Reseña de A crack in the edge of the world por Josh

I quite like Simon Winchester's audiobooks. He narrates them himself, and they have the feel of a genial professor telling stories about whatever obscure matter he is fascinated with at this moment.

Many of Winchester's subjects are the type of thing that could be painfully boring in the hands of a less skilled story teller. He is fascinated with Geology, and A Crack in the Edge of the World is an apt companion to his account of the Krakatoa volcanic eruption.

Like volcanos our understanding of earthquakes is integrally tied to that of Geology, and more particularly of plate tectonics. Both are phenomenon in which the ground itself, generally so solid and stable, unexpectedly revolts - causing great problems for the the people living on it. Winchester gives an account of our best understanding of why these revolts take place and their effects, both physical and social.

The physical effects of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 are obvious enough - the city was leveled. The social effects are less obvious - among other things Winchester argues that the quake spurred the growth of Pentecostalism. That new sect's leader had, just a few days before, predicted a terrible event and saw the destruction of the city as divine vengeance for the drinking and debauchery for which the city was well known.

Overall, I think the book will be enjoyable to people who enjoy Simon Winchester books, but probably quite dull to those who don't.