Deadly Voyager: The Ancient Comet Strike that Changed Earth and Human History

by James Lawrence Powell

In language accessible to non-scientists, Deadly Voyager tells the story of how an extraterrestrial event many thousands of years ago changed earth and human history — and how a scientific claim can be thoroughly rejected, only to re-emerge strengthened.

Genres: Science, History, Nonfiction

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2020

About the author

Dr. James L. Powell graduated from Berea College with a degree in Geology. He holds a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and taught Geology at Oberlin College for over 20 years.

He served as Acting President of Oberlin, President of Franklin and Marshall College, President of Reed College, President of the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, and President and Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.

Powell currently serves as Executive Director of the National Physical Science Consortium. Asteroid 1987 SH7 is named for him.

Reviews

[Cathy D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting. Similar to what I've read in Graham Hancock's books, but a nice scientifically oriented summary. I gave it only 2 stars, though, because there was no bibliography, and no footnotes. And no glossary. Example: "FEA now reported that new evidence had led them" -- who or what is FEA? That is never made clear; I found that kind of thing distracting.

[B H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rock Solid

The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis is a quick, non-fiction read centered- and well documented- on the rise, fall and rise-again of the YD theory.

What is it? In summary, the theory details the abrupt and catastrophic end of the Ice Age - the eradication of the North American Clovis culture, the mass-extinction of dozens of mega-fauna in North America (Horses, Camels, Aurochs, etc)- due to it around 13000 years ago.

The authors prose is quick, informative without being dry, and well worth a read for those looking to know a little more about the world in which we live.

[Debbie Mcclelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, but...

This is basically an update on "Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes." I found the charts and graphs off-putting, but then I am not a technical person. Having the latest findings WAS interesting, so I'm happy!

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that goes into what happened to the human race around 12,000 to 13,000 years ago. It's a book about how some proposed that a comet hit the Earth or at least blew up in the atmosphere causing major changes in climate. This had a major impact on the Clovis culture living in the U.S.

The book is also about how the theory was developed and how many scientists were so set in their own views of how things happened that they opposed the new idea for a very long time. It took lots of work by lots of people before enough undeniable evidence could be obtained before some of those scientists finally were willing to change their minds.

Some. Not all.

This about the Younger Dryas time, what the results of an air explosion of a come or a meteor would be, the 19 mile wide crater in Greenland under the ice, how about 80% of humans in some areas died and how other ideas that are not taken as truth, such as continental drift, ran into severe opposition by scientists.

Then the author does something very intelligent. He takes a 'what if' approach. What if there was no comet and no explosion. What if the people in the Americas had been able to carry on normally. This part is really neat involving certain animals not going extinct in the Americas, the use of wheels due horses not dying out (as they actually did in the Americas) and what the Europeans would have run into when they landed in the Americas.

I will grant that parts of the book are rather complicated and may be kind of hard to understand but it is still a good book about a terrible even and also about how sometimes science gets almost fossilized about certain things and can take decades to change its mind even with good evidence about some new thing really happening.

[Sarah Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Deadly Voyager: The Ancient Comet Strike that Changed Earth and Human History by James Lawrence Powell

🌌 Overview
Geologist James Lawrence Powell masterfully reconstructs Earth’s most catastrophic cosmic encounter in Deadly Voyager. This gripping narrative blends cutting-edge science with the drama of mass extinction, revealing how a comet impact reshaped life on our planet—and possibly redirected human evolution.

🔍 Key Highlights
🌋 Science with Soul – Powell transforms complex geology into a page-turning detective story, complete with smoking craters and climate chaos.
🦕 Interdisciplinary Thrills – Connects dots between astronomy, archaeology, and anthropology to show how space rocks forged human destiny.
⏳ Timely Warnings – Draws chilling parallels between ancient climate upheavals and modern environmental crises.

⚠️ Considerations
📊 Dense Passages – Some sections demand slow reading to absorb data-rich details about impact mechanics.
🌀 Speculative Moments – A few evolutionary “what ifs” stretch evidence (though clearly labeled as theory).

⭐ Score Breakdown
🔬 Scientific Depth → ★★★★★ (5/5)
🎭 Narrative Power → ★★★★☆ (4/5)
💡 Original Insights → ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
📖 Readability → ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Overall: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
A celestial murder mystery where the victim is Earth itself—and the detective is science.

🎯 Perfect For Readers Who Love
☄️ Neil deGrasse Tyson’s cosmic storytelling
🦴 The Sixth Extinction’s blend of science and drama
🌍 Big-picture histories like Sapiens

Gratitude
🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and James Lawrence Powell for the advance copy. This book left impact craters in my imagination!

(Note: Review based on ARC; final text may vary.)

