
Synopsis, this is a travelogue to Sumbawa, Indonesia, to be released on the eve of the bicentenary of the largest eruption in recorded history in 2015 – Mt Tambora with a VEI of 7 was ten times the size of the more famous Krakatau. It erupted on 10th April 1815 and changed the world’s climate for three years (known as the “Year Without Summer”). More than 100,000 Indonesians died from the event or from the disease and famine that followed and the world reeled from its long lasting effects: millions were affected; there was starvation, disease and death; the destruction of the Tambora culture, language and people; massive European emigration; numerous floods and droughts; religious fervour and the creation of a new religion; the invention of the bicycle; the ‘westward ho!” wagon trains in the US; the creation of magnificent art; the birth of science fiction and Frankenstein; widespread riots and political instability; coloured snow and frosts in mid-summer. The author outlines the history of this largely unknown mountain, travels to Sumbawa and watches four year old jockeys racing horses, wades knee deep through jellyfish, meets royalty and surfers and climbs the mountain and discusses the affects of world climate change on a population that is far from ready.
Read chapters 8 and 9 further down this blog . Expected book length: 60,000 words
Read chapters 8 and 9 further down this blog . Expected book length: 60,000 words