.
Cage Match has become a highly anticipated event in the science fiction and fantasy community, garnering millions of visits since its inception in 2010. To celebrate the debut of Cage Match on Unbound Worlds, the site is giving away the full library of books featuring all 32 Cage Match characters. Cage Match 2017 also presents fans with a rare treat from five authors who are writing Round One matches for their own characters. This includes:
Cage Match has become a highly anticipated event in the science fiction and fantasy community, garnering millions of visits since its inception in 2010. To celebrate the debut of Cage Match on Unbound Worlds, the site is giving away the full library of books featuring all 32 Cage Match characters. Cage Match 2017 also presents fans with a rare treat from five authors who are writing Round One matches for their own characters. This includes:
- Chuck Wendig’s match between Miriam Black from Blackbirds vs. Molly Millions from William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy
- C.A. Higgins’ battle between Ananke from Lightless vs. Owen Kennedy from Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles
- Gini Koch’s fight between Kitty Katt from the Alien series vs. Harry Crewe from Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword
- G.T. Amasi’s clash between Alix Nico from Shadowstorm vs. Suri from Michael J. Sullivan’s Legends of the First Empire
- Seanan McGuire’s showdown between Georgia Mason from the Newsflesh series vs. Mata Zyndu from Ken Liu’s Dandelion Dynasty series
Penguin Random House Launches Unbound Worlds
September 26, 2016
Penguin Random House unveils Unbound Worlds (www.unboundworlds.com), the successor online destination to Suvudu, dedicated to the literary worlds of science fiction and fantasy. The website will offer readers insight into books and authors from all publishers and occupy the crossroads of science fiction and fantasy, including slipstream, pop science, fairy tales and folklore, magical realism, urban fantasy, and more.
Readers of Unbound Worlds will find original, smart, engaging, and quirky content, like articles that explore the landscapes of science fiction, how to write time travel, interviews with authors including Brian Herbert, who is keeping the Dune legacy alive and book lists such as 3 Chilling Tales Inspired by the Doomed Franklin Expedition.
“Unbound Worlds welcomes readers of all stripes, from fangirls to sci-fi diehards and those new to the genre. As we evolve and expand Suvudu into this new experience, our hope is that readers find Unbound Worlds the ideal go-to destination for the latest happenings in science fiction and fantasy books and news”, said Kristin Fritz,Unbound Worlds Director. “Our goal is to create a place where readers can discover books and feel a sense of connection with authors and fellow fans.”
Unbound Worlds marks the transformation of Suvudu, originally launched in 2008, into a brand-new experience that shares an inside look into the vast universe of science fiction and fantasy literary culture, its creators and fans. The site also offers a sleeker, vastly updated design, mobile features, and an expanded editorial scope providing even more of the engaging content that defined Suvudu.
Visitors to Unbound Worlds can expect to find:
“Unbound Worlds welcomes readers of all stripes, from fangirls to sci-fi diehards and those new to the genre. As we evolve and expand Suvudu into this new experience, our hope is that readers find Unbound Worlds the ideal go-to destination for the latest happenings in science fiction and fantasy books and news”, said Kristin Fritz,Unbound Worlds Director. “Our goal is to create a place where readers can discover books and feel a sense of connection with authors and fellow fans.”
Unbound Worlds marks the transformation of Suvudu, originally launched in 2008, into a brand-new experience that shares an inside look into the vast universe of science fiction and fantasy literary culture, its creators and fans. The site also offers a sleeker, vastly updated design, mobile features, and an expanded editorial scope providing even more of the engaging content that defined Suvudu.
Visitors to Unbound Worlds can expect to find:
Exclusive Content such as interviews and original author essays.
- Event Coverage of conventions with details about author appearances, panels, and signings.
- Features that include book lists, 50-Page Friday excerpts, and coverage of popular series.
- Sweeps and Giveaways such as prizes, swag, and advance reads.
- Cage Match, an annual original fiction bracket-style tournament of characters that enlists writers to create fictional battles and readers to vote for winners.