Greene discusses the essential problem facing modern physics: the unification of Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics.

Michio Kaku, a physicist at City College in New York, provided a very nice introduction to superstrings in Beyond Einstein: The Cosmic Quest for the Theory of the Universe.

Like Simon Singh in Fermat's Enigma, he has a rare ability to explain even the most evanescent ideas in a way that gives at least the illusion of understanding, enough of a mental toehold to get on with the climb.

[1]John H. Schwarz wrote: Since he is an expert in the subject, Greene's description of the current state of understanding of string theory is reliable.

[2]The Elegant Universe was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning[3] three-hour program in three parts for television broadcast by David Hickman in late 2003 on the PBS series NOVA.