Rating: 
Summary: Man against Nature
Review: I couldn't put this book down for a minute! Living in the east coast I've always been interested in tracking hurricanes. Up in New England we have endured Hurricane Gloria and Bob in the past decade, but combined together they fail in comparison to the extrodinary 1900 Gavelston Hurricane.Larson did a great job describing every detail of the storm and the emotions of all who it effected. The book not only deals with the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history but also the builing and re-building of the Nation Weather Service. This is the ideal book for any history buff or storm chaser of any kind.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs a good editor
Review: There's an interesting story here, but the book could be considerably shortened without losing any of its effect. The pages are filled with drivel and excruciating detail about irrelevant subjects.
Rating: 
Summary: Isaac is a man poised on the eve of distruction
Review: Erik Larson chronicles one of our nations most costly ( in terms of lives) disasters of all time in his book Isaac's Storm. The Storm took place in Galveston Texas in 1900. This was a time when industry and technology was viewed as all powerful. The "modern man" in his arrogance believed that he had full control over nature. It was a time of jingoism and imperialism. Americans viewed much of the rest of the western hemisphere as primitive and aboriginal. This was a time of supreme optimism. Alarmist were looked on with askance. Hurricane warnings were delivered with utmost caution for fear of inciting the general public needlessly. Isaac Cline a US weather bureau chief in Galveston was a man of his time. Isaac believes in science and self-worth. He views himself as a renaissance man, who understands the forces of nature. To Isaac, weather is an interesting phenomenon to be studied dispassionately and scientifically. It will not touch him, outside of his research and vocation. Isaac is a man poised on the eve of destruction. Larson accurately sets the stage for the disaster. The story of the hurricane itself is riveting and poignant. I would strongly recommend this book for those interested in US history and in stories of human courage. It is also an excellent read for those who read mostly fiction.
Rating:
Summary: "Titanic" without the Hollywood treatment
Review: At first, this book seemed to be a dry chronicle of a meteorological occurance. The first half of the book details the history of the weather studies during the late 19th century, and the reader wonders whether the author will ever get to the exciting and juicy details of a disaster that claimed 10,000 lives. However, once the scientific writings lead to the Great Flood of 1900, and the characters Larson has introduced face this horrible storm, the reader is hypnotized and terrified by such realistic story telling. It helps to have a knowledge of the modern Galveston landscape, although the author does a fantastic job of placing you in the eye of the storm, so to speak. I felt keenly aware of how much we take for granted our current technology -- and it made me question how I would have reacted in such a situation. It's a great read for the more cerebral and less romantic reader.
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Summary: The Drowning of Galveston
Review: Isaac's Storm: This is an account of the deadliest hurricane in American history; one which destroyed Galveston, Texas in September, 1900. In that respect the book is also a somewhat more intellectual version of the disaster movies which have been popular in the past few years, featuring storms, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. The loss of life and property in Galveston was enormous, and it is all described graphically in blow-by-blow fashion (no pun intended). What redeems the book is that it also provides interesting information on the origin and nature of hurricanes, and also an intriguing look at the history and politics of weather forecasting. The "Isaac" of the title was Isaac Cline, the chief of the US Weather Bureau's Galveston-based regional station. The U.S weather bureau in Washington, and probably also Mr. Cline himself, completely failed to comprehend the weather information arriving from the Carribean, and consequently, the U.S weather men provided virtually no warning to Galveston. Partly, this was because weather observation and forecasting was still in its infancy. According to the author, however, it was also in great part because Isaac Cline's boss, the head of the US weather service in Washington at the time, was egotistical and arrogrant. This is a good read if you are interested in U.S History, the weather, or both.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating story of nature's fury and man's folly
Review: Erik Larson's book is a gripping description of the Galvaston hurricane of 1900. He does an excellent job of setting the stage, and then he puts the reader right in the middle of the storm, and finally, with chilling detail, he surveys the destruction mounted by the storm. Of particular interest was his explanation - in plain English - of how a storm works, and what makes the wind blow. The history of the national weather service interwoven in the text is a worthwhile addition. He also does a good job (without beating the point to death) of showing how nationalizm and the pride of the age contributed to the scope of the storm's damage. The only complaint that I have about this book is the lack of photographs. The scenes of destruction Larson describes are so unthinkable that I found myself accusing him of exaggeration. It wasn't until I found actual photographs of the damage on the Internet that I was able to believe what I had read.
