A lively biography of the forgotten father of volcanology. Dvorak is a great storyteller with a keen eye for details. There are parts in The Last Volcano where Mr. Dvorak's descriptions of the intense heat almost singe the page. Riveting. -- Wall Street Journal Dvorak has done earthquake science sterling service by writing what is unarguably the best, the most comprehensive and compellingly readable book about the great fault that will one day affect all our lives. -- Simon Winchester, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of KRAKTOA For Dvorak, Kilauea is the last volcano, the one that will keep on erupting long after anyone who remembers Jaggar is gone. Fueled by a fire hose of molten rock from deep within the Earth, the volcano will continue to bubble and spurt and flame.

And that's just how Thomas Jaggar - despite all he'd seen - would have wanted it. -- The Dallas Morning News The story of Thomas Jagger and Isabel Maydwell is an inspiring tale of devotion, both to science and to each other. -- Scientific American Captivatingly chronicles the life and times of this vanguard scientist [Thomas Jaggar]. Packed with details about Jaggar's personal as well as professional life. -- Science News In this vividly written exploration of Jagger's life and work, Dvorak (Earthquake Storms, 2014) covers not only the early years of volcanology but also dives into what propelled Jagger to fight so hard to learn more about volcanoes and the price he paid-a failed marriage and distant children-to gain that knowledge. Dvorak brings him to life in a richly researched narrative as thrilling as his topic, creating the sort of popular science history that flies off the shelves. -- Booklist (starred review) Reads like a good sci-fi, with colorful characters making startling discoveries. -- The Honolulu Star A welcome addition.

Its chief strength lies in combining the lives and personalities of key geologists and seismologists, such as Lawson, Charles Richter, John Tuzo Wilson and Kerry Sieh, with the theoretical essentials and practical details of their scientific work, so that the former really do illuminate the latter. -- Geoscientist Magazine The real strength of Earthquake Storms is the clear and comprehensive treatment of geology as well as history, and offers a fascinating up-close look at the often overlooked people and stories behind science. Lastly, the book leaves readers in California with a bottom line as sobering as it is unassailable: We might not know exactly what storms lie ahead, but during all of our lifetimes, we have only ever known the lull. -- Susan Hough, former director of the Seismology Laboratory at CalTech (EARTH Magazine).