In the pantheon of famous physicists, the late Freeman Dyson holds a special place. Often described as a maverick, radical and pioneering scientist, Dyson made significant contributions to the foundations of modern physics. He spent vast swathes of his career on highly speculative projects across a wide range of fields, from space exploration to the origins of life. Despite having a lifelong distain for authority, Dyson found a place in the US military?"industrial complex. He also wrote numerous popular books on science and left a noteworthy scientific legacy. Dyson died on 28 February 2020 at the age of 96, and shortly afterwards the physicist, author and historian David Kaiser at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was approached to write a book that would explore his extraordinary life. As it happens, Kaiser had already written about Dyson in his 2009 book Drawing Theories Apart. He had interviewed him in depth for the book and was also given access to letters that Dyson h