Alexandra Witze

Plenty pop science writing about volcanoes falls into the trap of "here is the worst case scenario to worry about", and this is no exception, although to a much lesser extent. Additionally, many things written about Lakagígar tends to focus heavily on the effects on mainland Europe and speculative global effects, while barely mentioning the local devastation, and I'm glad that this books avoided that, as it included information I previously only found in Icelandic or on obscure show more volcanologist blogs. I had a good time, although I wish the authors would have skipped the almost obligatory "how can we apply this knowledge to the present" section. show less

Beautifully written book describing the story of the Icelandic volcano, Laki, during the 18th century. Also includes a discussion of the global and not so global effects of various other well-known volcanoes/supervolcanoes. No repetitions or waffling, straight forward, to the point, with illustrations/maps/photos.

A quick and interesting history of Icelandic volcanoes as well as a discussion of global volcanic activity and what it could mean for international populations. I found the end, which discussed the impact of global warning on volcanic activity, particularly informative.

The chapters of this book that are about the eruption of Laki, the effects on Iceland and continental Europe, and so forth--basically, the chapters that reflect the subtitle of the book--were good.

But too many chapters were volcanic history. Past eruptions and their effects on the planet and people. Possible past eruptions and possible future eruptions and possible effects.

Too much high school science class volcano info. Too much conjecture. But the core of the book is interesting.