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| View Larger Image | Earth Under Fire: Humanity's Survival of the Ice Age
by Paul A. LaViolette
| | List Price: | $20.00 | | Price: | $13.60 | | You Save: | $6.40 (32%) |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 193313 | | Studio: | Bear & Company | | | Binding: | Paperback | | Number Of Pages: | 448 | | Publication Date: | October 25, 2005 | | Publisher: | Bear & Company |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
An investigation of the connection between ancient world catastrophe myths and modern scientific evidence of a galactic destruction cycle
• Provides scientific evidence of past Earth-wide catastrophes and their galactic superwave origins
• Decodes the ancient message encrypted in the zodiac constellations and symbolism of the Sphinx
• Describes how explosions of our Galaxy’s core pose a threat to humanity in the future
Many ancient myths from around the world tell of catastrophic destruction by fire and flood. These ubiquitous legends are so extreme that they are often dismissed as imaginative exaggerations. In Earth Under Fire, Paul LaViolette connects these "myths" to recent scientific findings in astronomy, geology, and archaeology to reconstruct the details of prehistoric global disasters and to explain how similar tragedies could recur in the near future.
Compelled by his decryption of an ancient warning hidden in zodiac constellation lore, LaViolette worked with information from many scientific sources, including astronomical observations, polar ice core measurements, and other geological data, to confirm that our Galaxy’s core exploded near the end of the last ice age. This explosion unleashed a barrage of cosmic rays and enveloped the solar system in a dense nebula, which led to periods of persistent darkness, frigid cold, severe solar storms, searing heat, and mountainous floods that plagued mankind for many generations. Linking his scientific findings to details preserved in the myths and monuments of ancient civilizations, he demonstrates how past civilizations accurately recorded the causes of these cataclysmic events, knowledge of which may be crucial for the human race to survive the next catastrophic superwave cycle. This information reveals the intelligence and ingenuity of our ancestors who, when faced with extinction, found the means to warn us that the apocalypse that destroyed them could occur once again. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 6 reviews)
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A Plausible Synthesis 
The central thesis of this book is that the nucleus of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is physically active and from time to time gives rise to highly energetic cosmic ray waves. Given this premise (a scientific hunch - really) the author marshals arguments from a variety of fields to support this thesis. The view is synthetic, i.e. a valiant attempt has been made to use the results of discoveries in multiple specialized areas of science and human knowledge to create a coherent picture of Earth's global history over the last 30 thousand years.
There are 3 sorts of arguments that he discusses; broadly speaking: astronomical, geophysical, and cultural. His astrophysical arguments consist of demonstrating the plausibility of the existence, in his terminology, of a "super-wave" (of cosmic rays) based on recent discoveries that indicate QUASARs to be galaxies with highly energetic and active nuclei, on the observational radiation patterns of super-nova remnants, etc.
Additionally, he discusses certain features of the solar systems that could best be explained by a super-wave theory.
His terrestrial arguments are based on empirical evidence from geophysical research that bring in several science together: Oceanography, Glaciology, Climatology, Paleontology, Zoology, and so on. These arguments, in my opinion, form the strongest section of the book since they are firmly tied to an interpretation of existing data. Here he discusses the global glacial flooding that took place about 13,000 years ago and ties that to anomalies in tin and iridium isotope deposits that have to have had an extra-terrestrial origins; which, in turn, could best be explained by the super-wave ejected from the galactic nucleus.
His cultural arguments are based on interpretation of human cultural artifacts of myth and legend. This is by far the weakest part of the book. As the author himself notes, " To draw inferences from ancient myths about past astronomical events is indeed a risky business...". I think the author should heed his own observation in this case! I am specially doubtful of his analysis of the astrology as a coded science of creation of the ancient people - on the same par with our modern sciences. I do not think he has succeeded in making a case for the validity of his interpretation - in this book as well as in his other books.
I think the author has succeeded in establishing a coherent explanation of Earth's past geophysical history. I find his arguments based on astronomical and geophysical data and observations persuasive. I think his hypothesis is definitely falsifiable and indeed there are many predictions that he has made that can be tested with the proper expenditure of funds for carrying out those observations and researches (more ice core samples, more satellite observations, larger astronomical observations in optical, radio and Gamma-ray regimes).
I think what detracts from this book and its remarkable scientific synthesis, ironically, are the parts that seems to be very dear to the author: sub-quantum kinetic physics, Astrology as Ancient Science of Creation, etc. The author's achievement in exploring what a synthetic point of view is capable of achieving is marred by his insistence on explaining the mechanisms of the galactic super-wave as well. (There already are matter-creation theories out there; see for example the works of Hoyle and Narlikar on the Quasi-Steady State Cosmology).
I think it will be a good idea for the author to drastically revise this book in future printings. I suggest a book that concentrates on the developing the synthetic point of view (true Natural Philosophy) solely on basis of the scientific data. The story that the author tells in the present book is one of scientific detective work. He could have reached a larger audience by having a two-track book; track one at the level of a science popularize and track 2 at the level of a review article for a journal such as Rev. Mod. Phys. Or Ann. Rev. Astro. The author claims that he was led to the idea of the super-wave through his understanding of the ancient cipher that is the zodiac. Kepler `s mystical leanings and his knowledge of the relationship among the Platonic solids led him to discover his laws. But once the Kepler's Laws were formulated the world moved on and we had Newton and others.
Overall, the book is worth reading for the synthesis that it effects. One has to discard the astrology, mythic part; those parts are not germane to the book.