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen thousand years ago, a sudden drop in global temperature coincided with the extinction of megafauna in the Western Hemisphere and the disappearance of Clovis culture in the Americas. This book explores the controversial theory that a comet impact caused these events, detailing the scientific debate and the mounting evidence supporting this hypothesis.

I went into this book skeptical, but it’s written in a logical style that I found persuasive. The book is easy to understand and worth a read. It really left me wondering why this hypothesis has been dismissed.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[khang Fre-Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

This just brought up to date Aftershock the Ancient Cataclysm that Erased Human History, about the world wide unexplainable stone structures that can't be duplicated even with todays modern technology, and The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes Flood, Fire, and Famine in the History of Civilization, about the Clovis Human Sites in North America that suddenly disappeared along with all the major Megafauna around 13,000 years ago, and what the evidence seems to imply. Deadly Voyager seems to knit all the pieces together and leave the readers to make up their own mind.

[Sharon Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well and thoroughly presented, the argument for a single extra terrestrial event causing a global extinction event approximately 12,000-13,300 years ago is meticulously laid out in this book. Scientific reasoning and graphs barely stir the depths of this book, which is serious up through the last chapter when the author plays with what ifs. If the extinction hadn’t occurred and various animals hadn’t gone extinct, some explorers might have been met with surprises.

[Sankar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice book if you are interested in the topics of Evolution, Geology and scientific research. This is however not a science-for-all or science-for-dummies type of book. So some of the chapters in the middle take some time to read through. Rest of the book is quite easy going. This book talks in much detail about the Younger Dryas theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Younger... . The book is a good introductory material.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!

This is a fascinating read and you don't have to be a scientist to understand or enjoy it. It answers many questions as well as exploring the many "what ifs" that one cannot help but ponder. Personally, I love it when a book has maps and photographs... this one has many. I will be buying several copies of this thought-provoking book.

[kylie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Though not very long, I found my eyes glazing over. It reads like a conspiracy theory, which made it hard to take it super seriously. (Even if it is correct - I can't say - the vibe was somehow off putting?) It also lacked sources or footnotes which felt like a big miss when you're trying to make a scientific argument.

**I received my copy from Netgalley.

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dry

This extensive and thorough depiction of the probability of a large event (probably a meteor or pieces of a comet) destroyed mega fauna in the North American continent and reconfigured the power of people across the globe. This is not a book for the faint of preparation. You will need to read the footnotes and follow the various groups of letters. You will learn if you read.

[CarlosBadias · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author says he believes in global warming. I don’t . I don’t know if he tells the truth.

He may be right. I don’t care. The animals died and I’m no archeologist. To me his theory was not interesting. Do not recomend

[Henry C. Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful Intro to the Younger Vegas Impact Hypothesis

While I have watched videos on this topic, this book did a better job of providing details on the science side of things. A very detailed book that is still easy to read. Once I started reading I couldn't stop!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and entertaining review and current status of the Younger Dryas era.

[Rod Brunzlick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enlightening

This book shows the political aspects of the scientific community. Its clear that changes need to occur for science to remain progressive.

[Mozelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!

[Hank Mcguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

YoungerDryas

Fascinating inquiry into this Ice age topic. Good research and conclusions . Highly recommend this book. Definitely a asteroid strike I believe.

[Tanya Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

The YDIH will surely soon become totally accepted by the mainstream, the evidence seems overwhelming.

It’s a shame it’s currently being hijacked by the pseudo-archaeologists.

A very interesting read.

[Gabriel Benitez · Rating 4 out of 5]

La teoría es esta: hace 12,800 años, en los finales de la última glaciación, un fenómeno cósmico creó una hecatombe mortal que puedo ser la culpable de acabar con la megafauna del planeta (Gatos dientes de sable, Mamuts, armadillos gigantes, megaterios y otros gigantes más) y de pasada borrar del planeta a la cultura humana Clovis. Se trata del Joven Dryas, un fenómeno que creó inundaciones brutales, incendios gigantes y un aumento del nivel del mar en casi 120 metros a escala global.
¿Qué fenómeno sucedió a nivel mundial que desencadenó este terrible desastre? En tiempos geológicos, todo esto ocurrió prácticamente ayer.
Hay cada vez más evidencia que apunta a que una lluvia de meteoros, o de restos cometarios o un impactocon nuestro planeta —en el hemisferio norte — trajeron esta nueva extinción.
Este interesante libro se centra en analizar todos los nuevos descubrimientos sobre el caso, con pros y contras y lo hace de forma resumida y sumamente ilustrativa.
¿Puede volver a darse esto en el futuro? Bueno, se dio en el pasado MUY reciente, en 1908, con el meteoro de Tunguska en una desastre jamás registrado antes, pero no al nivel de Dryas... pero creo que todos conocemos la respuesta: si, podría volver a darse y la evidencia nos dice que la pasaremos muy mal.
Como un review mencionó, este libro es una puesta al día del "Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes" de Richard Firestone