If you have never heard of Neil deGrasse Tyson at this point, you can think of him as the current Carl Sagan of science and pop culture. He is always galloping through the zeitgeist, where he gleefully reveals the wonders of the universe. His public persona is that of a giddy uncle who loves nothing more than to shower people with really cool facts.

From Cosmos to StarTalk to his long stint at the Hayden Planetarium in NYC, he is always at the forefront of popular science. I recently reviewed his book Starry Messenger, which I found to be a loving pitch for a cosmic perspective. It was a softer read, much like curling up in front of the fireplace with a cozy mystery.

And then there’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.

This book is the reading-equivalent of Neil deGrasse Tyson bursting through a wall like the Kool-Aid man, dropping a mind-blowing fact, then exploding into the ether. It’s as nutty as it sounds, but also highly effective. This is probably the first science book I ever have read that wastes no time getting to the point.

Want a cool fact? Here’s a cool fact. Want another cool fact? Here’s another cool fact, which leads to another cool fact. (Rinse and repeat until your brain begs for mercy.)

In short: the title is truth in advertising.

This book doesn’t just summarize complex ideas. That’s been done to death. Instead, it takes the entirety of astrophysics and reduces it to a collection of salient and interesting tidbits. It covers everything in a rapid-fire format. I can almost hear Tyson talking at triple speed, like an auctioneer desperate to dispense the lot. And just to reiterate, it’s not abrasive by any means. It’s wildly effective, especially for anyone new to astrophysics.

In this regard, I didn’t learn much from the book. It’s a shorter read and I’m already a space nerd, so it wasn’t written for me. But for anyone needing a brief yet comprehensive intro to astrophysics, this is great launching point. Just be warned: Tyson has a fire hose of facts and he’s not afraid to use it.