Is it possible to build a star on Earth? Find out in The Star Builders by Arthur Turrell, published today

Is it possible to build a star on earth?

When asked what problem he hoped scientists will have solved by the end of the century, Professor Stephen Hawking replied ‘I would like nuclear fusion to become a practical power source. It would provide an inexhaustible supply of energy, without pollution or global warming.’ But what is nuclear fusion, and could it really be the answer to the climate emergency? Fusion exists already in the stars that fill our universe with light, but can we harness that power here on earth?

This is the question that plasma physicist Arthur Turrell seeks to answer in this important debut, published today by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and earlier this week in the US by Simon & Schuster to critical acclaim:

‘A gobsmackingly good read … I learned a lot by reading this book. You will, too’ – Robert Bryce, author of A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations

‘Incredibly readable and entertaining. The book’s first-hand accounts of what is occurring inside fusion start-ups are especially enthralling’ – Jason Parisi, co-author of The Future of Fusion Energy

‘A compelling case for why, in the quest for fusion, we cannot afford not to try’ – Daniel Clery, author of A Piece of the Sun: The Quest for Fusion Energy

‘Turrell’s enthusiasm brings decades of careful scientific research to life, even as the scientists whose work he traces bring fusion to the cusp of fruition’ – Gretchen Bakke, author of The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future

‘Painstakingly researched. Turrell gives us a front-row seat to the hard-fought race for fusion’ – James Mahaffey, author of Atomic Adventures