Rating: 
Summary: A volcano is explosive but Winchester's prose is NOT
Review: I really enjoy history-of-science non-fiction so I had high hopes for "Krakatoa." But Simon Winchester's tendency to go on (and on and on) without coming to the point made a story that should have been thrilling much less so. The story of the explosion itself takes up maybe 40 pages in the middle of the book. First we have to hear about the history of European exploration to Java. Then we do a little geology. No wait, then some more history. THEN the explosion. Then some outrageous claims about the impact of the explosion on modern culture. (Winchester earnestly believes that Krakatoa prefigures Marshall McLuhan. I'm not joking.) Then some more geology, this time featuring Winchester's own visit to the remains of the island. Winchester never met a detail he didn't like, even if it isn't relevant to his narrative. So, we hear not only about the Dutch East India Company, but also its contemporary the Hudson Bay company, which we learn 1) explored North America, 2) was indirectly the founder of a major department store chain in Canada, and 3) rather a lot about the eccentricities of the current owner of that chain. Footnotes abound, but not the kind that document the source of any of Winchester's claims, the kind where the information provided has nothing to do with the main story. However, you will find this book reasonably worthwhile if you can train yourself to think of Winchester as the barmy old uncle by the fire, spinning a yarn or two or ten. You put up with him because his details are entertaining. If you don't have all night to listen to Uncle Simon though, you'd better go elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Just Your Average Volcano Story
Review: This is an enthralling account not just of an infamous natural disaster, but of the fabric of human culture and technology at the time. Winchester takes great effort to historically prepare the reader for the actual event, which allows a genuine insight into how distant events can affect the entire planet. In particular he focuses on the development of telegraphy, and of the international web telegraphy had formed by 1883, which allowed, for the first time, the quick dissemination of information about such a hugely catastrohic event. The roots of the Reuters news agency are notably fascinating.
My only complaints, both minor, are that the book went a bit long, and that Winchester loves to use obscure words. For someone like me, who loves words and their origins, this is actually a bonus. But for those who don't like to read with a dictionary at hand this is a legitimate drawback.
Rating: 
Summary: Winchester: As a writer, this bloke's a fine geologist
Review: Repetitious and full of digression, this book concentrates on substituting personal stories and the author's deep knowledge of geology for a general history. Some of it is interesting, but it takes 150 pages to actually get to the eruption and the times directly leading up to it. Too much unnecessary background, and too much about Simon's personal life. Discerning readers would be better off reading something else besides this. The guy can't decide whether he's writing for fellow geologists (a party crowd, no doubt), a personal travelog (at these points, his vivid description and interesting anecdotes are as scintillating as Aunt Patsie's Branson Missouri slides)or a serviceable history suitable to the casual reader. He does all of these (even fairly well at times), but the whole is incoherent and a mind-numbing slog. I can't wait to avoid any further literary work on his part.
Rating:
Summary: A Really Big Eruption
Review: Simon Winchester is probably best known for the two books he has written on the OED, The Professor and the Madman and The Meaning of Everything; however, he has also delved into the territory of the physical sciences on a couple of occasions. I very much enjoyed his book on the birth of modern geology, The Map that Changed the World. Equally excellent is this book on the eruption of Krakatoa. Subtitled "The Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1888," this book tells the story of one of the most violent volcanic eruptions in recorded history. This devastating eruption killed nearly 40,000 people and its effects were recorded worldwide. Not only were its seismic effects felt around the world but also its effects on air pressure were recorded by barometers everywhere in the immediate aftermath of the explosion with tidal effects measured nearly half-way around the world. In the long term, dust thrown up into the atmosphere altered climate and caused the dramatic atmospheric effects (particularly noticeable around sunset) noticed by artists and scientists for years afterward. The excellence of this book does not lie entirely in its description of the eruption and its aftermath, however. In fact, the eruption doesn't occur until 209 pages in. Winchester's excellence comes in his ability to provide interesting context for the tale he is telling. Along the way to the eruption we learn of the colonial pursuits of Western powers in Indonesia, the beginnings of the "global village" in the expansion of telegraph usage, the development of the theory of plate tectonics to explain volcanism and much, much more. Less compelling, though interesting, is his use of the eruption of Krakatoa as a leaping off point for a discussion of the rise of radical Islam in Indonesia late in the book. He does make some valid points but they felt a little out of place here. Or maybe I'm just tired of the recent trend towards everyone trying to make sense of senseless fundamentalism. His science and history, on the other hand, are first rate. And his closing chapter on the new volcanic island rising over the ashes of Krakatoa is fascinating. This is an excellent read.
