Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth

by Gordon Dillow

"An historical survey about asteroid hits sustained by Earth and the defenses being prepared against future asteroid-caused catastrophe"--

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Astronomy, Space, History, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2019

Reviews

[Yun · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if an asteroid were on a collision course with Earth? Would we have what it takes to defend ourselves, or would we be powerless in the face of this cosmic blip?

Fire in the Sky takes a look into the history and science of asteroids and comets, distilling down all that we know of these celestial bodies across millions of years. It also dives into their capacity to cause catastrophic damage should they strike Earth (goodbye, dinosaurs!), and our effort and ability to defend ourselves against them.

I found this book to be utterly fascinating. As you guys know, I'm a huge space buff, so this book is right up my alley. Because I've read so many books about space over the years and it's inevitable that some of it ends up being repetitive, I now approach the genre with more caution. So I was thrilled when this book turned out to be almost all new information for me.

The writing style kept me riveted. It's tightly paced even though it's nonfiction science. The author really captured all that is interesting and informative about this subject without getting bogged down in the technical details or repeating himself. Usually with nonfiction, there are some chapters more interesting than others, but this book feels consistent throughout, keeping my interest without a single chapter feeling superfluous or boring.

For me, one of the most insightful topics covered in here is how prepared we are if a decent-sized asteroid were to hit Earth. It really highlights how far we still have to go to be able to affect—even a little—the outcome, should one set its sights on us.

The war games scenario played out in the book made a particularly interesting point about certainty versus action. The earlier we act, the less it would take to knock the object off of its collision course with Earth, though we would also be less certain it would've hit us in the first place. But the longer we wait to see if we need to act at all, the less options we'll end up having, until we have waited so long to establish certainty that there is little remedy left.

If you're interested in asteroids and comets (or you just enjoyed the movies Deep Impact and Armageddon), I highly recommend this book. It's entertaining and insightful, and I guarantee it'll change the way you see our planet and its seemingly cozy and safe nook in the universe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧

[Sumit RK · Rating 5 out of 5]

A popular theme in the movies is that of an incoming asteroid that could extinguish life on the planet, and our heroes are launched into space to blow it up. (think Armageddon or Deep Impact). The idea of an asteroid or comet impacting with planet Earth and causing a catastrophe is still treated as a joke. This despite the fact, a major asteroid has collided with the Earth once every few thousand years. In fact, the last dominant species on Earth before Humans (ie the Dinosaurs) was wiped out by one such asteroid. Satellite sensors confirm that a Hiroshima-scale blast occurs in the atmosphere every year, and a smaller, one-kiloton blast every month. But are we really ready if one such killer asteroid was heading our way?

In his Fire in the Sky, Gordon Dillow takes a look at the history of comets, meteors and asteroids, and their place in Earth’s past, present, and future. Gordon Dillow has skillfully combined history, science, and in-depth research to present a fascinating account of asteroids that hit Earth long ago, and those streaming toward us now, as well as how we are preparing against asteroid-caused catastrophe.

What sets Dillow’s book apart is that it isn’t a book full of complex science, but a book full of fascinating stories. Using plain language and a humorous tone, the author provides an elegant overview of the history of the Asteroid impacts, How science evolved over the years, asteroids and their link to the dinosaurs, and how it has opened up a new field of asteroid observation. Finally, he takes a look at the preparedness of mankind for tackling the danger of terrestrial collisions.

Dillow explains the many mysteries of the universe using his own research and numerous interviews with scientists and other experts. The science in the book is not overwhelming with complicated concepts or scientific jargon, in fact, the science is kept at its bare minimum but without dumbing down the subject matter. In a way, this book is to Astronomy what Freakonomics was to Economics.

Overall, Fire in the Sky is an immensely entertaining & readable book, which will not only help you learn more but will make you aware of some critical dangers. This book is well written and well researched. Dillow's writing style is engaging and the book written in a style that is easy to understand for anyone, even without a scientific background. In conclusion, in the author’s own words “It’s not a question of if, It’s only a question of when. And at this point, we can only hope that the world will be ready.” Highly Recommended!

