Customer Reviews

Not by Fire but by Ice: Discover What Killed the Dinosaurs...and Why It Could Soon Kill Us

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The main flaw of the book is that it seeks out scientists who cooborrate the authors opinions while not paying enough attention to the vast evidence against such opinions. For example an overwhelming majority of scientists do not connect the dinosaur extinction with either an ice age or magnetic reversal. And the meteor impact theory has much, much more going for it than what Mr. Felix tells us in his book. The bottom line, magnetic reversals are quite common, there are maybe 5 every million years and we do not have mass extinctions 5 times every million years. So why do I give this book 4 stars? The main reason is that the author presents a very intriguing theory linking underwater volcanism to El Nino and to ice ages as well. This is the first time I had heard this theory and it sounds quite plausible. Also the author does give pretty good explanations of complicated topics in a way that a lay person could understand so the book is quite educational. You can tell this guy definitely knows his stuff. So, buy the book, read it, but research further and make up your own mind.

After hearing an interview with Robert Felix on a radio show, I desperately wanted this book, but for some reason I just never ordered it. Well, after I finally did, I'm not disappointed in what I read.

Whether you believe that the next ice age is coming or not; and whether you believe that the dinosaurs, mammoths, etc. were wiped out by an ice age or not; there's more to this book than just that.

Mr. Felix goes into great details to explain what scientists theorize makes an ice age happens. He mainly describes polar-magnetic reversals (where the north and south poles flip); nuclear explosions on the sun, earth, and miles above the earth (those creating the Aurora Borealis); earthquakes and earthquake lightes; sudden climatic changes; etc.

The book also tells us how an instantaneous ice age can occur (feet upon feet of snow in hours). Notes are made about when 5 inches of rain falls that can actually add up to 50 inches of snow. He goes on and on about places that have received this much rain in such short periods of time, going on that it can happen with snow, not just rain. The only problem I have with this theory is that when it rains so much, its usually in an isolated area, not hemisphere-wide like he's trying to suggest.

All in all, I think it makes for one hell of a book. It's definitely one that I'm going to keep for years and years to come! But, when it starts snowing... Be afraid. Be very afraid.

This book is a must read for those interested in our changing climate. On one side we have the Global Warming "Chicken Littles" like Al Gore who propose all climate change is human induced. On the other side we have conservative lobbyists and free-enterprise think tanks trying to discredit the Global Warming folks. Neither is entirely believable. Robert Felix presents a scarier hypothesis and an interesting counterpoint to both. An ice age would be the most catastrophic to life as we know it. Felix never denies our climate is changing.

The bottom line is that there are so many factors that could influence climate besides mankind induced CO2. Things like the Milankovitch Cycle, Volcanism, etc. Felix presents these ideas.

Like most, I believe our climate is changing. It's better to forget the political aims of liberals and conservatives, and just read as much science as you can. We might not end up where we think we're going. Time will tell who was right. An enjoyable read... 4 stars.

Felix uses the geologic record to correlate the occurrence of magnetic reversals with sudden mass extinctions, which cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence when it has happened repeatedly over the earth's history. Felix does not explain certain other phenomena, such as why the woolly mammoths died instantly (some of them while in the act of eating, with flowers still in their mouths) nor why they were fast-frozen, leaving their bodily cells intact. Nor do I entirely buy (nor understand) Felix's theory for how magnetic pole reversals cause ice ages. But no matter: this is still a valuable and compelling read to convince one that a major climate change can occur suddenly, with disastrous consequences and, unfortunately, that another one is imminent.

A must read for anyone trying to counter the prevailing jibberish on "global warming". Felix provides many facts to support his conclusion that ice will do us in not warming. What's more, it can come at any time since we are well overdue according to the long and short term historic record. See what is behind the coming cooling...it may surprise you.

The author has done an excellent job of taking many different disciplines of science, and distilling them to come up with a novel, but very believeable, thesis. The author, not being a scientist himself, is able to explain in simple easy to understand terms what the implications of the next few years are for people living in the Northern Hemisphere. People may argue about Global Warming's severity, when people should question if Global Warming is, in truth, a fact. The author points out that the 'experts' may be wrong.

This little book is a fair read, but cries out for some organization. It seems that Felix's passion for his subject outruns his ability to build a solid presentation. The theory is worthy of further study and seems to be quite plausible. It needs further development to be taken seriously, but should not be dismissed lightly.

According to radio personality Michael Reagan people have been talking about an impending ice age for at least thirty years. If an impending ice age is really such a hot topic, how come its dwarfed by literature on global warming? Thirty years is a long time for any prophesy to incuabate and not get entrenched.
Even if Felix is wrong, he is one of the most articulate science writers to ever grace the craft. He deserves great credit for this literary treasure.

I found the book to be very intriquing and thoughtful, much more so than the current Nazi style propaganda on climate change that the negative reviews here reflect. None of the negative reviews actually cite the science and illogic they claim is so obvious. The carbon dioxide cycle LAGS, does not lead, ice-ages. We are in a regular, normal warming cycle according to all the records for all three types of ice-ages. Carbon levels have been much higher before modern man and his puny carbon additions.

The author presents some well crafted ideas on climate change. I especially liked the idea of underwater volcanism, but I was a little skeptical of the magnetic reversal frequency. In all, I would recommend this for a nice afternoon read or a long plane ride. The book seems a little jumbled in its presentation, but overall I give it four stars based on its ability to present new ideas that the lay-person can digest.