Asimov was a great popularizer of ideas that most people never come face-to-face with in a lifetime. And though some criticize his style, I always find it to be servicable and effective; he stays out of the way of his story.
On a side note: if you enjoy galactic timespanning of this sort, Alastair Reynold's "inhibitors" (a "race" of machines forming the backdrop of most/many of his novels) makes for some fascinating reading from a working astrophysicist. I found myself impatiently reading through the story, trying to get to the next bit of exposition where the Inhibitors are discussed. I wish he'd done even more of this. Ah well.
On a side note: if you enjoy galactic timespanning of this sort, Alastair Reynold's "inhibitors" (a "race" of machines forming the backdrop of most/many of his novels) makes for some fascinating reading from a working astrophysicist. I found myself impatiently reading through the story, trying to get to the next bit of exposition where the Inhibitors are discussed. I wish he'd done even more of this. Ah well.