Many thanks to the publishers Simon & Schuster, the author Gordon L. Dillow and Edelweiss for the ARC.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun research into everything travelling the sky and beyond: from pop-culture disaster scenarios to space exploration and Earth planetary history.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories about an asteroid striking the earth and causing complete destruction have been popular for decades now. Not to mention documentaries, podcast episodes, youtube videos..... It's ingrained in pop culture that someday the Earth will be struck by a gigantic rock from space, and life as we know it will end. BOOM!

Fire in the Sky examines this pop culture phenomenon....adding in a lot of scientific fact about past asteroid strikes, what would really happen in case of a large asteroid hitting the planet, and how (or if) we can protect ourselves. Some of the facts surprised me. For instance, at least once a year an asteroid enters Earth's atmosphere causing a blast comparable to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Smaller blasts occur at least once a month. I had no clue that asteroids enter the atmosphere that often and basically explode. I guess I just always assumed they blazed to earth as shooting stars. I never guessed some asteroids/meteors explode with apparent gusto. Yikes!

I will admit that I've watched all of the movies based on the apocalypse coming in the form of a large rock from space. It makes for a very suspenseful and enjoyable disaster action flick. I'm glad I took the time to read this book and learn actual facts about asteroids and what might happen if The Big One is coming our way. Dillow presents the facts in an interesting way, without any unnecessary melodrama. I read this book slowly....one chapter at a time....and gave my brain time to soak in the information. I enjoyed learning about what makes up an asteroid and where they come from, asteroid detection technology, what happens when an asteroid enters the atmosphere, the history of asteroid strikes on the Earth, and how many asteroids might be floating around out there that are big enough to take out the planet. Very interesting!!

I found this book interesting and informative, not alarming. I'm not going to look up at the night sky in fear...waiting for the end. But, the chance is there that someday a big lump of space rock might come close enough to cause concern. I'm glad that the science is there to at least try to avert an impact. The dinosaurs didn't fare so well....but at least we will get to attempt to stop the destruction this time.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Scribner via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book cover looks someone dropped red paint on it and then smudged it.

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look up at the night sky. The shooting star you’re making a wish on just might be a deadly space object that destroys the Earth. Ok, no, not really. The odds of that are very slim indeed, but all too much morbid sort of fun to entertain. And I don’t mean to sound alarmist. And neither does the author, he just aims to inform the public about the status of things. In a very engaging humorous manner, no less. And Dillow (no expert himself initially) sets off to learn and pass on the accumulated knowledge about all the threats from above, asteroids, comets, meteors, etc. Terrifying things that don’t properly terrify because of the infrequency of their appearances. Sure, they were probably responsible for many or most or all major extinctions, but spaced out over the millennia, they are easy enough to ignore and thus struggle to receive proper funding to study and work on. In fact, the last chapter presents the readers with some plausible scenarios that scientists use only to demonstrate how tragically unprepared the world is for a NEO (Near Earth Object) that might decide to orbit our planet too closely for comfort. The chapters preceding this demonstrate that, despite a lot of pervasive ignorance, we did indeed come a long way in our understanding of these celestial dangers and even measures taken thus far to protect the Earth. The author takes us across the globe to show the devastations of previous collisions, talks to scientists and amateur enthusiasts to warn of the possibilities, but throughout it all there is a consistent sort of awe for these cosmic giants, which is only…well…appropriate. I’ve studied astronomy, I’ve read on it fairly extensively, I’m fascinated by it and this was very much a book for someone like me. It’s popular science essentially, so it engages the reader completely, educating while entertaining, never ever reminding of a textbook. It’s an exciting subject presented accordingly. I learned some things, was refreshed on a few others and had fun throughout. Alan Weisman (the author of one of my all time favorite nonfictions in the same vein The World Without Us) in his praise of this book very cleverly said something along the lines how it’s a possible end of the world scenario for our planet that is refreshingly not manmade. And that’s very true. While it’s entirely more possible, likely even, that our blue planet is going to be destroyed locally from its tenant ingrates, it’s all the more interesting and original to contemplate a scenario of random destruction by an indifferent space killer on a lethal orbital trajectory. It isn’t an if, it’s a when, but the when is far and in the world that can’t even address something as seriously impending as global warming because it isn’t immediate enough it’s unlikely to take any sort of priority it deserves. And yet…the more discerning prescient public should really be aware and this book is going to educate you. Although you may never look at the skies the same way again. Great book. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

