This is a book review of The Invisible Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Origin and End of the Universe by Antonino Del Popolo. (World Scientific), 2021. Pp. 276, 23 × 15.5 cm. Price £70/$78 (hardbound, ISBN 978 981 122 943 6).
While the title suggests a typical popular-science book on cosmology, in addition to the expected topics there is more on particle physics than is usual in such a book (though with the aim of providing background for exotic particles as dark matter). Also somewhat unusual for such a book is a chapter on possible ways in which the Universe could end. I'm sure that the author knows what he wants to convey, but some readers will be confused. For example, the connection between geometry and destiny for universes without a cosmological constant (spatially closed ones (positive spatial curvature) will collapse in the future; spatially open ones (zero or negative spatial curvature) will expand forever) is mentioned several times, but also the fact that it no longer holds if the cosmological constant is allowed to be non-zero. Those familiar with cosmology will know what is meant, but they are not the target readership; a more structured narrative would help. My impression is that the author enjoyed writing the book; one notices that it is not just a collection of information available elsewhere (though that information itself is, of course), but rather the author's own personal take on what is essentially a snapshot of current thinking in cosmology.