Rating:
Summary: Isaac's Storm a near-perfect book -- 4 1/2 stars
Review: At the turn of the century, the most vicious hurricane in recorded history hit Galveston, Texas, with such fury that it knocked the city back to the 1800s. Erik Larson, using the diaries of survivors, builds a classic tale of tortured humanity. The narrative grows like the mounting winds of the hurricane, reaching a sudden crescendo that surprises the reader as much as the storm might have surprised its victims. I'd give this book five stars but for the lack of photographs. Larson describes existing photos in vivid detail, but for some reason hasn't included them in the book. After reading about the devastation and heartbreak, I wanted to see it for myself, however morbid that may be. It's hard to believe that one storm could do so much damage and kill so many. Isaac's Storm surpasses The Perfect Storm, its closest rival in storm-disaster books, in narrative, structure, language, detail, and pacing. Well done, Mr. Larson. Next up: In the Heart of the Sea.
Rating: 
Summary: Good reading for those fascinated by storms!
Review: This story is a painstakingly-researched chronicle of the hurricane which devastated the up-and-coming glorious city Galveston, Texas, in 1900. It is presented as the story of Isaac Cline, a meterologist who underestimates the power of one particular storm with tragic results. Beginning somewhat drily with the history of meteorology in the United States, the narrative proceeds to tell the stories of individual families and how they are affected as the storm unexpectedly arrives at their beach and ocean waters begin to swallow their beloved city. The pace of the account then picks up momentum and it's a race to see who will survive the momentous onslought of wind, rain, and sea water. Although the story of Isaac Cline evokes sympathy, as an individual he does not come across as a particularly appealing person. He works more or less as an adversary to his brother Joseph, also a meteorologist, both vying for top positions. The Weather Bureau of that time also seems less then helpful. Those in charge try to outmaneuver fellow meterologists in order for each man to claim his own fame. As the author indicates from his story, many forces were at work preventing the population of Galveston from knowing the true extent of the danger that was soon to engulf them. It reminds us that, in our own time, we are fortunate to be able to understand more about the forces of weather and sometimes have a better chance to avoid a tragic outcome of a huricane.
Rating:
Summary: Drama of Story Overcomes Occasional Purple Prose
Review: Okay, I'll admit it--when I came across the phrase "dew-sequined peace" in the first paragraph I almost stopped reading the book right then. But I told myself to be patient--that this was was about the worst natural disaster in U.S. history--and kept going. It took a while before the narration took hold. The first quarter is quite patchy as the author fills in the background and describes the storm's genesis in Africa, but I found myself reading faster as the storm neared the unsuspecting town, and I raced through the final chapters. Wisely the author lets the survivors of the storm do most of the talking; the heart of the book is mostly composed from the memoirs of survivors of the hurricane. Occasionally this is frustrating; there are gaps in the memoirs (whatever happened to the girl that Joseph saved over his nieces's objections?), and sometimes Larson drops the thread of one person's account to take up another for too long a time. Intertwined with the larger tragedy of a destroyed town is the smaller one of a shattered relationship as Larson devotes much attention to the Cline brothers's conflicting accounts of the hurricane, and their eventual estrangement. Throughout the book the writing is only adequate, and there are purplish patches everywhere, but the power of the story makes you forget all that. The terrible story of the fated children of St. Mary's--and the image of the clothesline that linked them together-lingers in the mind much longer than any clumsiness of style. (Anyone further interested in the story of Galveston would do well to check out NPR's "Lost and Found Sounds" which has the survivors of the great hurricane reading their stories out loud.)
Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting Reading
Review: I am a *weather follower*. I'm one of those people who actually enjoy watching The Weather Channel. So, when I saw this book in a catalog of a book club that I joined, I ordered it. This book is full of the history of the Weather Bureau as well as some American history, particularly regarding Columbus' voyages through the Carribean. I found that part to be dry reading, but it is essential as the foundation to the story. Once I began reading about the storm ravaging the city of Galveston, It was hard to put the book down. Reading this book made me appreciate the modern technology the Weather Bureau has for predicting storms. One of the best books I've ever read!
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