[Tim Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written popular science book on the science and history of asteroid and comet impacts on the Earth, detailing some of the basic science and history behind what asteroids and comets are, the surprisingly contentious history of the study of either hitting our planet, the history and science behind famous impact craters and observed impacts, and the debates about what to do with regards to future threats. The author says several times he is not a specialist but it seemed he researched his book very well and kept the writing very approachable for the amateur, particularly with its focus at times on the personalities involved in the field.

The introduction grabbed me right away, the author writing about an asteroid that exploded in the skies over Arizona just before 4 am on June 2, 2016, something the author witnessed, an asteroid that no one had seen coming but that “burst apart in the atmosphere with the energy equivalent of half a kiloton of exploding TNT – that is, a million pounds of TNT…the U.S. military’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb is the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb – the so-called Mother of All Bombs – which has a blast yield of a mere 22,000 pounds of TNT.” This small asteroid “made a MOAB look like a firecracker.”

Chapter 1 focused on the famous Meteor Crater in Arizona, an excellent topic to truly begin the book. The crater, caused by “an asteroid half the size of a city block,” hurtled towards the Earth at 40,000 miles an hour about 50,000 years ago (on a high desert plain near Flagstaff, Arizona). With some good description of what that blast might have been like (including to the unfortunate Pleistocene megafauna that was likely nearby), Dillow did a good job of describing how impressive this event was, noting that the Hiroshima atomic bomb “had the energy equivalent of about twelve thousand tons of exploding TNT…[this] asteroid…release[ed] the energy equivalent of some twelve million tons of TNT, or twelve megatons.” The crater itself is also well described in the chapter from the author’s personal experiences and research, a crater “4,000 feet wide and 550 feet deep, with a flat bottom and steeply sloping walls…as deep as the Washington Monument is tall.”

Chapter 2 was a great introduction to the basics of comets, asteroids, and impacts. A pretty general chapter but a good one, it is one of the few chapters to really discuss comets (with passages on Halley’s Comet and Comet Hale-Bopp), as well as covering the differences between asteroids, bolides, meteors, and meteorites, people actually injured by objects from space (the only one officially known is Ann Hodges, hit and injured by a meteor in Sylacauga, Alabama in 1954, though there are unconfirmed deaths throughout history attributed to impacts and explosions, briefly mentioned in the text), the history of the discovery and science of asteroids, asteroid composition and distribution, how close many asteroids come in terms of near misses (often these asteroids are only spotted after they just missed), and the overall likelihood of asteroids hitting the Earth (over time a certainty basically).

Chapter 3 returned to the Meteor Crater, this time the focus on the history of the study of the crater and the personalities involved as well as the influence all of this had on the science of asteroids and asteroid impacts. Far and away the dominant figure in this chapter is Daniel Moreau Barringer, the man most connected with the human history of the crater, Dillow providing an absorbing biography of this intense personality, a man who ruined himself trying to make a fortune off the asteroid he believed buried in the crater and who tirelessly crusaded to have the scientific world accept the crater was not volcanic in origin. Other personalities figure in the chapter, including noted late 19th, early 20th century American scientist Grove Karl Gilbert (a figure of enormous importance in the history of geology especially in the United States) and Forest Ray Moulton (expert on celestial mechanics, a man whose work showed that most of “Barringer’s asteroid had been shattered or melted into billions of tiny pieces that were ejected from the crater and then had blown away with the wind”). The chapter closes out with coverage of current plans for attempts to mine asteroids out in space as well as spacecraft missions sent to study asteroids related to this (or otherwise studying the content of asteroids).

