Ever want to know all the ways that the universe is trying to kill you and which ways are most likely to succeed? Then this is the book for you! Phil Plait does an excellent job of putting together a list of the astronomical dangers around us and he does it in a way that is very accessible to the lay reader. He even adds enough humor to the mix to keep it from becoming too depressing. I had to ding him a star for constantly assuming I'd be afraid of the end of life in the universe when that doesn't really bother me at all, but that's a common mistake to make. It may even be true for most people and he wasn't writing the book just for me. So I'll leave him with a respectable four star rating. ( )

Phil Plait, of Bad Astronomy blogging fame, gives us a very accessible look at the unfriendly side of the universe: threats ranging from asteroid impact to being caught in the crosshairs of a gamma-ray burster. He explains the underlying science well, at a level that should make sense at the high school level, without becoming tedious for someone with a physics degree. I will certainly be reaching for this book when running role-playing games featuring interstellar travel. ( )

I will admit that I didn't finish this one. It was such a cool idea, and it was a lot of fun, but it did all start to blur into one big catastrophe. What is the difference between a gamma-ray burst and a supernova? And I didn't really get that chapter about black holes at all. I may give it another go later, but what I read was fun! ( )

I am not sure how many of you know (not personally) Philip Plait. Philip is an astronomer, more specific he is the Bad Astronomer. He is one of my favourite bloggers. I even follow his tweets. He knows a lot about astronomy; his website is a vast source of information, written in a plain, high intellectually and funny way. Seriously, even if you and astronomy don’t get along very well, Phil can make you love it.

That’s exactly he is doing with his new book “Death From the Skies: These Are the Ways the World Will End”. You maybe think that the title is intriguing. It is, but the book is much more intriguing, full of strange astronomical things and events that will spell the doom of Earth.

Asteroids, black holes, solar activity, the Sun becoming a red giant, supernovae and gamma-ray bursts, Alien Attack, Galactic collisions. Well that’s it…. the end of world.

There is a huge amount of science in this book. Everything you need to know, to be prepared for the end of the planet and probably the end of cosmos. Which, by the way, is not going to affect you, unless you are planning to be around the next …..1000000 years. Then, you may discover how the dinosaurs felt when the asteroid hit the Earth.

Did I say that the book is also funny? Well, it is. It is a great joy to read. Every chapter stars with a small story. Some of them are excellent science fiction stories of their own. I really loved the Attack of the Aliens; I think it could make a fantastic disaster movie.

Even if you know nothing about astronomy, you will find this book very readable and interesting. Phil, explains everything very well and clearly, and he uses the correct analogies to describe scientific concepts that some may find difficult to understand. Nevertheless, as Phil writes, “Be prepared to stretch your mind a bit”.

Talking about stretching, I particularly liked the description of the spaghettification process, when you are falling into a black hole. Maybe it is not the best way to be killed, but as Phil says “the journey there is half the fun”.

Actually, the chapter about black holes is my favourite. All these details about the how black holes could destroy Earth, are so …. ouaouou!!! You will be dead by then, of course, unless we manage to build that powerful rocket to produce a thrust for us to escape the gravity of the black hole. Fascinating?

If you haven’t yet read this book, do it. It is beautiful, enjoyable and very informative. You are not going to avoid the doom, but that is something you don’t need to worry about. ( )

I reviewed this book on my blog before creating my LT account. You can view it here! ( )