The 1783 eruption of Laki led to Europe's year without summer - and it is due again soon.
Laki is Iceland's largest volcano. Its eruption in 1783 is one of history's great, untold natural disasters. Spewing out sun-blocking ash and then a poisonous fog for eight long months, the effects of the eruption lingered across the world for years. It caused the deaths of people as far away as the Nile and created catastrophic conditions throughout Europe.
Island on Fire is the story not only of a single eruption but the people whose lives it changed, the dawn of modern volcanology, as well as the history and potential of other super-volcanoes like Laki around the world. And perhaps most pertinently, in the wake of the eruption of another Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, which closed European air space in 2010, acclaimed science writers Witze and Kanipe look at what might transpire should Laki erupt again in our lifetime.
About the Author
Alexandra Witze is a contributing editor to Science News and past US bureau chief for Nature.
Jeff Kanipe is the author of Chasing Hubble's Shadow and Cosmic Connection.
Industry Reviews
A volcanic tour de force: terrific story-telling that reveals our vulnerability to nature's most destructive forces. -- Nick Crane
Deftly interweaving information compiled by naturalists and astronomers of the day ... with interviews with modern-day scientists and historians, the authors provide a captivating overview of an eruption. * Science News *
A compelling and engrossing story of Laki and its worldwide impact. As the best book authors do, they have also ferreted out facts and examples that make their specific story one with implications for modern readers. * The Seattle Times *
A terrific, disturbing book. In their fast-paced, enjoyable text the authors show how vulnerable we remain to the most unpredictable of natural disasters. -- Gillian Darley, author of Vesuvius
Much of the research is amazing and is deftly woven into a strong narrative. The result is a book that is steeped in science, but also history and the stories of people affected by a little-known landmark event. -- Tom Henry * SEJournal *
Island on Fire was the perfect book ... I've read a lot of novels which didn't hold my attention in quite the same way. * The Bookbag *
Human drama and tragedy mix with science here. The science may enlighten readers with no prior knowledge of volcanism, but the human story carries the book. * Dallas Morning News *
A compelling and readable account that is readily accessible and illuminating, and provides some fascinating examples of the intersections between volcanoes, humans and society....Succeeds as a 'popular science' text, covering complex aspects of science with a light touch, [yet] a useful source book for students of geography, Earth and environmental science. -- David Pyle, volcanologist, University of Oxford, on his Volcanic Degassing blog
This book...won us over....Witze and Kanipe skilfully interweave the science of the "bigger picture" (including modern-day climate change) with the human story of Jon Steingrimsson, a priest and early volcanologist who recorded the devastating effects that Laki's eruption had on his parish. -- Top 10 books of 2014 * Physics World *