Chapter 4 was one of the best chapters in the book, focusing at first on the famed Tunguska Event in Russia in 1908, using that as segue into the study of the science of asteroid and comet impacts, recognizing them for what they are, how common they are in Earth’s history, and the long and contentious debate about whether they even existed. Beginning with the lead scientist studying the Tunguska Event, mineralogist Leonid Alekseyevich Kulik (who lead an interesting life), and going on to discuss among other people involved in the location and study of impact craters Englishman Harry St. John B. Philby (father of Soviet spy Kim Philby), Grove Karl Gilbert once again, American pilot and geologist Robert S. Dietz (who coined the term astroblemes for impact crater, a concept discussed in the chapter), and closing with a lot of time spent on another larger than life scientist, a man fascinating to read about and absolutely essential to know about in any discussion on impact craters, American geologist Gene Shoemaker (a man who brought knowledge of the effects of nuclear weapon tests to the study of impact craters on Earth and later the Moon, as Shoemaker worked with NASA in both unmanned lunar missions and the Apollo missions).

Chapter 5 was on a favorite topic of mine, the science and the history of the science on the celestial impact that likely killed the dinosaurs and brought the Mesozoic Era to a close. The two dominant figures in this chapter are geologist Walter Alvarez and his Nobel-prize winning physicist father Luis Alvarez, two figures I know from my amateur readings on geology and especially paleontology (though this author did mention in passing the interesting life of Luis Alvarez, who among other things was on the Manhattan Project, flew in an observer B-29 accompanying the Enola Gay when it bombed Hiroshima, and served on a CIA-sponsored UFO investigative group called the Robertson Panel in the early 1950s; I need to read more on this man). Lots of great science in this chapter too, not just human history, discussing at length the 6-mile-wide asteroid that hit the Earth 65 million years ago, hitting with the equivalent of 100 million megatons of TNT or ten billion Hiroshima bombs and also the science and history associated with the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact on Jupiter in July 1994 (an event that was an important turning point in how seriously people viewed impacts as a threat to life on Earth) and closing with discussion of various programs to search for potentially dangerous comets and asteroids.

Chapter 6 focused on the hunt for asteroids today that might hit the Earth, especially NEOs – Near-Earth Objects – the author showing an asteroid hunter at work (Richard Kowalski, a professional asteroid hunter who rose up from amateur ranks). Doing a great job (it seems to me) of conveying how asteroids especially are discovered, studied, their orbits plotted and risk of their impact assessed, the chapter introduced still more science in an easily accessible way, including the hazard rating for asteroids called the Torino Scale (a scale that addresses both the likelihood of an asteroid or comet hitting and also how dangerous that impact would be, with 0 being virtually no chance of an impact in the next century and a 10 being a 100% chance for a global catastrophe that could threaten civilization as we know it, one it seems thought probably only occurring every 100,000 years or less often than that).

Chapter 7 discussed at length another wake up call in the field (and politics especially) of asteroid and comet impacts, the February 15, 2013 explosion of the Chelyabinsk meteor in Russia, ironically the same day as a publicized near miss by asteroid 367943 Duende, discovered in 2012 and predicted to pass within 17,000 miles of Earth, closer than many geosynchronous communications satellites (an event in the press massively overshadowed by the Chelyabinsk meteor though prior to what happened in Russia was much publicized). In addition to a lot of coverage of what happened in Chelyabinsk, the chapter extensively covered issues in getting anyone to do anything about planetary defense and the debates swirling around it, along with a profile of NASA’s first Planetary Defense Officer, Lindley Johnson.

Chapter 8 was engagingly written with a storyteller’s flair, focusing primarily on a student war games study to stop an asteroid, Project Icarus, an MIT project in 1967, the author using this as a segue to discuss the technical, scientific, budgetary, and political challenges to dealing with impacts, such as when to act (what probability of impact requires attention and when to act), the different ways of dealing with a protentional impactor (changing the path of an asteroid versus trying to destroy one, nuclear versus nonnuclear options, how much time the different strategies require, how much knowledge of asteroid composition is required, how different tactics might be required for different sized objects or when the threat is either diagnosed or the will to act upon it finally exists).

