Ragnarok : the Age of Fire and Gravel

Ragnarok: The Age of Fire and Gravel by Ignatius Donnelly launches a provocative Victorian-era inquiry into worldwide catastrophe, blending geology, myth, and art into a single, sweeping argument. Donnelly — best known for Atlantis — examines the mysterious "drift" deposits found across continents, challenges prevailing ice and wave theories, and proposes a comet-driven cataclysm that reshaped the earth and seared human memory into legend. Part scientific treatise, part comparative mythology, the audiobook navigates chapters on the characteristics and origin of the drift, the limits of glacial explanations, and the possible consequences of a cometary encounter. Donnelly draws on contemporary naturalists, ancient myths, and artistic motifs to argue that geological upheaval and cultural memory are entwined, offering a 19th-century perspective that anticipates later catastrophist thought. The tone is speculative and polemical, reflecting its historical context and the era’s appetite for grand syntheses of myth and science. Ideal for listeners fascinated by myths and legends, history of science, and art history, this audiobook will appeal to those curious about how Victorian thinkers interpreted ancient stories and geological puzzles — and to anyone who enjoys provocative, vintage nonfiction that cross-pollinates geology, folklore, and visual culture.