A truly excellent exposition of a fascinating, little-understood, and very important scientific activity. I was enlightened, amazed, and profoundly impressed. I've seldom seen a book (and this is an age of really good writing about science for the general public) so clear, so vivid -- Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials A good writer - given the complexity of the subject, the book bounces along with an admirably light touch * The Times * An electrifying new history of the universe and how it all fits together, and of the human effort to unlock its mysteries -- Hannah Fry, author of Rutherford and Frys Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything Pontzen has the ability to weave hard science and dense theory into a gripping narrative... makes the complicated comprehensible * New Scientist * One thing this book does brilliantly, is keeping complex topics grounded * BBC Sky at Night Magazine * Elegantly written... Exhilarating, candid reports from cosmology's front lines * Wall Street Journal * Forget telescopes and microscopes, Pontzen's laboratory sits inside his computer and it is quickly becoming the most important tool in science -- Jim Al-Khalili, author of The Joy of Science I'm stunned at how easily comprehensible Pontzen makes mind-bendingly difficult ideas. Concepts which rest on mathematics that I couldn't grasp with years of study become poetic in his hands -- Timandra Harkness, author of Big Data Our understanding of 'cosmic origins' - the emergence of stars, galaxies and our entire expanding universe - has burgeoned thanks to more powerful telescopes and computers. Andrew Pontzen gives a vivid perspective on what it's like to be a scientist trying to 'model' the universe. This fascinating book, written with clarity and zest, deserves wide readership -- Martin Rees, author of Just Six Numbers A joyride through the history of cosmic simulations, taking in weather forecasting and climate models, the mysteries of dark matter, dark energy and black holes, quantum mechanics, multiverses and artificial intelligence - all between the covers of a single book! -- Ananyo Bhattacharya, author of The Man from the Future