Chapter 9 read like fiction (this is praise), describing a hypothetical impact by asteroid 2014 TTX, of the events that would enfold relating to its discovery, the prediction of how likely an impact is, predicting where it will impact once impact chances become a certainty, responses to destroy or deflect the asteroid, and what happens with governments, businesses, the economy, and people on the ground. All fiction, but also a real war gaming scenario ran by various agencies and organizations to try to get an idea of what would happen. It raised some interesting issues, such as some techniques used to change the area of impact might shift the area endangered (such as say moving the impact zone from one country to another) and also of the careful use of language in discussing Earth defense programs (don’t say nukes or nuclear weapons, say atomic deflection devices or even better ADDs).

The book closes with a brief epilogue, acknowledgments, some very readable “chapter notes, sources, and relevant fun facts,” and an index. Also included is a section of black and white and color plates.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written and researched. The author does an excellent job of covering the major cosmic collisions of the far past, near past and the potential consequences of impacts in the future. His writing style is engaging and written in a style that is not overly scientific and easy to understand. What he points out at the end is that we are very inadequately prepared for another collision - whether we see it several years out or with very little time before impact.

I recomend this book for those looking for more information on the cosmic collisions of the past, the potential for them in the future and what little we are doing to prepare to defend the earth against such collisions.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

[Keith Akers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good, well-written book. Consider this four stars if you've read nothing about cosmic collisions and are only vaguely aware of the asteroid (comet?) that was supposed to have killed the dinosaurs. But I had heard much of this already, so all I can say is that the information sounds good and is entertainingly written --- so three stars. New for me was the details of the Chelyabinsk event in 2013. When people saw the bright object in the sky, many of them ran to their windows, and it was only 90 seconds or so later that the huge shock wave arrived --- resulting in injuries from flying glass, which injured thousands. So keep this in mind if you see a bright flash in the sky. The other new thing was the "planetary defense" chapter; I was intrigued to discover that, given enough advance warning, we already have enough technology to deflect most city-destroying type asteroids. But good luck getting international cooperation if that happens.

[Jes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asteroids crashing into the Earth may be a staple of the modern disaster movie, but not that long ago no one knew the threat that asteroids, comets, and meteorites could pose to life on Earth. In "Fire in the Sky", Dillow explores the science and history behind our knowledge of cosmic collisions and the threat they may pose to all of us. But don't be alarmed! With lively and often humorous writing, this book explores not only the science behind these incidents, but the measures astronomers are taking to track and catalog these Near Earth Objects. This book is a fascinating read and will make a great addition to your summer vacation.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/10. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but when the big asteroid comes I hope celebrities, Instagram influencers, and YouTubers are the last on the admission list for the underground caves. Or we can launch them into space and use the mass of their giant egos to push the asteroid onto a safer trajectory. They certainly aren’t contributing anything down here on Earth. In all seriousness this book was a fascinating read. Highly recommend.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history of asteroid impacts, discovery, and plans to protect the earth from near-earth objects. There was just enough humor injected into this to keep me wanting to listen to it throughout the day. Highly recommend for any space nerds out there!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, informative writing on a very interesting topic. Valuable book; and great to gift others who are interesting in science and/or space.

[Victoria Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but a little repetitive! ☄️

[Robert Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A breezy, well written book that keeps your interest. I learned a lot about comets and asteroids along the way and the subject is written in such a way that it is never boring or over my head. I enjoyed this book and so will you.

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get your head out of the stars and start looking for meteors, god bless all those in Pasadena!

[Kevin Furr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, entertaining, highly readable overview of the threat of meteorite strikes.

The author is good about keeping you glued to the story by teasing you with chapter cliffhangers such as:
"But then two things happened that finally concentrated the collective mind of humanity on the dangers looming in space. First, somebody figured out what happened to the dinosaurs. And then something ran into Jupiter."

Usually those attempts annoy me but Gordon Dillow does it well.

The anchor of the narrative is Meteor Crater, Arizona -- a place I've visited twice. [follow up edit: make it three times now!] Dillow (who seems to live in Arizona) returns to this over and over, along the way telling of Daniel Barringer, the mining entrepreneur who nearly ruined himself trying to find a big lump of iron at the bottom of that big soup bowl; and of Gene Shoemaker of comet Shoemaker-Levy fame, for whom Meteor Crater launched a career. Dillow proceeds to recount a few other known cosmic events, such as the dinosaur killer Chicxulub meteorite; comet Shoemaker-Levy's bombardment of Jupiter, an event I remember well in July 1994; and 2013's Russian Chelyabinsk meteor.

