What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

Randall Munroe

Sep 2014 · Blackstone Audio Inc. · Narrated by Wil Wheaton

About this audiobook

From the creator of the wildly popular webcomic xkcd comes this hilarious and informative book of answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.

Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe’s iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have a large and passionate following. Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent of the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there were a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last?

In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind—or at least a really big explosion.

The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with updated and expanded versions of the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? is required listening for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical.

Ratings and reviews

Really normie. Perfect for faux intellectuals and people who think they're a lot smarter than they really are.

Anything from XKCD is already amazing. Wil Wheaton makes this book great!

Can't vouch for the audiobook but the hardcopy complete with ridiculous diagrams was a blast to read

About the author

RANDALL MUNROE is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers What If? and Thing Explainer, the science question-and-answer blog What If, and the popular webcomic xkcd. A former NASA roboticist, he left the agency in 2006 to draw comics on the internet full-time. He lives in Massachusetts.

Wil Wheaton' s acting career began in 1986 with acclaimed roles in Stand By Me and Toy Soldiers. He continued acting through his teen years as series regular Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and opposite Robin Williams in Flubber. He is also an author, blogger, voice actor, widely followed original Twitter user, and a champion of geek culture.