Rating: 
Summary: The Krakatoa Effect
Review: As the author so often reminds us, the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa has entered the "world's collective consciousness" in a way no other eruption has been able to match. Mr. Winchester offers the story in an amalgamation of the history of the Dutch empire, plate tectonics, evolution, Islamic religious fundamentalism, the newly developed technologies of the telegraph and undersea cables, eyewitness reports and official government records. The success of the book is his ability to tie all of these various factions into a coherent and seemingly related whole. Occasionally, the course of the book seems to drift. Mr. Winchester acts as if he wants to replace the butterfly effect with the Krakatoa effect. From the relative amounts of energy, the volcano certainly has a more immediately observable impact. While "Krakatoa" is persuasive in its arguments, and admittedly does not emphatically assert its conclusions, some of them seem a bit of a stretch (e.g. rebellion against Dutch colonialism as a result of the eruption?). All in all, an informative book about more than just an infamous volcano. It is a great read especially when dealing with the human response to the eruption and its aftermath.
Rating:
Summary: dense, doesn't live up to the hype
Review: This seemed to have too much in it to keep my interest. I got bored in the nitty-gritty of his many side-trips. The history of Indonesia was good, as were some of the more dramatic descriptions of the erruption. Volcano Cowboys did a more interesting job with the effects of volcanos, and this seemed too much like a leisurely stroll around some historical/ scientific topics that all somehow related to, or were touched by, Krakatoa. I found it didn't live up to the hype. Winchester's Professor and the Madman, on the other hand, was briefer and better focused.
Rating:
Summary: Often Fascinating, Sometimes Sluggish
Review: Readers who pick up KRAKATOA will find a great, exciting, well-researched story of the volcano that literally ripped apart a body of land, killed thousands, and possibly created fanatical religious and political turmoil. Sound farfetched? It's not. Winchester asks some fascinating questions and also speculates on some extraordinary theories. For instance, did all of Earth's continents originally come from one land mass? Can any area of land that undergoes such a catastrophe as Krakatoa did experience regeneration in just a few months? And can the political turmoil of that part of the world during that time REALLY be "blamed" on the eruption of the volcano? Winchester is a rarity: A scientist who is also a pretty good storyteller. I always appreciate a scientist who can explain any science (geology, in this case) so that the general reader can understand what's going on. Readers who exercise a little patience will find that the science behind Krakatoa's eruption is indeed approachable and interesting. Several critics have accused Winchester of not writing strictly about the volcano and it's eruption. Many believe that much of the book has nothing to do with Krakatoa itself. I disagree. Everything in the book is about Krakatoa. Winchester is obligated to discuss both what brought about the eruption and the consequences of it. Readers who don't want to read about those aspects of the event are like kids who want to hear about July 4, 1776, but don't care anything about the events leading up to the date or its ramifications. I will agree that Winchester does sometimes get a little long-winded and sluggish in relating the details of the story. But, I chalk that up to a writer who is truly enthusiastic about his subject. Why can't all writers act like that?
Rating:
Summary: Gudrun
Review: I am not an avid reader of geology or volcanic activity, but after reading an inteview with Winchester I decided to give his book a try. I was very plesantly surprised. This book is about a whole lot more than disaster and covers the history of Krakatoa in a detailed but enjoyable way. I must reccomend this book because it is both educading and intersting.
Rating:
Summary: "The dog ate my endnotes!"
Review: I agree wholeheartedly with other reviewers who have criticized the quality of the maps in this book. Not only are important geographical details poorly labeled, the maps are not clearly related to the body of the text. I also agree with those reviewers who felt that Winchester wandered too far off-point in the book. At the same time, I found a fair amount of that wandering to be interesting enough to continue reading. However. I find three major things about this book to be deeply annoying and somewhat troubling. The first, is that Winchester overstates the importance of detail after detail. The second, is that he repeats these details in a way that is not helpful; just redundant. In many ways, it reads like a Discovery Channel 'disaster porn' script. Perhaps Winchester is hoping for - or has - a lucrative deal for a 'Krakatoa' program based on his book? If so, I would suggest that they get Paul Winfield, from 'City Confidential', to do the narration - if they can get him to use his 'juicily ominous' voice. Thing three is far more serious. Winchester gives no real references to the sources which he consulted in producing the book. The 'recommended reading' list is nice, but I want to know *exactly* who, and what, Winchester is quoting and/or paraphrasing. Just because the book is intended for a popular audience does not mean that it's acceptable not to credit the work of others. Who took the photos? Who drew the maps? And, more importantly, where did Winchester view them? Did he visit an archive? If so, which? Did he obtain written permission to reproduce these images in his book? Winchester also cites a zillion facts, with barely a word about their origin, and when an origin is noted, it is as a passing comment, with no usable citation anywhere to be found. Without such information, the book amounts to hearsay. Like a responsible scientist, a responsible author makes his or her sources available to the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed topics of interest
Review: This book is a mixed bag. It combines the authors vast knowledge of many subjects with the inability to get to the point. The book was intended to be about the great volcanic eruption of Krakatoa, which destroyed the island and caused havoc. A fascinating story indeed. But this book rambles from subject to subject. From the history of spices to navigation to geology and finally, two thirds of the way through the book the actual event is described, but by this time many readers will be bored to death. This is a wonderful book and the prose is beyond comparison, but it does include a variety of subject, someone with an eclectic mind will enjoy this fine account but if you are only interested in the event this may not be the best book.
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