Rain of iron and ice
the very real threat of comet and asteroid bombardment
In the first book for the general reader that presents the full range of scientific evidence for past and possibly future dangers, noted planetologist and impact-crater expert John S. Lewis shows us the unmistakable evidence - from space-probe flybys of the planets to the scars on our own Earth - of cataclysmic comet and asteroid impacts. By comparing what we know about the earth's geology and paleontology with the images of the other planets and moons in our solar system, Lewis makes the strongest case yet for sudden, dramatic extinctions and assesses the risks to planet Earth. Not even Darwin was aware of the events now seen as having played such a crucial role in the evolution of life on earth. . Lewis tells of the dangers to our civilization, dangers in the form of near-earth asteroids, or NEAs, whose impact could destroy in an instant what it has taken humans millennia to build. Finally, he describes the searches and preventive measures being undertaken today by scientists around the globe to ward off this threat from space.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Nonfiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Steady pace
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-2014-8950-7
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL796981M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
Begin with its place in Nonfiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- Whose perspective organizes the story, and whose perspective remains outside it?
- Which sources or lived experiences carry the author’s central argument?
- How does the book change the way you understand its larger subject?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
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These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
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Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
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Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Jefferson Vindicated - Fallacies, Omissions, and Contradictions in the Hemings Genealogical Search
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Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Monuments of Progress
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Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
New Faiths, Old Fears
by Bruce B. Lawrence
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Prudence (Historical Romance)
by Elizabeth Bailey
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.