"
Shiva Descending" is a
science fiction novel by
Gregory Benford, written in collaboration with
William Rotsler. The
novel is basically a
disaster story: a huge, mountain-sized
asteroid, named
Shiva by the Indian
astronomer who discovers it in the opening chapter, is on a
collision course with Earth. Due to the size of the
asteroid,
collision will cause earthquakes and tidal waves on a scale which could
eradicate mankind.
Shiva is part of a swarm of smaller asteroids which begin hitting Earth about 1 year before the final
collision, causing massive
destruction and
death.
The
novel is written from a large number of points of view:
astronomers, shuttle
astronauts,
politicians, "
The End is Nigh"-
prophets, even the
President of the United States of America. The
novel mainly describes how
Earth is preparing for the impact of
Shiva. It alternates between descriptions of the
chaostaking over Earth (
cults,
riots,
mass orgies) and the plans to attempt to destroy or divert
Shiva.
"
Shiva Descending" was written in
1980. It is interesting to see the constant references to the
Cold War. The
USSR was still very much the USA's large, shadowy opponent. The 2
nuclear powers are forced to cooperate because of the
impending doom, but the relation is strained.
Despite this obviously dated aspect, the novel is well written.
Gregory Benford writes
hard science fiction, but is able to create believable characters and write an engaging story around the science. If you enjoyed movies such as "
Deep Impact" and "
Armageddon", you should definitely read this for, well, a more intelligent look at the same subject matter.