He recounts how science reluctantly evolved from skepticism to acceptance of the obvious threat of big meteorites striking Earth (and there are, apparently, credentialed scientists to this day who insist that it was only a mere coincidence that a big meteorite slammed Earth at exactly the same time the dinosaurs disappeared for some totally other reason), and tells stories of efforts to find and identify potential threats -- such as that of the man who discovered all three of the asteroids (and the ONLY three in history) to have been identified as incoming, before in fact proceeding to slam into Earth.

Finally Dillow recounts possible mitigation efforts should a threat be identified. Turns out there ARE people working in it.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gordon L. Dillow's "Fire in the Sky" is a compelling narrative that blends history, research, and science. He does what the best nonfiction writers are able to accomplish -- make science accessible to laypeople like myself. I was surprised to read that Dillow had no formal background in asteroid/meteorite/comet science, but this doesn't matter. He is able translate the science in a way the public understands. You'll learn that scientists (in the first half of the 20th) didn't believe that asteroids hits could cause sudden, calamitous changes on Earth. They subscribed to a uniformitarianism, a theory that stated planetary changes occurred over long time periods. You'll learn about Daniel Moreau Barringer, a wealthy business man who believed the local legends that a meteor caused a large crater in the Arizona desert. You'll also learn about Walter Alvarez and his Nobel-prize winning father Luis Alvarez who theorized an asteroid impact caused the extinction of dinosaurs. I was surprised to learn that most of these theories, we take for granted today, were ridiculed by most scientists.

He also discusses amateur Near Earth Object (NEO) hunters like Richard Kowalski who search for asteroids and comets that could cause extinction-level events on our planet. I was also surprised to learn most asteroids/meteorites explode like bombs before they hit the ground (which causes craters). These exploding meteors are called "bolides," and the craters they leave are "astroblemes." I also enjoyed learning about Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker's research.

Overall, I loved reading this book. There are plenty of interviews with the men and women conducting research into this area.. Dillow is a masterful storyteller, and I hope he writes more science-based books in the future. I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review from NetGalley.

[Raz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly I thought this would be at least a little sensationalistic, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it's not that at all.

It's a really interesting peek into a part of the science world that we never really see outside of scifi movies, and makes you realise how vulnerable we are to an impact event without being all "the sky is falling!" about it.

I would give this 3.5 stars if that was an option because there were times where I felt the writing style was a bit too unpolished, but there were also a lot of times I had to stop reading to immediately go google something this book made me curious about, so I'm happy rounding up!

[Steve Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It sounds a bit grim, given the catastrophic potential of the subject matter, but I really enjoyed this book. Attracted as I am to those events that spell trouble for mankind (and all other life on Earth) I had been eager to read this book for some time. And it proved to be worth the wait. The writing is journalistic, encompassing history, the science behind the threat, and the personalities involved. Some may consider the subject dry and dusty but certainly not I.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely interesting look at the dangers of asteroids hitting the earth. And what is and isn’t being done to combat this danger. You won’t look at the night sky the same way after reading this.

