Rating: 
Summary: An interesting theory on the origin of life
Review: Thomas Gold proposed his deep earth gas theory some twenty years ago. He believes that organic fuel is not organic and has some convincing arguments which cannot easily be dismissed. If he is right, this would be a radical new view on the origin of life. Gold's ideas make interesting reading. Unfortunately, Gold is very much the scientist and stretches every argument down to the last inch, which can be boring and repetitive at times. You might not want to spend 27 bucks on this one, but be wise enough to take b&n 15 dollars deal.
Rating:
Summary: food for thought
Review: To get the most out of this book you would have to have a good background in geology or the petroleum formation aspects of geology, not to mention chemistry. Gold takes some wild theories and spins a convincing tale. Bold assumptions are piled one on top of the other, with sometimes too technically detailed support. Also, he seems to contradict himself at times.However, through all this he weaves a great story of alternative theories for petroleum formation, earthquakes and even the origins of life. Is he right? Is he crazy? Keep in mind that throughout the years, Gold has developed theories that at the time were at right angles to conventional thought, and on more than one occasion he was correct. For those of us not in the petroleum business the book will make you think. Despite its technical nature it is readable. For those within the geology and petroleum industry the book may be considered as heresy. If you think Gold is wrong, base that opinion on counter arguments to his new theories, sighting what is wrong with his ideas. A previous reviewer (who happens to be a geologist) simply restated the standard lines of a biogenic origin for our "fossil fuels". Such blind criticism is uncalled for.
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