Before he begins at the beginning, with a chapter on the "Big Bang" and associated ideas, Gribbin outlines how we understand the universe - this is less about the technology scientists use to explore and examine the universe, rather its about the conceptual ideas that humans have developed to understand physics at their most basic level. In particular there are outlines of Newtonian and Einsteinian physics, before Gribbing tackles the question of whether there might be a theory of everything.
Exploring the early development of the universe in the immediate aftermath of the Big Band Gribbin has to tackle two complex questions that can be difficult for people new to the concepts outlined here. The first is the question of universe expansion and the second the question of dark energy and matter. These topics are explained simply and accessibly, though its notable that some of Gribbin's writing is slightly dated. He writes before the proof that the Higgs Boson exists, which underlines a central tenet of physics as we have it. There are also references to space missions and experiments that have since got underway.
I found the book most of interest in its chapters on the development of more mundance and closer to home subjects. Despite my intense interest in the structure of the universe, I found myself more entranced by Gribbins exploration of how elements form, and then the processes of planetary formation. In the section on the development of life in our solar system, Gribbin offers a good overview of theories, though he himself is clear he is most convinced that life originated in the "GMCs [Giant Molecular Clouds, in the material from which stars and planets then formed". He argues that the more common place idea that life began in "warm ponds" on Earth, "where complex organic molecules brought to Earth by comets" formed the basis for life, is a "conservative" idea.
I'm not sure that this is entirely fair, and it probably depends on the definition of life in this context. Amino acids certainly do exist in GMCs, but whether that was the place were life as most people understand it began seems open to discussion.
John Gribbin's book The Universe is a very fast read, a good overview of really big history, and a nice starting point for further reading. It's accessible and interesting, and where it is dated it is only because the author is writing on subjects were research is very cutting edge.
Related Reviews
Prescod-Weinstein - The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime & Dreams Deferred
Winterburn - The Quiet Revolution of Caroline Herschel: The Lost Heroine of Astronomy
Poskett - Horizons: A Global History of Science
Miller - Empire of the Stars: Chandra, Eddington and the Quest for Blackholes
Moore - What Stars Are Made Of: The Life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
