The Fire Came By: The Riddle Of The Great Siberian Explosion

by John and Atkins Baxter

One of the great accidents of nature occurred in Siberia in 1908 when a fireball appeared over the horizon and slammed into a remote forest area of Siberia, creating shock waves which were felt half a world away. THE FIRE CAME BY goes into great depth and explores not only what Russian scientists have to say about the affair today, but also enlightened opinions from scientists worldwide, as well as on-the-scene reports and interviews. The book makes the fantastic comprehensible and gives the event a threatening immediacy.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Astronomy, 20th Century, Paranormal, Mystery

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

    "At 7:17 A.M. on the morning of June 30, 1908, a cylindrical object blazed across the cloudless skies of central Siberia, and the desolate Central Plateau shuddered under the impact of a cataclysmic explosion. The initial thermal blast was followed by primary and secondary shock waves, a hideous firestorm, and a black rain that contaminated hundreds of square miles. The seismic shock was registered in Moscow, Paris, London, even around the world in Washington, D.C." This quote was taken from the book jacket and it inspired me to read more. I learned that later expeditions never found a meteor crater, but what they did find were trees standing upright without any branches that had been directly under the aerial blast and other trees laying flat that had been leveled facing away from the center of the blast. Scientists have yet to explain what had happened.
    Scientists of the day were recording events never seen before with their primitive instruments, though they had no idea what they were recording. Decades later American and Soviet scientists would estimate the energy output of the event to be the equivalent of the heaviest hydrogen bomb, and that its air waves traveled twice around the earth. 
    Due to World War I, revolution in Russia, and the remoteness of the impact site, it was not investigated as a possible meteor impact site until 1927. Because of the evidence presented by Leonid Kulik, an expert in his field, it soon became apparent that this was not the cause of the explosion.
    Just what was it that exploded over Siberia? Reasons are given why it was not a meteor or comet, such as eyewitness reports of the slow speed of the object across the sky. According to other witness reports and ballistic wave evidence, the object changed direction before exploding. And why were people and animals dying from what some theorize as radiation poisoning?  In fact, the first person to present a theory that the explosion was caused by an alien spacecraft exploding was a leading Soviet scientist!
    Since then all sorts of theories have been presented as to just what caused the explosion. Most of them center around an exploding meteor or some kind of Black Hole. Regardless of who is right the book makes for some interesting reading. 
Please note: My copy is from 1976 and lists John Baxter & Thomas Atkins as the authors, with an introduction by Isaac Asimov. ISBN: 0-385-11396-x

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to see this book updated, what with the new scientific techniques that have been developed since it was written.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book almost got four stars, until the last 30 pages. I liked the book, and it seemed credible and gave a ton of information regarding the explosion...but then at the end,the only conclusion they could come up with was an alien spacecraft? Really? I would love to see an updated version of the book with updates as to what they've found since the late 70's and what new theories are in the works.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

In June of 1908, there was a massive explosion in Russia. It was devastating enough to leave the kinds of eerie atomic residue we associate with nightmarish scenarios like the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Astronomy wasn't as advanced in 1908 as it is now, but still there should have been a lot of meteorological data and perhaps even some photographs to capture at least some of the impact.

Except this event just had to happen in the remotest portion of the Siberian countryside, in a country about to be rocked by political turmoil that would last for nigh a century.

"The Fire Came By" offers speculations, both reasonable and rank, as to what may have caused the explosion. Theories range from an asteroid making landfall to a Martian spaceship on an interplanetary hunt for water whose fusion cell batteries just happened to malfunction as it approached the ice it had intended to harvest. Your own feelings about what may or may not have happened probably depend on whether you find yourself more in alignment with Asimov or Däniken.

The book itself is a little underwhelming, written in turgid prose that does not do the subject or the cast of characters involved justice. Primary sources are included in the appendix. With photos and illustrations.

[Norm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating inquiry into the 1908 Tunguska "event", informative, readable and entertaining. The Tungus region, even today, is remote, harsh and difficult to reach. The authors devote a chapter each to different aspects of the event, providing historical, cultural and geological background, offering eye-witness accounts, presenting the evidence and evaluating the theories propounded over the ensuing decades, sometimes taking fascinating detours into other areas. The chapter entitled "The Fire Came By" is probably the best example of this.

We also meet some of the scientists and writers who played an important part in gathering evidence and advancing theories. I especially enjoyed reading about Leonid Kulik (the leader of the first expeditions to the region, starting some 20 years after the event) and Soviet Science Fiction writer Alexander Kazantsev, who presented his theories in fictional form. Brief but beautifully chosen excerpts from books by other authors, including Carl Sagan and Loren Eiseley, enliven the discussions and help fire the imagination, although the authors are more than capable in this department.

Perhaps the most intriguing quality of the book is that none of the "standard" theories fits all the evidence or eye-witness testimony, which must have been maddeningly frustrating to the various parties involved. Whether you agree with the authors' conclusions or not, this is a fine example of popular science writing... one that I finished much too quickly.

The book also has an Introduction by Isaac Asimov, as well as 2 Appendices by Russian scientists (one by Leonid Kulik himself), so you can't go wrong there. Finally, a Bibliography of both English and Russian publications is provided.

I can't end this review without mentioning the center section of photos and illustrations as well as the maps accompanying some of the chapters. They are carefully chosen and beautifully enhance the text. The captions are an education in themselves, so I recommend reading them as you make your way through the book.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction by Isaac Asimov

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 1908 Tunguska event... Fireball OVER Siberia... OMG!!!

[Miroslav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well part when the explain how mammoths meat is good for feeding dogs, is plain amazing.