Young Writers Society

Hey guys, I need some help here for a novel I'm writing which is mainly fantasy but has a lot of sci fi elements to it.

Well basically the story will be set either now or some time in the not so distant future (anywhere between 100-500 years) when some kind of meteor shower will hit the earth (I'm thinking the rocks being about the size of an average house or smaller) which will rain down all over the planet (actually that might be a bit of a problem because it means the rocks will have to be coming from all directions instead of just one.. hmm. at least I think that would be the case). The meteor showers wouldn't be so bad as to drive the planet into extintion, but many people would be killed and all cities and towns would have problems with economy, starvation, sheltering etc. because a lot of buildings and such have been destroyed. But 17 or so years later, the world and the people are beginning to recover even though it is taking a lot of effort.. [This is all in the beginning of the story or possibly even just background info]

Well that's what I've got so far... however I am not very knowledgable when it comes to science lol so I don't know whether or not it is plausable. I mean it doesn't have to be 100% realistic, especially since it is mainly fantasy but I would like it to at least be verging on the truth. Therefore if you know anything about what would happen in the result of such a collision or how the earth would be after one or anything else related.. I'd appreciate if you could let me know or give me some starting points like websites and such..

Looking this up on google, I found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYgEwXWilUc
I know it's not what you meant but it's pretty cool anyway...

You have to remember -- outer-space rocks come to Earth more often than we realize. The only thing is, they most often burn up in the atmosphere. Only the really, really, really, really, really, really, really big ones actually make it to the surface. And those things aren't terribly common, especially coming to Earth. There's maybe one every several million years. In fact, there aren't many meteor craters here on Earth, since our atmosphere is so thick. The only crater I can think of off the top of my head is Meteor Crater in northern Arizona. So right there, you've got a bit of a massive plot hole, unless the meteors were knocked off course by some aliens or something.

And you're right, these hypothetical meteors would have to be coming from all different directions for it to be all over the Earth, at least simultaneously. If, somehow, there were enough of these seriously giant asteroids coming towards Earth, you'd have to have enough to last 24 hours, while the Earth spins. Especially given the size you described, that'd be tough. Especially since the size of a small house -- well, obviously, the house'll be obliterated, and the shock waves might destroy a lot of the stuff around it. But one meteor of that size would likely not destroy a large city.

So no, I don't think this is very plausible. It's a nice idea, but when you put science to it, it loses its ground.

-:pirate3: