[meteorite-list] "The Fallen Sky" Redux

From: Notkin <geoking_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:42:16 -0700
Message-ID: <5A67AA06-EDD0-432F-8E0E-BE307E7AD493_at_notkin.net>

Darren Garrison posted:

> I wonder how much your views of the book are influenced by your
being a personal friend of the author.

I am a professional science writer and my personal friendships do not
influence my book reviews.


> I'm already at the point of just skimming the page until I come
to a passage that is actually relevant to meteorites and doesn't read
like a personal blog.

Your loss.

"The Fallen Sky" is a complex and impeccably researched non-fiction
work that -- to some degree -- uses meteorites as a vehicle for
personal exploration and a quest for meaning, rather than being just a
straightforward history of space rocks, although there is plenty of
fascinating historical material included, some of which was new to me.
And if bloggers could write half as well as Chris, the web would be a
much more interesting place.

Darren is quick to criticize others, so I hope List members will read
this unique book and decide for themselves. If you enjoy rich, lyrical
prose and ponder questions along the lines of: "Why are some of us
driven to such extraordinary lengths to find meteorites?" then "TFS"
is for you. It also includes insightful portraits of some of the
remarkable figures in meteorite history and good doses of dry humor
and adventure. Chris spent almost two months inside a tent in
Antarctica with ANSMET!

I found "The Fallen Sky" to be the most original and thought provoking
non-fiction work I've read in many years. It is bound to be
controversial since there's never been a book like it written before.


Geoff N.

www.aerolite.org
www.meteoritemen.com
www.meteoriteblog.org
Received on Thu 23 Jul 2009 11:42:16 PM PDT