4.5 Really hard to choose betwen that and 4.25. On the one hand it's a great book, but on the other hand some of the scenes really haven't aged well (especially War in southern countries) and the pacing is quite sub-optimal in the first half. Also what's up with all the weird anti-Welsh prejudice? Still a great book and I really like the authors' stressing of human agency. Oh and definitely more fun in the original than in the rather lackluster German translation. They even changed Newton's name.