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Hey!
The paperback edition of Death from the Skies! comes out today!
You can probably find it at your friendly neighborhood book store (though, not so surprisingly, not in airports) as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other fine online retailers.
Read the book about which Neil Tyson said, "[It] scares the reader witless with one cosmic doomsday scenario after the next, right on through the death of the Universe itself. But it’s not all bad. You’re smiling throughout as he displays his special blend of expertise and wit."
My Close Personal Friend Adam Savage™ liked it too: "Phil Plait has done it again. He brings his unique and funny voice of reason and sanity to bear on making sense of a deadly universe."
Noted author Phil Plait said, "This is the greatest book in the history of humanity, and may very well save your life." (It’s true; I was there when he said it).
So why are you still reading this blog entry when you can be buying a copy to read, and one each for all your friends, family, neighbors, and random people you meet on the street? Huh? HUH?
August 25th, 2009 at 9:24 am
You wrote a book?
August 25th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Will this book protect me from GMB’s? Or will the hardcover version block more of the blast?
August 25th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Does it include the Rapture?
August 25th, 2009 at 9:44 am
@ Todd W.,
Hmm… I’m gonna reprogram that bot.
August 25th, 2009 at 9:48 am
“(though, not so surprisingly, not in airports)”
…makes no rational sense.
August 25th, 2009 at 9:53 am
@ TDL: Makes sense to me. I doubt many nervous fliers would like to see a books called “DEATH FROM THE SKIES!!” as they wait for their flights…
August 25th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Of course, they could keep a rack of books right next to the flight insurance vendor…
August 25th, 2009 at 10:10 am
So what does Alan Stern say about it?
@5. Romeo Vitelli Says:
Of course, they could keep a rack of books right next to the flight insurance vendor…
If an asteroid or comet struck us in a KT extinction level event or a nearby Gamma ray burst (say Eta Carinae or WR-20) went off … Then I somehow rather doubt we’d find insurance having any point.
Some things you just cannot insure against.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Quote: Plutonium being from Pluto – “Some things you just cannot insure against.”
Indeed. And if a gamma ray burst did wipe out life on Earth, who would write the reimbursement checks?
August 25th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Plutonium – I will happily write a policy against any exinction event for anyone willing to pay me a premium
August 25th, 2009 at 10:29 am
@ 6. Brian Schlosser Says:
@ TDL: Makes sense to me. I doubt many nervous fliers would like to see a books called “DEATH FROM THE SKIES!!” as they wait for their flights…
The ideal halloween day trick – fill the airport stands & in-flight seat pouch thingammies with copies of ‘Death from the skies and that Andes plane crash cannibalism true-story novel … & screen as in-flight movies nothing but ‘Snakes on a plane’ ‘AirForce One, that hijacked flight that didn’t hit a building on 911 movie, etc ..
—–
Ps. Er .. Hope no one reading this is about to board an aircraft for a while!
August 25th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Are you planning on offering signed copies at some point? If so, I’m going to wait a bit longer.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:38 am
@Carey,
Does that policy only pay out if a all life is wiped out by a stampede of wild elephants (and one baby zebra) running across the Earth between 3:55 and 4 PM on the Fourth of July, during a hailstorm? (Sorry, obscure Looney Tunes reference!)
August 25th, 2009 at 11:24 am
9. Brian T. Says:
August 25th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Indeed. And if a gamma ray burst did wipe out life on Earth, who would write the reimbursement checks?
_____________
You’re making a rather drastic assumption that the insurance industry is staffed by carbon-based life forms. I don’t believe this has been conclusively proven.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
OK, the paperback is out. That’s the second step in my course to buy a copy. Final step is to find a copy at a garage sale or used book sale. Shouldn’t be much longer now.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Borders has had it out for at least a week. Kinda surprised to see it there last week when I stopped by.
But I’ve already read and loved the hardcover I got on Amazon a while back, even if the paperback cover is genius!
August 25th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
“(though, not so surprisingly, not in airports)”
O’Hare – Bookstore in Terminal 2 (near the foodcourt).
In the Non-Fiction section (upper shelf) there sat a few copies of a certain book in hard cover.
Congrats on the paperback coming out. I would be much more excited for a new one though!
August 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Actually I saw it on the shelf in a Books-A-Million yesterday. Shame on them?
August 25th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Only if I can find someone to throw it at me.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Congratulations Phil!! I knew it was coming soon, so I’ve been holding off on the hardcover. I saw the post for it today, and one of my friends gave me a BN gift card for my birthday yesterday. My order is placed! I’m hoping it will keep my mind off our upcoming move… Can’t wait to see it in the mail.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Actually I think humans would have a quite reasonable shot at making it through a KT style impact event or a modest GRB. We have pretty much all the traits of a survivor/weed species, such as flexibility, wide distribution, multiple niches, adaptability, etc, with the only exception of short generation times.
As species, anyways, and by “making it through” I mean “a few wide eyed stragglers just managing to survive by the skin of their teeth”
But still, call me a hopeless optimist, but I think it really will take something really, really, really big and bad to actually make humans extinct.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I am going to get a paperback copy just for the cover (I already have a custom-autographed hardcover copy)
But just for giggles, they should have put your face on the fireball. Talk about Pareidolia!
August 25th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
call me a hopeless optimist, but I think it really will take something really, really, really big and bad to actually make humans extinct.
Say like humans ourselves?
Many think we’re causing a mass extinction event currently – one we might ultimately become victims of.
August 26th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Petrolonfire @ 11 said:
I thought New Zealand missed out on a huge opportunity to cause world-wide panic by not switching off all radio & tv transmissions at midnight on December 31st, 1999!
August 26th, 2009 at 4:19 am
I don’t know how many times I’ve read that title, on your blog or wherever, and never even thought about the possible implications of reading it on the plane. Tempting as have 28 hours of flying coming up in December…
I read Bad Astronomy during a loooong stopover at L.A. – Perhaps I’ll pack “Death…” for the next trip to the US.
http://rcd.typepad.com/rcd/2007/05/i_know_what_it_.html
August 26th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Yeah, but what did PeeZed say? I haven’t seen him mention this at all. How can I know you’ve written a book if the Squidmaster hasn’t read it?
August 26th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
@Robin Capper
Just don’t let TSA see you with it.
September 1st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
[...] of any paperback edition of DFTS was just released, in the US, a short time ago, August 25 (BA Blog), yes, so your local sources should be reflecting that fact, and appear to be. "Months" [...]
September 9th, 2009 at 12:38 am
Funnily enough I did actually see it at an airport – LAX just a couple of days ago…
October 6th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
[...] think someone’s been reading my book [...]