Alpha and Omega: The Search for the Beginning and End of the Universe

Interesting book in a Brief History of Time kind of way. A romp through cosmological theory, ending in string theory. A good read, but you should check out The Elegant Universe, Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse and Just Six Numbers as companions.
From amazon.com:
Alpha and Omega is a dispatch from the front lines of the cosmological revolution that is being waged at observatories and laboratories around the world-in Europe, in America, and even in Antarctica-where scientists are actually peering into both the cradle of the universe and its grave. Scientists-including galaxy hunters and microwave eavesdroppers, gravity theorists and atom smashers, all of whom are on the trail of dark matter, dark energy, and the growing inhabitants of the particle zoo-now know how the universe will end and are on the brink of understanding its beginning. Their findings will be among the greatest triumphs of science, even towering above the deciphering of the human genome. This is the book you need to help understand the frequent front-page headlines heralding dramatic cosmological discoveries. It makes cutting-edge science both crystal clear and wonderfully exciting.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0670031798/qid=1079374402/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-5862973-0424625?v=glance&s=books