[Tara van Beurden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly readable account of the history of asteroid collisions with the Earth and what we are doing to spot them and stop them. This book was a gift from my parents; I had spotted it while searching for space related books, as part of my research for both my PhD and my novel series (which includes an asteroid impact). It certainly fell with the realms of my subject matter so I added it to a list of books my parents could buy me for my birthday. I didn't realise at the time that this book talks extensively about Meteor Crater in Arizona, a place my family stumbled across while driving from Flagstaff to the New Mexico border. I kind of wish I could go back to Meteor Crater now having read this book, but there's the little issue of a global pandemic! Anyway, Dillow's book (he's a journalist, not a scientist, which means the book isn't overly technical, and is quite funny) starts with Meteor Crater, unpacking the long history of asteroids, meteors and comets, and the struggle for science and the public to take the issue seriously. Dillow then talks about an event I'd actually forgotten about - the 1994 impact of Jupiter by a comet. I was only 7 at the time, but I distinctly remember hearing about it. I however didn't realise the impact that this event had on public understanding for the need for tracking of Near Earth Objects (comets, asteroids and meteors that could actually hit us). The fact that there still remains a 'giggle factor' when it comes to this subject really disappoints me, as does the old adage 'why spend money on this with all the problems on Earth' but then I think I'm in the minority in understanding the benefits space exploration and research provides to the Earth. Perhaps the most interesting chapter for me was the one on how we could destroy an incoming asteroid. I actually wrote an essay during my masters degree on how we should have nukes in space for the purposes of planetary defence - at the time, while struggling to find academic material, I'd started to read a lot about alternative forms of protection, particularly gravity tractors, and I'd kinda got the idea that gravity tractors were a more likely solution than nukes - I'd even started considering how this fit with my novel series' asteroid collision. But Dillow outlines some of the issues with this, particularly around time, and our Earthly habit of dithering. Its certainly food for thought. Overall, I found this to be a deeply fascinating, very readable book - if you want technical details, it might not be for you, but as an introduction to a really important topic, it serves its purpose well. Thoroughly enjoyable!

[Budge Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative, a book which could well trigger your interest in the subject and persuade you to research deeper. It’s also an object lesson in scientific enquiry – it looks at how generations of scientists have tried to understand a complex subject, have offered explanations … until the next generation or until the next imaginative questioning … and one accepted theory is superseded by a better one and a new dynamic of enquiry, the role of science to be to constantly questioning, exposing error or misinterpretations, challenging, pursuing fresh insights.
Very well written – the subject is the technical, the scientific, the planet … space. But the human is ever present, there’s a running thread of humanity and concern for life and respect for the efforts of those pursuing explanation. Concern for life? Not just human or even animal health, but the health of the planet, of the solar system … and maybe even infinity and beyond.
There’s a constant, bubbling sense of excitement behind, beneath, within the words. It’s well communicated – I can imagine how sterile a history a lesser writer could have written. There’s almost a sense of the subject matter being delivered to you in conversation – ideally over a beer or two before a decent log fire (I am, admittedly, reading the book curled up in bed on a chilly winter’s night).
Very American – I’ll state that as fact rather than overt criticism, I wouldn't expect it to be anything but focused on place. Dillow writes of the ‘near panic’ in the USA with the launch of Sputnik in 1957 - the Soviets had the lead in an era of nuclear weapons and threat of war from the skies. But I can remember the excitement at school in Scotland – Sputnik wasn’t a Soviet threat, it was a triumph of the imagination. I was 7 or 8 at the time and we were all indulging ourselves in sci-fi fantasies and speculation – ‘Quatermass and the Pit’ would appear at the end of 1958 and remain an enduring cornerstone of my childhood memories and adult imagination.
In 1957 science fiction was becoming fact, and human discoveries of the nature of space were stimulating realisation it was not just a vast emptiness … that was one of the realities of discovery for my generation ... and it's a message which still resonates from these pages. It’s a book highlighting our need to cooperate as a species if we are to protect our planet from some future disaster, cooperate while respecting differing cultures and perspectives ... and not a book which a self-obsessed, narcissistic, intellectually moribund abomination like Trump could understand even if it was turned into a picture book with boobs.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off I'm fairly interested in asteroids; not sure why but they intrigue me. It's not like I go out looking for them, but I have read several fictional accounts of a "killer" asteroid and watched the popular movies on the same theme. Also used to watch the TV show about the guys looking for meteorite fragments called Meteorite Men. So when this book was coming out I was intrigued and definitely wanted to read the book.

Yet, I had a hard time with this book. It took me much longer than it should have to get through it, at nearly a month. The problem I had wasn't the material, it was the writing style. I just did not like the way the author presented the material. He wrote like he was trying to be a funny guy or something, making jokes. It was casual, way too casual, sort of gimmicky. I did not like it.

