Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27,
1883 by Simon Winchester
 



the world at the time of the volcano

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I
have enjoyed a couple of Simon Winchester's books, the Surgeon of Crowthorne and
Atlantic. Published a decade ago, I was hoping in Krakatoa for the gentle,
informative and compassionate voice of the Surgeon and the worldly, eclectic yet
incisive prose of Atlantic. Krakatoa delivers this and more. Winchester's very
thorough research on the state of the world, especially the Sunda Strait, in
1883, and the history of exploration and empire leading up to that year is
thorough and his analysis balanced. The parallel geological history of tectonic
and subduction processes and of their impact in the archipelago around Java,
Sumatra and the rest of the world is conveyed with geological expertise and
interesting detail. Interweaving stories such as those of the Wallace Line, the
political impact of the volcano and the biological succession on the most
impacted and new islands are introduced seamlessly. Anecdotes about Lord Grey
marmalade and religious turbulence serve to make the story of the greatest
volcano in recorded history both complete and memorable, and as engaging as a
period novel.