2 out of 4 stars
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Of Zots and Xoodles is written by Zarqnon the Embarrassed. It follows Theodil as he stands before a committee, explaining about what was before the universe. But as he explains how parameters such as time, light and gravity are developed, the congregation grows increasingly angrier as they criticise and debates every point that Theodil makes. Altogether, the book uses an amusing and deductive framework to present the complex hypothetical factors mentioned above into a simplified domain where the concepts can be more fully explored.
The book is written in the third person and most of the dialogue at the beginning is written with fun and catchy rhymes. For example, ‘They look like spots. Let’s call them Zots. We’re so impressed with these dot-like Zots.’ I really liked that the book used simple and repetitive rhymes because I do not have a strong knowledge of dark matter, so the slow pacing helped me to follow along with Theodil’s complex explanations. I also loved the conversational dialogues between Theodil and the committee, and the way they kept battling back and forth with their debate.
The illustrations in the book were also very simple and well-presented. It helped to visualise the explanations so the readers could follow along with Theodil’s explanations better. I also liked that as the explanations grew more complex, the readers were given more illustrations.
However, just halfway into the book, the rhymes staggered. I found this confusing because the explanations became increasingly complex, therefore, I would have expected more repetitiveness and more rhymes. However, it was the exact opposite. Not only that, but the book became more fast-paced. As I was used to the slow and easy pace of the book at the beginning, this sudden change was shocking and I struggled to follow along.
Overall, I have to rate the book two out of four stars. There were many editing errors in the book and the sudden change in pacing and information was overwhelming. I would recommend it to those who are interested in reading about the various dynamics that may have taken part in the rendering of the universe, however, to those who do not have a basic understanding of dark matter, multiple time frames and constants in gravity and light, this book will go right over their head. The book also uses advanced vocabulary and very complex hypothetical factors, so I would not recommend it to children.
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Of Zots and Xoodles
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