Review - 'Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth' by Gordon L. Dillow

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.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!