Krakatoa

The Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1883

By: Simon Winchester

Narrated by: Simon Winchester

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The best-selling author of The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World examines the enduring and world-changing effects of the catastrophic eruption off the coast of Java of the earth's most dangerous volcano - Krakatoa.

The legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island of Krakatoa - the name has since become a byword for a cataclysmic disaster - was followed by an immense tsunami that killed nearly 40,000 people. Beyond the purely physical horrors of an event that has only very recently been properly understood, the eruption changed the world in more ways than could possibly be imagined. Dust swirled round die planet for years, causing temperatures to plummet and sunsets to turn vivid with lurid and unsettling displays of light. The effects of the immense waves were felt as far away as France. Barometers in Bogotá and Washington, DC, went haywire. Bodies were washed up in Zanzibar. The sound of the island's destruction was heard in Australia and India and on islands thousands of miles away. Most significant of all - in view of today's new political climate - the eruption helped to trigger in Java a wave of murderous anti-Western militancy among fundamentalist Muslims: one of the first outbreaks of Islamic-inspired killings anywhere.

Simon Winchester's long experience in the world wandering as well as his knowledge of history and geology give us an entirely new perspective on this fascinating and iconic event as he brings it telling back to life.

©2003 Simon Winchester (P)2003 HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Thrilling, comprehensive, literate, meticulously researched and scientifically accurate....It is one of the best books ever written about the history and significance of a natural disaster." (The New York Times Book Review)

"If you're looking for drama, you'll certainly find it here....Winchester manages a dry and ironic delivery, very much in keeping with his writing style. But the main point of interest when the dust has settled is the far-flung ramifications of this eruption upon world events. This is a winner." (AudioFile)

"All readers, science-prone or not, will be delighted by this experience-expanding book." (Booklist)

Disappointing

Would you try another book from Simon Winchester and/or Simon Winchester?

no

Any additional comments?

I was frustrated because I was unable to navigate through the book using my Kindle.

Solid historical account that focuses on science

My expectation for this book was that I would learn an awful lot about Krakatoa--the people, the places, the history of the place--and most importantly, chapters about the devastating eruption and subsequent aftermath. My expectations were thus because, frankly, I didn't know much about this event. Turns out, there is a lot of mystery. This event is more significant to science than to history or cultural history. In fact, very little of this book seems to focus on the actual place and people. It focuses more on science and politics and piecing together the mystery of what (and when) this events happened. It's interesting, for sure, but not the sort of story I was anticipating (or looking for).

A great review of a monumental geologic event!

Well researched & written to present the scope & scale of this rarely seen volcanic event…. a great primer to understand the occasional geologic events in the South Pacific.

Best book in my library, bar none

Would you consider the audio edition of Krakatoa to be better than the print version?

Yes, because it is narrated by the author himself and Simon Winchester is as good as they get.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The tsunami stories at the end of part 1 on the beginning of part 2.

What does Simon Winchester bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emphasis. Dry wit. But, most importantly, I don't have to read after spending all day at a computer screen.

Krakatoa is a fascinating and engaging listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Krakatoa is an interesting and engaging. Simon Winchester made the story come alive.

What did you like best about this story?

One of the more interesting aspects were the back stories surrounding Krakatoa, and how the impact of the volcano had such far reaching effects.

What does Simon Winchester bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The author of the story is often a great narrator. They know how they want their story read.

Any additional comments?

Krakatoa is a great listen. I'm not one for nonfiction usually but Simon Winchester's story kept me enthralled.

Wonderfully written

An amazing book to listen to. It has enough history, science, and personal stories to keep the book fresh, and not bogeyed down with facts and figures. I will definitely be listening to another book of Mr. Winchester.

Local Event and Global Effect

Some natural events can have global consequences and that is what this book portrays. The sociopolitical background at the beginning is important as it makes sense of the post-eruption reaction. This book shows how everything is connected whether in the natural or human-made world. I would re-read this book to get all the details.

Krakatoa by Simon Winchester

If you could sum up Krakatoa in three words, what would they be?

Excellent history of the region and the effects of Krakatoa's eruption.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The devastating effects of the tsunami that followed the volcanic eruption was particularly moving.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the historical context before the eruption and what followed after the eruption. The narration was excellent. The author kept me engaged the whole time I was listening to the audio book. There was much I did not know about the region surrounding Krakatoa. I knew some of the history of the Dutch Indies Co., but the author does an excellent job at describing the impact of the Company in the region. The religious impact that developed in the region after the tsunami and the lack of action by the colonizers was interesting in the context of today's political-religious issues. I plan to listen to another one of Simon Winchester's books; the one about the San Francisco earthquake is of particular interest to me as a resident of the greater SF Bay Area.

Truly enlightening

This is a studied history of one of the greatest natural events in human history, placed in its historic, social, economic and scientific contexts. Profoundly instructive and timely given our current climactic concerns.

speaker and story good, audio quality not so much

this audio really needs to be reedited with modern technology and it’s possibilities, one can tell that it is dated.