Earth-Shattering by Bob Berman is a witty look at the cataclysms of our planet's past and future, many of which were (or are likely to be) seen as the Apocalypse by religious type folks. This book is divided into three main parts. The first gives an intro to the universe at large, exploring how it came to be, and how our own humble little planet was formed. The second part looks at the disasters that have plagued earth itself, from the Chicxulub asteroid impact likely responsible for the dinosaur extinction, to the great slate-wiper virii that decimated large swathes of the world population, to the last Ice age, and the probability of a greenhouse or snowball earth. The final section looks at cataclysm of the future, as in billions of years from now. How the sun will eventually turn to a red giant and render earth a lifeless planet.

Chapter 30 was especially interesting to me as it discussed things humans wanted to turn into cataclysm, but that never actually were. Things like Y2K, and 2012. The things that make me want to scream at people's ignorance, and humanity's desire to have the apocalypse happen. Doom-sayers with nothing better to do. But dude… there were several references to things hitting eyes that left me cringing. Aahhhhh! Overall, it's stuffed full of neat trivia, and is written in an engaging tone. Recommended for those with science interest.

***Many thanks to Netgalley/ Little, Brown, and Co for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A fun look at cataclysms

This book is about destruction. So it takes a real talent like Bob Berman to write an entertaining and informative science book on the subject. No matter how technical the subject Berman explains the science well, in a conversational tone and with a sense of humor. When he speaks to galactic cataclysms, I can sense his joy in the subject matter. However, when he turns to human-made cataclysms, his sorrow is equally there, but this is not a large part of the book. This is the the third I’ve read by Bob Berman and it is the best, after having previously read “Zapped” and “The Sun’s Heartbeat”. I recommend “Earth Shattering” for anyone interested in science.

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The epic history of the universe, and our planet, is delved into with great care by Bob Berman in his new volume Earth-Shattering: Violent Supernovas, Galactic Explosions, Biological Mayhem, Nuclear Meltdowns, and Other Hazards to Life in Our Universe (a title I will only fully write out this one time). The book is eye-opening to say the least and is chock-full of everything you’d ever want to know about the universe, Earth, and the possible events that could lead to our demise. There’s a lot to be learned about this wild universe of ours, and Berman presents the facts in an entertaining and intellectual way. Expect to say the phrase “huh, I didn’t know that” more times than you have in the past few years combined.

The book is broken up into three parts. The first looks at the universe at large, explaining how the universe came to be, how Earth got its start, and how various cosmic forces attacked each other for millennia. I learned a lot, to put it mildly, coming away with a better understanding of so many things I took for granted.

The second part looks at the many events that have wreaked havoc on Earth itself. These are the expected events, the ones we know the most about. Berman dives into the dinosaurs, the plague, the ice age, and pays special attention to many of the new cataclysms that may not have been categorized as such in recent times. This part fascinated me the most with its in-depth research and bevy of facts I hadn’t previously heard.

The third part is shorter, looking at the horrors that are to come. The scale on this section is a bit longer than we’re used to thinking about (try billions of years) but it’s still timely to consider. We’re reminded that anything can happen, at any time. It’s amazing we’ve made it this far as a planet. As a side note, the final pages made me realize the television reruns of today are the Rosetta stones of tomorrow. That was an unintended mind-blowing revelation.

To conclude, Earth-Shattering is a great piece of scientific nonfiction, written in an accessible tone and style. The universe is a violent, temperamental place, filled with foreign bodies that are continuously hurtling toward each other. Understanding it a bit more gave me an expanded view of our place in the greater scheme of things.