Rating: 
Summary: Tedious and Over Rated
Review: I loved Simon Winchester's book, the Professor and the Madman, but Krakatoa was very slow and, I must say, poorly written. There is a section in here in which Winchester goes on for 100 pages describing tectonic plates, and much of what he does is just summarizing. His conclusion, that Krakatoa led to the rise of Islam in the region, is based on tons of supposition: was Islam not on the rise when Krakatoa was destroyed? It appears that Mr. Winchester is now cranking them out to take advantage of his rising stardom, something that happens with too many writers. I read a story in the L.A. Times that he was doing a book on the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and allocating three months to the effort. I find that a little absurd: I have read every major book written about the great earthquake, and there are two extraordinary books. One is Gladys Hanson's Denial of Disaster, and the other, which I just finished, is a new novel called 1906 by James Dallessando. Ms. Hanson's book reveals the huge coverup in the death toll from the quake. Mr. Dalessandro's 1906 novel paints an unbelievable portrait of the city and the events that followed, shows an incredible amount of research and still captures the human element. It's a fantastic novel. I'll be curious to see how Mr. Winchester's earthquake book stacks up: whether it will just more hype or a legitimate competitor to two marvelous books.
Rating: 
Summary: Krakatoa : The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883
Review: Winchester is a teacher to the world. Among his previous books are the best-selling The Professor and the Madman (1998) and The Map That Changed the World (2001), in which he taught us all about the Oxford English Dictionary and the world's first geological map, respectively. What's on his mind now? Sit back and learn, for this eloquent British writer submits a fascinating account of the cataclysmic explosion of the East Indian volcanic island of Krakatoa in 1883. The destruction was phenomenal, due primarily to the sea waves created by the explosion^-"the most violent explosion ever recorded and experienced by modern man" ^-which swept away nearly 200 villages on neighboring islands. Krakatoa evaporated, "blasted out of existence" ^-simply a space left in the sea. Of course, this wouldn't be a book by Winchester if he simply narrated the events of the eruption, exciting as the details are; no, he gives us a wealth of further information, setting the incident within the contexts of general volcanic behavior, plate tectonics, Dutch rule in the East Indies, and the region's flora and fauna. In the wake of Krakatoa came the recognition that natural events in one place can greatly affect those in far-distant places, hardly news to us but news nonetheless back then. All readers, science-prone or not, will be delighted by this experience-expanding book. Brad Hooper ~ Young adult recommendations in this issue have been contributed by the Booklist staff and by reviewers Nancy Bent, Carrie Bissey, John Charles, Tina Coleman, Patty Engelmann, Gordon Flagg, Carol Haggas, Beth Leistensnider, Shelley Mosley, Regina Schroeder, Candace Smith, Diana Tixier Herald, Mike Tribby, and Linda Waddle. Titles recommended for teens are marked with the following symbols: YA, for books of general YA interest; YA/C, for books with particular curriculum value; YA/L, for books with a limited teenage audience; YA/M, for books best suited to mature teens.
Rating:
Summary: Wading through material for the explosion
Review: If you heard Winchester's NPR interview in fall '03, you've heard te most exciting parts of the book. He was so good, I bought the book that night and spent days wading through the book to get to the explosion. Granted, I normally read nonfiction slower than fiction, but I couldn't work up enthusiam for tidbits who controlled the area when, when Batavia got gas lighting etc. As mentioned i nother reviews, he goes off on many tangents. More judicious editing would have helped. For all the details, the book is in many places remarkably flat and some details are missing. For example, there are wonderful maps but no real good straight-forward diagram of Krakatoa and the surrounding communities mentioned in later pages. There were plenty of details on tectonics and new developments but nothing on volcanic hot spots not located on plate edges. That said, the details of the actual eruptions and what people experienced is amazing. But for all of the minituae and tangents before the eruption was detailed, I was expecting an even more detailed description of the events of those days and felt somewhat cheated. Definitely pick up a copy if you like volcanos, plate tectonics, biology and colonial issues, just be forewarned. Somehow slightly less interesting than Professor and the Madman.
