In this debut science book, Smith draws on physics research and his training as an engineer to re-examine the generally accepted theory of the nature and genesis of the cosmos. The author explains the origins of his skepticism about the standard Big Bang model (“How could everything be created from nothing if energy can be neither created nor destroyed?”). He then guides the reader through an assessment of observational and experimental data and analysis before laying out his conclusions about the nature of light and energy, and an understanding of the universe that relies on continuous evolution at all points, rather than a one-time creation at a single point. Although Smith explains fundamental concepts like the morphology of galaxies and the Doppler effect (and Maxwell’s equations, which are addressed in detail in an appendix), the book is targeted to a technical audience able to understand the complicated equations and symbolic notation that make up much of the text. Those who are familiar with vector equations and calculus should have no trouble following Smith’s arguments, but less mathematically inclined readers may find it difficult to decipher the calculations that serve as the basis for conclusions like “there is a relationship between redshift and distance that is consistent with observations and is due to expanding spherical waves rather than an expanding universe.” Smith manages to be comprehensive while presenting his appraisal concisely, with the main body of the book running less than 90 pages. The final chapter presents the full argument broken down into simple bullet points, guiding the reader through Smith’s analysis and conclusions and laying out a framework for further research. He wisely does not claim that his new theory is indisputably correct, as is often done in challenges to standard physics, but leaves both experimental proof and peer review up to future researchers, making the book more appropriate for scientists than for a general audience.