Verdict:Ī great read for just about everyone. I really liked this book, and it has a little something for everyone.

Often, it can be aggravating when a book covers so much ground, but Witz and Kanipe keep everything to the point while digging into the lives of those effected by LAki’s eruption. Laki had far ranging consequences and you learn all about them. The book jumps around quite a bit from the science of volcanos to the effects on Iceland folk when Laki erupts to what it did to people outside of Iceland. And since it was 1783, there was little anyone can do about it. No Laki is more of a slow burn which slowly kills a ton of people through famine and ash. I thought it would be another disaster book where it follows a few people as they attempt to run from a lava spewing volcano. Island on Fire is really good even though it is not what I expected at all. With her husband Jeff Kanipe, she is the author of Island on Fire, a book about the extraordinary 18th-century eruption of the Icelandic volcano Laki. But that’s not how Laki in Iceland rolls, and Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe are here to tell you about it. You’ve heard the story and seen the movies. Fun Fact for History Nerds:įor a different Icelandic volcanic eruption in 1973, Icelanders sprayed seawater at lava to keep it from destroying a harbor. When Krakatau erupted in 1883, it sent out shock-waves which circled the Earth seven times. Its eruption in 1783 is one of historys great. The story of Laki, the volcano in Iceland which erupted in the 18 th century and messed a lot of stuff up. Read Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze available from Rakuten Kobo. I thought it would be another disaster book where. Island on Fire is really good even though it is not what I expected at all. Who would have thought little Iceland could cause so much trouble? Quick synopsis: My Take on Island on Fire: Volcano go boom and everyone dies. Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Island on Fire: