Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A Short History of Nearly Everything meets Astrophysics for People in a Hurry in this humorous, accessible exploration of how meteorites have helped not only build our planet but steered the evolution of life and human culture.

The Solar System. Dinosaurs. Donkey Kong. What is the missing link? Surprisingly enough, it's meteorites. They explain our past, constructed our present, and could define our future.

Impact argues that Earth would be a lifeless, inhospitable piece of rock without being fortuitously assaulted with meteorites throughout the history of the planet. These bombardments transformed Earth's early atmosphere and delivered the complex organic molecules that allowed life to develop on our planet. While meteorites have provided the raw materials for life to thrive, they have radically devastated life as well, most famously killing off the dinosaurs and paving the way for humans to evolve to where we are today.

As noted meteoriticist Greg Brennecka explains, meteorites did not just set us on the path to becoming human, they helped direct the development of human culture. Meteorites have influenced humanity since the start of civilization. Over the centuries, meteorite falls and other cosmic cinema have started (and stopped) wars, terrified millions, and inspired religions throughout the world.

With humor and an infectious enthusiasm, Brennecka reveals previously untold but important stories sure to delight and inform readers about the most important rocks on Earth.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction: And So It Begins (p. 1)
• 1 Important Early Meteorite Strikes (p. 11)
• 2 Cosmic Cinema for Early Humans (p. 37)
• 3 Humons and Heavens Collide (p. 53)
• 4 Prognostication, Panic, and Scientific Progress (p. 89)
• 5 Ingredients for Success (p. 117)
• 6 Free Samples from Mars (p. 139)
• 7 From Space to the Laboratory (p. 163)
• 8 Meteorite Mischief and Mitigation (p. 187)
• 9 Modern Meteorite Research (p. 201)
• Appendices: Notes on the Basics of Meteorite Research (p. 219)
• Appendix I The Taxonomy Man Cometh (p. 221)
• Appendix 2 Equipment Revolutions (p. 245)
• Acknowledgments (p. 269)
• Sources and Additional Reading (p. 271)
• Photo Credits (p. 277)
• Index (p. 279)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

In his authorial debut, meteoriticist Brennecka seeks to prove that meteorites don't just make up our physical world, they make up our culture too. Brennecka begins with the birth of the universe and takes readers on a journey through time and space, in a narrative that is both approachable and entertaining. He explores the rocky origins of the moon, the impact of meteorites on early religions and weapon-making, and how astronomical discoveries (whether genuine or misguided) continue to transform popular culture. Accompanying this textual journey are cartoon illustrations demonstrating scientific concepts like velocity and gas giants (reminiscent of Randall Munroe's xkcd) and photographs of historical meteorites and artifacts that show humanity's relationship to space rocks throughout history. This book is sure to engage popular science readers of all levels of expertise; for advanced readers, Brennecka has appended the text with more technical information on meteoritics. VERDICT Brennecka successfully tackles a niche corner of the popular science genre where anthropology meets astrophysics. His knowledge and wit come together in an excellent debut that will appeal to readers of Munroe, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Carl Sagan.--Cate Triola

Publishers Weekly Review

Brennecka, a cosmochemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, takes a look at the past, present, and future of meteorites in his chatty debut. "Rocks flying around the cosmos not only built our physical world...they also have had an inordinate influence on the various non-concrete constructions of civilization," he writes, and shares a slew of fun facts. In 1992, for example, a meteorite fell "through the trunk of a cherry red 1980 Chevy Malibu" and became infamous, and the car was resold for a $4,600 profit 20 years later; people in Uganda have been known to eat pulverized meteorites, believing they might "possibly be a God-sent cure" for AIDS; and a meteorite might have been responsible for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Other anecdotes are more heavily scientific, and are where Brennecka hits his stride, as with his suggestion that the amino acids common on many meteorites might have "helped usher in the origin of life" on Earth. The abundance of filler and corny jokes, though, can be distracting (a meteorite storm in France in 1803 "likely resulted in numerous pairs of soiled underpants"). Despite a couple wobbles, it's a fine intro for star-gazing newbies. (Feb.)

Booklist Review

Meteoriticist Brennecka explains all things meteor to the layperson with enthusiasm and humor. He blends a thorough explanation of meteorites with pop culture references that make Impact enjoyable and easy to read--for instance, he compares the naming conventions (they are called asteroids as they float in space, meteors as they burn in Earth's atmosphere, and meteorites when they land) to the musician Prince's changing names. Despite the book's light tone, Brennecka delves deep into the science of meteors. The history of meteorite encounters with humans (the earliest is 4000 BCE), the possibility that meteorites may be the source of the organic material from which life as we know it developed, and the sacredness of the meteorite to many ancient cultures make this a fascinating study. Additional chapters and several appendixes cover meteorites from Mars, where samples are most commonly found; modern research techniques; classification; and how the study of meteorites has evolved over time. Covering the earliest known meteorite strikes on Earth to present-day studies, this book will appeal to readers of popular science and of authors like Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Kirkus Book Review

An exploration of the role meteorites played in the formation and cultural evolution of Earth. Had Earth's head-on collision with the meteorite named Theia not occurred exactly when it did, our planet would have evolved much differently. Brennecka, a cosmochemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, explains that this event, and later impacts, "may have delivered the organic material from which life developed, as well as the water on Earth that sustains it." In this highly entertaining book, filled with informative and humorous charts, diagrams, and images, the author explores this moon-forming impact as well as other historical cosmic events involving space rocks--e.g., the 1990 discovery of an impact crater in Mexico that scientists believe caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Other topics include: Christopher Columbus' using his knowledge of an upcoming lunar eclipse to avert an uprising when he had outstayed his welcome in Jamaica, Donald Trump's staring directly at the sun without eye protection during the 2017 solar eclipse, and how "Mark Twain was born and died on occurrences of Comet Halley." Brennecka also examines how meteorites have played a significant role in cultural and religious teachings throughout the world, including Aboriginal lore, Greek and Roman literature, biblical studies, and Islamic tradition, and he takes us to regions around the world where large numbers have been extracted: Australia, the Sahara Desert, and Antarctica, among others. The increased availability of samples has aided countless scientists in their research about Earth's cosmic origins, but the meteorite trade has also led to the removal of objects that were treated as sacred by Indigenous peoples and made it difficult for research groups working on tight budgets. "Regardless of the discussion about the morality and business of meteorites," writes the author, "meteorite monetization has been both a blessing and a curse for meteorite researchers." Brennecka's enthusiasm for meteorites will appeal to experts and novices alike. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.