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The Coming Global Superstorm: And How to Prevent It

The Coming Global Superstorm: And How to Prevent It

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not science, just plain trash.
Review: It's distressing to know that Barnum was right about one being born each minute. Otherwise, how does one account for the sale of a book that is a mixture of sensationalism, half-truth, and plain fabrication? Anyone with the slightest knowledge of weather knows the scenario of ten feet of ice and all that other glop is impossible under the laws of physics. Equally, one supposes that if all the blocks from all the as-yet unexplained megaliths were stacked on end, we could probably rebuild the Trade Center. But what would it all prove? Nothing, of course, and that's just what this exercise in wasting valuable paper does as well, in terms of climate studies.

The book has its value, though, in that it does show the Dark Ages, where superstition reigned and truth hid, are never that far away. The authors should go back to tossing burnt sheep bones and reading tea leaves, and not masquarade as scientific seers...What a commentary on our educational system! I weep for the future.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting,only somewhat trashy but enjoyable pseudoscience
Review: Like a poor man's Carl Sagan, Strieber and Bell have taken the hot debate over global warming and condensed it into a highly-readable tome of disaster fiction. At first I was surprised by the tenor and the lack of sensationalistic flag-waving. However, I became quickly concerned this was going to be another "Chariots of the Gods" disaster when I started reading about their hypothesis regarding ancient civilizations lost to the sands of time. It seemed to me like a souped-up, repackaged version of the same tripe that Von Daaniken or the Atlantis researchers are serving up. Why can't ancient man be capable of ingenuity? Does he always have to be subservient to some greater civilization? I was also concerned with the lack of a bibliography, as should any reader, considering a book purported to be based on solid science. I'd especially like more data regarding some of the archeological claims, regarding the mammoths and some of the ruins mentioned in the book. Their hypothesis regarding the Zodiac, and myth, as narrative devices to warn future generations of impending doom is also scant and hardly explained at all (WTF is all that nonsense regarding "Hamlet's Mill" ?!?) Weak reasoning and scant evidence make for a weak hypothesis. End of story?

Not necessarily, it is an interesting and important topic, and the fictional narrative manages to entertain without being too incredibly hokey...its a good literary device to keep your attention while sifting through the chattier normal passages. They definitely know their audience. The climate-related research, while obviously speculative in the conclusions area, seems to be solid (at least they are citing actual scientists and real climate organizations instead of fringe people like Graham Hancock). The "hope for humanity" chapter is quite gushy and ends the book with a hopeful, humanist note, citing many of the environmental "accomplishments" we have made as US and world citizens, while rightfully condemning our opposition to Kyoto (Bush's tax incentives for corporations voluntarily reducing emissions is the most cockamamie legistlative compromise I have seen).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Chaos Theory ?
Review: An entertaining read for believers in the chaos theory or
The quickening school of thought. Gives one something
to ponder.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't be duped by this garbage
Review: Regarding the frozen mammoths, Discovery Channel Canada's website had this to say:

"First, were the mammoths quick-frozen? No. Almost all of the frozen specimens found so far have been rotten, and in some cases, mutilated by scavengers before freezing. Even the ground around the aforementioned Beresovka mammoth, as well as the mammoth's flesh, stunk of decay. Had freezing been instantaneous, no decay would have occurred."

"They died, not by freezing, but by asphyxiation. Evidence for that is the discovery of vessels still filled with coagulated blood..."

"Second, the stomach contents. Turns out both the Mamontova and Beresovka mammoths had eaten a variety of plants, including grasses, sedges and other tundra plants, as well as the cones and twigs of northern trees. Overall these plants represent a flora that would exist in slightly warmer and wetter conditions than exist in Siberia today, but such conditions are well within the climatic variability of the past."

"Finally the numbers of frozen mammoths don't support the idea of a catastrophe. It's been estimated that there might have been about 50,000 mammoths living in the Arctic, while something like forty have been found frozen. Hardly the signs of a cataclysmic event."

The evidence speaks for istself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Something to think about
Review: I'd just like to say that the people who didn't like this book are probably to entrenched in their daily lives to see what is going wrong in the world. It's important to remember that business is not the ultimate level of reality and that humans, as animals, are a part of nature. Though the views presented in this book are extreme, they do give a warning. Hopefully someone will listen instead of buying an SUV.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Recycle This Book
Review: I bought this expecting some science, some facts, some hard information. Instead, I got "lost" civilizations, fuzzy facts, and (this was probably Strieber's contribution) a passable bit of science fiction. Pass on the book and stick to Weekly World News.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Passable fiction, but not good science
Review: This book takes yelling, "Fire!" in a crowd to a new level. Using a combination of vague references to unknown writers, clearly slanted style, and half-science, this book is clearly commercial in intent and seeks to capitalize on the "Sky is falling" mentality that was so evident before Y2K. The authors are more interested in making money than real science, so save your money unless you just want a provacative story about what if the weather really did go crazy.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Science Fiction at its finest
Review: If you like science fiction, you will appreciate this zany, imaginative, well-written book. If you're looking for solid information and logical reasoning--don't waste your time. This book is for all the people who were disappointed when the world didn't end with the Millenium. Now they have new disasters to look forward to!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Insightful Inquiry
Review: Art Bell and Whitley Strieber have created a tale about our weather of the future and the earth changes that will follow. The book is a mixture of fact and fiction (clearly marked), very easy to read and fascinating. The historical perspectives on weather are so interesting that I couldn't put the book down. A very good and very necessary read. And, it's not for shock value......many of the things that are coming together to produce this storm are reversible.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An interesting and scary look at global warming!
Review: I'm a big fan of Art Bell's radio show so I had to get this book. I read it with an open mind and enjoyed it immensely. The predictions for the effects of global warming are frightening indeed. I found the facts presented to be well-researched and interesting. Its one of those books that scares you yet keeps you wanting to read the next page. I especially enjoyed the fictional part intermixed with the facts. The story has a lot of good elements - its frightening, heart-felt and inspiring at the end. I thought that it would make a really great movie.

The warnings presented in this book should definitely be heeded. Though its not all our faults, there are many things we can do to help. In this book, they present ways to do this. As the last few years have shown, there is much about the "Coming Global Superstorm" that can and might happen very soon. This is one of those books that everyone needs to read and take to heart. I have to give Whitley and Art a bravo for this one. Its an important warning for our future!


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