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January 27, 2008 | |
Excellent research 
Author's research indicates the earth's poles will shift in Dec 2012 causing massive flooding and tsunamis of coastal areas as well as weather changes. This links with the last page of the Mayan Dresden Codex which predict a world flood in 2012.
The second prediction the author makes could happen at any time. For details on its effects, look at the wikipedia entry for gamma ray burst.
January 27, 2008 | |
Brilliant, in its own way 
Sometimes you make the wrong decisions for the right reasons. I flatter myself this purchase falls in that category.
Paul A. LaViolette, Ph.D, is without a doubt a very bright fellow. If "Earth Under Fire" is intended as a parody of junk science, it most certainly attains the author's lofty goal, in spades. Seldom have I had the pleasure of reading such fulsome, literate, and totally meaningless gibberish as is contained in this beautifully illustrated tome.
The sardonic premise is that a combination of Tarot cards and a tortured deconstruction of astrology provide the keys to all the secrets of advanced physics and theories of the universe.
As one might suspect, Dr. LaViolette gives his satiric theories a millenarian cast: we are doomed, doomed, I say, by a civilization-ending event of cosmic proportions to which I (Dr. LaViolette) alone have the key.
The event alluded to, long story short, is a kind of death ray emanating from the center of our galaxy that's going to make us all mighty sorry we were ever born.
I'm a fan of millenarian schemas, still unsure of which doomsday scenario I most prefer: earthquakes, super-volcanoes, catastrophic floods, strikes by huge meteors, global pandemics, fiery global warming, alien invasions, cockroach mutations, or instant glaciers that render North America an instant massive ice cube. The death ray idea is one I'm going to add to the list.
Should you buy this book? If you're a fan of this sort of thing and enjoy obsessing over the irreducibly inane, you will heart this book. Otherwise, go get a pizza.
Added 10/8/2007: For a more formal critique of Dr. LaViolette's work, see [...]
October 07, 2007 | |
He is of course not alone in postulating such a catastrophy some 15,000 years ago, but his explanation is quite unique. 
In recent years, catastrophism has become somewhat more respectable in scientific circles, but marginalization of scientists avowing this theory is still happening. Paul LaViolette, who holds degrees in physics and systems science, has his own story to tell about bias in supposedly objective science.
Admittedly, he started out with a distinct handicap by basing his astronomical investigations on a decryption of the zodiac, as transmitted through traditional lore. According to him, the ancients bequeathed to us knowledge of an astronomical disaster that occurred toward the end of the last ice age: a massive explosion at the core of our galaxy, which caused a superwave of subatomic particles and rays that upon entering our solar system pushed huge amounts of debris toward the Sun leading to a significant decrease of sunlight.
He is of course not alone in postulating such a catastrophy some 15,000 years ago, but his explanation of the event is quite unique. Using mythology, star lore, astronomy, astrophysics, geology, archaeology, La Violette has succeeded in painting a colorful and fascinating picture of what he believes happened just before the emergence of the early civilizations. Clearly, something extraordinary happened and, if LaViolette is correct, it could happen again. It makes sense to generously support further research.
This work is best read in conjunction with Richard Firestone et al.'s The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes, also published by Bear & Co.
Copyright ©2006 by Georg Feuerstein. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any form requires prior permission from Traditional Yoga Studies at www.traditionalyogastudies.com
October 14, 2006 | |
Monumental! Amazing!
One hardly knows where to begin to review a book of this kind. It's a tour de force that leaves one speechless. I had already read LaViolette's Genesis of the Cosmos -- which in my view was the biggest breakthrough in Egyptology since Champollion deciphered the Rosetta stone. In it LaViolette essentially decoded the ancient Egyptian religion. He showed that it was anything but a primitive pagan cult. It was rather a kind of time capsule: based on a physics so advanced that it was not until the 1970s that our modern science progressed enough to decipher it. The implication of course is that a remote culture with an advanced physics had to be a high civilization. OK. So what happened to it?
The author answers the question in Earth Under FIre. Understand, LaViolette didn't crank out this book in a year or even two. He's been working on this superwave theory for probably 30+ years. In a nutshell he's proposing that the galactic center periodically goes into a violent phase and releases vast amounts of cosmic radiation. Which spreads out across the galaxy triggering supernovae events and God only knows what all else. When the superwave reaches our solar system it encounters our sun's dust/gas nebular cloud which is far out beyond Pluto -- and it pushes lots of dust into our solar system. With results that are catastrophic for our planet.
The author does a fine job presenting his case. He has gathered reams of evidence -- and while I personally take issue with several points these are peripheral to his main argument. Indeed, I was tremendously impressed with the author's science acumen, his skill as a communicator, his eloquence in marshaling the evidence, and with the argument itself. I came away convinced. And it made me damn angry to learn that the bureaucrats have treated LaViolette so shabbily. He is doing important work and deserves to be fully funded.
One last point to show how all of this relates to your life: If you know your physics you will know that high energy photons, i.e. cosmic rays, behave like particles. They have mass and momentum. Which is another reason why these superwaves are so dangerous. There's a real possibility they are preceded by a horrific gravity wave. What's the relevance? It seems we had a minor event -- a gamma burst -- from the galactic center that arrived 44 hours after the Dec 2004 tsunami that leveled Sumatra and the Indian basin, killing 250,000+ people. Well, the quake that caused it may well have been triggered by the gravity wave that preceded the burst.
Enuf said. Brother, this is heavy medicine.
March 14, 2006 | |
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