Island on Fire

Reviews

“[A] tour de force: terrific storytelling that reveals our vulnerability to nature’s most destructive forces.”

“Interweaving information compiled by naturalists and astronomers of the day (and even Benjamin Franklin, who was in Paris during the eruption) with interviews with modern-day scientists and historians, the authors provide a captivating overview of the eruption.”

“A compelling and engrossing story of Laki and its worldwide impact…[with] facts and examples that make their specific story one with implications for modern readers.”

“The official death tally in Iceland from Laki was around 9,000, but some experts suggest the global toll was much higher…Because a Laki-scale eruption happens on average every 200 to 500 years in Iceland, a similar event is not unlikely.”

“A brilliant book. While Iceland’s volcanology became front-page news in 2010 when Eyjafjallajökull grounded flights across Europe for almost a week, Kanipe and Witze situate that recent eruption in the country’s tragic volcanic history and volatile geology.”

“This book, written for a nontechnical audience, does a very good job of describing the Laki eruption and its aftermath, relying heavily on historic firsthand observations. The endnotes will guide interested readers to the more technical literature on the subject.”

“Were it just a story of one volcano, that would be engrossing enough: by including assessments and natural histories of others, this wide-ranging book holds the potential to appeal to a wide audience.”

“Witze and Kanipe look at the magnitude of that eruption and its tremendous consequences, examining journals kept by locals and piecing together substantial time lines to detail events…Chapters on geology and the short- and long-term effects of volcanic eruptions add depth to Witze and Kanipe’s discussion, rounding out a work that serves as a valuable reminder of just how much we remain at Mother Nature’s mercy.”

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