Rating: 
Summary: Rambling Detail of the Time, the Place, and the Event
Review: A great survey of nineteenth century life in colonial Indonesia, as well as the chronology of the scientific discovery that made the 1883 eruption so important to history. Yes, others have pointed out that the author doesn't hesitate to go off on tangents to discuss all mannar of peripheral facts and opinions, but I suppose that's his style. The author describes the eruption's massive human impacts on the one hand while also pointing out the geological insignificance of the whole thing. While it might be a stretch to suggest that the rise of Islam in the region was facilitated by the eruption, the author provides some great perspective on what was certainly the first recorded example of a truly global event.
Rating:
Summary: The Earth Taketh Away
Review: For exciting reading, the aspiring bibliophile has many options. Certainly the choice of author, like Simon Winchester, plays a large role. Even the most dramatic of events might be drained of their soul by bland narrative (as all too many readers of middle school American history textbooks know). But if a good writer, like Winchester, chooses to tackle the topic of the day a piece of the Earth exploded then one would have the makings of a smash hit. Such is found in Krakatoa, The Day the World Exploded. Perhaps I'm being a tad melodramatic. In fact, a good portion of Krakatoa is related only peripherally to the subject because Winchester has given us a truly expanded picture. Although brief at first, we get a bare bones background into Dutch imperialism in south east Asia, leading us up to an image of life in the area in the late nineteenth Century. Along the way, we get entirely enjoyable and informative background into geology, botany, and subfields of plate tectonics, meteorology, and of course vulcanology. Some history of these fields is provided, and is all tied together at a previously unremarkable island chain in 1883. I picked up this wonderful book mostly on a lark. But if you need any reasons to consider this most dramatic of events in humankind's interaction with natural history, consider: the explosion of Krakatoa was among the most powerful explosion witness by humans, including that produced by nuclear weapons testing. Thirty six thousand people died. The tidal wave produced was one hundred thirty feet tall. The most distant death directly caused by the explosion was three thousand miles away. The shock wave in the air circled the globe seven times. The island of Krakatoa was pretty much wiped out of existence. I have a fondness for the apocalyptic in storytelling, so this was a wonderfully exciting tale. Winchester has kept the pace steady and strong, guiding us effortlessly a hundred stories and anecdotes, and through the awesome powers of nature. Prepare to be moved.
Rating: 
Summary: Paid by the word?
Review: I'm trying to decide if Simon Winchester gets paid by the word, or by the number of tangents he keeps straying off to. When he actually writes about the volcanic eruption and the aftermath, this is a fascinating story, unfortunately you have to wade through chapter upon chapter to get there. Do we really need to know the history of the ship that laid the telegraph cable that carried the news of the eruption? I think not. This is a great book to get on CD, so you can skip through the historical trivia to get to the main event.
Rating:
Summary: Too much background.
Review: Book does not get interesting until after 150 pages of background.
Rating:
Summary: CD version is 1st rate
Review: I checked the CD Version out from the library and it is excellent. The detail that would be off-putting in a book is fascinating if someone else is doing the reading. The history, geology, plate-techtronics trivia 'Start of Stock system' is super. Anyone with interests in any of these should run to get the CD version of this.
Rating:
Summary: Wrong topic for this eccentric writer
Review: Simon Winchester is truly a first-rate writer with a distinctive style. He comes across as kind of a Victorian professor, a tone which is perfect for some of his other works such as "The Professor and the Madman" and his history of the Oxford English Dictionary. However, I don't think his style works for the subject matter at hand here. I doubt there is another recent work of natural history which contains more instances of the words "splendid" and "delightful." Winchester never met a tangent that he didn't find fascinating, and again, while that approach works with other subject matter, it is distracting here.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read - but tries to hit too many points.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed The Professor and the Madman and expected more of the same from Krakatoa. It is good and worth reading, but falls short of his previous best-seller. The maps are atrocious. His explanation of plate tectonics theory is cumbersome (and it does not stress that it is still only a theory, as all our musings about science are). The narratives of the explosion are, however, wonderful and should not be missed. If this book were only two-thirds the size, it would have rated an 'excellent'.
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