Island on Fire

Island on Fire is a fun little book that shows the importance of good primary sourcing. Witze and Kanipe draw very heavily on the diary of Jon Steingrimsson, a parish priest at the time of the eruption of Laki.

This is where I hear "Laki? I don't know of a volcano by that name," which is true for the intended audience of this book. Laki being a volcano that erupted in 1783 in Iceland, having a devastating effect on the community served by Jon (as our authors call him), and serious effects on the climate of both Europe and the Northern hemisphere as a whole.

From the community overview we move to Europe and the rest of the world, finishing with a look at Iceland today and potentially disruptive volcanoes around the world. It's a short, easy read, and a fun pop science look at something most of us are unfamiliar with.

The Whispering Muse

One of the nice things about family or friends traveling to foreign countries is that sometimes they'll bring you books back, which is how I acquired The Whispering Muse.

This novel by Sjon tracks the journey of Valdimar Haraldsson, an eccentric Icelander who possess unorthodox theories of human origins and development. Haraldsson had published a journal called Fisk og Kultur, which detailed

". . .my chief preoccupation, the link between fish consumption and the superiority of the Nordic race."

 Through writing a letter of condolence after the death of a friend, our protagonist is invited on a cruise of a merchant ship owned by the friend's father. The second mate on the ship happens to be the mythological figure Caeneus, and thus our story begins.

Haraldsson is an absolute bore -- his chief preoccupation aboard the ship is the lack of fish on the gourmet menu he's served at dinner. After dinner, his companions eagerly await the stories Caeneus tells every night, which are retellings of his heroic deeds while sailing on the Argo with Jason.

Sjon alternates between Haraldsson's banal observations and thoughts (in which Haraldsson displays lack of comprehension and insight) and Caeneus' increasingly involved mythological ramblings.

Despite (or perhaps because of) Haraldsson's banality, this isn't designed to be a realistic novel, although it isn't magic realism, either. We get several minor plot points that are raised and not expanded upon, and other plot threads that are simply dropped. The resolution is abrupt, and not quite satisfying.

I'd heard this compared to the works of Italo Calvino, and while I wouldn't put it at the same quality, I can see the resemblance. A quick read.