CHASING ERUPTIONS

Writing in verse, Manley chronicles the passionate lives and tragic deaths of French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.

The parallel childhoods of the book’s subjects unfold through vividly provided details: Katia’s love of pebbles, Maurice’s early years exploring Pompeii. Their meeting as university students ignites “L’Équipe Vulcain”—the Vulcan Team, a decades-long partnership documenting volcanic eruptions worldwide until their 1991 deaths at Mount Unzen in Japan. Tens of thousands were saved, however; video taken by the Kraffts documenting the dangers of volcanos prompted a mass evacuation. The verse format creates narrative momentum, particularly in the chapter “The Last Day,” which effectively establishes tension and character voice. Sidebars smoothly integrate scientific content. Roy’s illustrations prove spectacular, using selective bursts of orange and red lava against grayscale backgrounds to create visceral impact; her dramatic perspectives emphasize volcanic scale against tiny human infrastructure, while atmospheric smoke and ash effects convey the chaos the Kraffts witnessed. The verse quality varies; some evocative lines achieve genuine lyricism, while expository passages such as “the analyzer determined which gases / were puffing out of the fumaroles” read more like prose broken into lines. Some line breaks feel arbitrary rather than purposeful. Still, the Kraffts’ compelling story—two obsessive scientists committed to their work and to each other—propels the narrative with real emotional power, and the extensive backmatter grounds their legacy in contemporary volcanology.

An engaging tribute to scientists who transformed volcanic study through fearless dedication.