Starred review from July 10, 2023
“Volcanoes loom at a thrilling crossroads of nature, spirit, climate, geology, technology, society and culture,” according to this sizzling study. University of Cambridge geologist Oppenheimer (Eruptions That Shook the World) weaves together the history of volcanology with tales from his own work, discussing how 16th-century Spanish colonizer Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés summited the Masaya volcano in Nicaragua to investigate why the mountaintop appeared to glow, and how French volcanologist Haroun Tazieff undertook daring expeditions to film active volcanoes in the mid-20th century. Detailing volcanoes’ stunning power, Oppenheimer explains that pyroclastic flows are “searing hurricanes of gas, ash, pumice and blocks of lava” that can exceed 30 miles per hour, burning everything in their path. He also offers harrowing stories from his own fieldwork, including being captured by rebels wielding AK-47s in Ethiopia and getting caught in an Antarctic blizzard while climbing Mount Erebus. The fervent prose captures the force and excitement of Oppenheimer’s subject, and the enlightening science is bolstered by fascinating insights into volcanoes’ role in myth (the Mount Paektu volcano was believed by ancient Koreans to have been the birthplace of demigod King Tang’un, and the Incan capital, Cusco, asserted its authority over conquered territories by demanding sacrificial subjects to kill on the Láscar volcano, in modern-day Chile). This will blow readers away.
September 1, 2023
Oppenheimer, professor of volcanology at the University of Cambridge, blends science, history, and cultural traditions from communities around the world to deliver a riveting account of active volcanoes. Escorting readers on an educational, often frightening, but always adventurous global tour, Oppenheimer is an uber-experienced and well-informed guide. He covers details of the science of volcanism but also links local populations to these potent sources of power. Volcanoes, he notes, are at once life-sustaining and life-destroying, especially for those who live in their proximity. Beginning with Mount Stromboli, an active volcano off the coast of Sicily, Oppenheimer proceeds to Chile (L�scar), the Caribbean (Montserrat), Indonesia (Kinahrejo), North Korea (Mount Paektu), Iceland (many volcanoes), and Africa (Erta Ale and Tibesti Mountains). He closes with Antarctica's majestic Mount Erebus. Exploring volcanoes can be dangerous, and the countries and continents they occupy are, in some cases, politically and economically unstable. Readers will marvel at Oppenheimer's close calls, risky research, and elegant writing style that delightfully weaves his perilous excursions with exacting science and rich ethnography.
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Starred review from August 1, 2023
Readers are in for some "igneous encounters" of the fascinating kind as filmmaker and volcanologist Oppenheimer (volcanology, Cambridge Univ.; Eruptions That Shook the World) journeys to some unusual volcanic sites in North Korea, the Sahara, Iceland, and Antarctica. He structures the book around the arc of his scientific career, but cleverly interweaves stories of volcanology's pioneers--sometimes walking in their footsteps. The result is a book of engaging depth. Oppenheimer explains in layman's terms his own research concerning gas emissions, but he emphasizes the cultural and historical aspects of volcanoes too. He argues that volcanoes have inspired; they're more than disaster, doom, and destruction. The key to his science is fieldwork observation, and while the profession's unique hazards become frighteningly clear, so do the rewards as he peers over the craters' edges and records some extraordinary sights, sounds, and smells. Poignant personal details--the author making mental notes of Eritrean roadside geology even after enduring a tense hostage-taking, or calling out to those who had climbed Antarctica's Mt. Erebus before him--reveal his deep passion for the subject. VERDICT This book offers a plethora of captivating details. Perfect for volcano junkies, those interested in earth sciences and history, or readers seeking white-knuckle mountain adventure.--Robert Eagan
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