If it wasn't for the actual topic I would have stopped. I did take a break for a week or two, and upon getting back to it, almost stopped again, but I pushed on. I forced myself to keep reading. It actually got better in the later portion of the book. Too bad the entire book wasn't written similar to the last part.

The rating for this book is solely based on the topic and the structure of the book. I like the scientific history, the how and why scientists finally came around to accepting that massive asteroids have hit the Earth before, and one took out the dinosaurs. Next was what is being done in searching for the NEOs, Near Earth Objects, that could cause some problems if they hit Earth one day. I'm happy I stuck with the book, as I did find out information on this topic that I definitely wanted to know.

Maybe the writing style won't bother you as it did me, and if you have any interest in this topic, the material and coverage is good.


Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

[Realms & Robots · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fire in the Sky is an entertaining look at the history of comets, meteors and asteroids, and their place in Earth’s past, present and future. Dillow writes in an accessible, down-to-earth tone, shedding light on the many wonders of these mysterious objects that haunt science fiction novels and movies. You’ll finish the book with a deep reverence for the sheer power of these celestial objects and a hint of fear at the havoc they can wreak.

This is a wonderful guide to all things asteroid. There’s so much I didn’t know beyond the incredibly dramatic portrayals in movies and books. Mankind’s understanding of these objects has been a long time in the making, as evidenced by the centuries-long believes that every bit of light or rock in the sky was the beginning of a doomsday that would never come to fruition. It took a long time for science to catch up and, once it did, the race for knowledge was off and running. Dillow has a unique was of turning historical events and scientific analysis into extremely readable stories. This isn’t a book full of complex science, but a narrative story inspired by those complexities. You’ll find information on the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, the history of asteroid prospectors and their subsequent demise, and the stats on meteorite fatalities and injuries per year, just to name a few. It’s a collection of everything asteroid, from the expected to the wildly unexpected.

Overall, Fire in the Sky is an expertly written story of one of the universe’s most common forces. It’s entertaining and extremely readable, with facts that will shock and history that will elicit a few audible gasps.

NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with a bit of "high drama" both in its title and in its content. Mr. Dillow is a good (and sometimes humorous) writer and gives a good history of past influence and history of asteroid collisions and their aftermath, beginning with the meteor crater in Arizona.

He also got me thinking about the 6-mile wide "dinosaur killer" asteroid that hit at the earth at the right point on the earth and brought about the K-T Extinction. Had the it hit in the immensely-large, Cretaceous era Pacific, it is unlikely the extinction would have taken place, and we would all be speaking dinosaur today.

Other parts of the book got a little speculative -- how can we track and intercept any future near earth objects ("NEOs") that might post a threat to earth in the future. But then he goes into planetary defense. At that point I was really skeptical. The probabilities of such a hit are too slim and the cost too much to build a system of rockets with nukes or kinetic impactors, "just in case."

In all, though, the book was OK, very-well written, and condensed to layman's point of view.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook) A concise and engaging work that discusses the concept of asteroids slamming into Earth. Perhaps the most infamous was the one that science figures ended the reign of the dinosaurs, or at least that hadn't evolved into the ancestors of the modern-day birds. From there, Dillow analyzes how modern man address asteroids and space-based objects that could slam into Earth with significant damage/impact. This part combines scientific efforts to analyze and confront asteroids along with how literature and cinema address the concept of an asteroid hitting the planet. A fairly engaging work on an interesting topic. Worth the time to listen to/read.

[Esteban Vega · Rating 3 out of 5]

A big newspaper sunday article.

Nothing new for those minimally informed, a few funny anecdotes, way too repetitive.

A pamphlet or an infographic (so fashionable these days) should do a better job at informing the populace.

Basically "there are asteroids out there and if we don't start preparing and developing manners of deflection/destruction, we're not going to last long."

OK, I guess.

[David Cavaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and fun read about the threat posed by asteroids, big and small, on Earth. The need for technological advancements on diverting dangerous space rocks from ruining humanity's day is clearly made in this book. It is not a question of if but when the next big one comes crashing down. Despite the dour cosmic reality of the perils of our Solar System, the author infuses timely humor and historical asides. Great book!