Tambora

In the best tradition of Paul Theroux and J. Maarten Troost, comes Derek Pugh&apos;s torrid tale of Sumbawa, and his ascent of the iconic volcano Mt. Tambora, whose 1815 eruption did indeed change the world.<br /> <br />Pugh&apos;s account of the eruption and its aftermath is masterfully done – clearly the product of much dogged research through archives, scientific journals, as well as conversations with Indonesians lasting long into the steamy night.<br /> <br />Himself a long-time resident of the neighboring Indonesian island of Lombok, Pugh is a well-qualified tourist who also brings a wry and rollicking insider&apos;s account of local and ex-pat life along the volcanic chain of islands.<br /> <br />The reader meets a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, from pre-schooler jockeys, to an ancient princess alone in her decaying Sultan&apos;s palace, to brainless Western surfer dudes and their chicks who have no clue about the history of the slacker&apos;s paradise they&apos;ve stumbled upon.<br /> <br />Pugh does a sterling job of filling that gap in Asian travel writing, as the many-layered dimensions of Sumbawan culture – their strict Islamism, great friendliness, and intermittent traumas, with the colossal Tambora looming across every page – unfold to the reader like layers of volcanic earth from a hidden Pompeii.<br /> <br />Gillen D&apos;Arcy Wood, author of Tambora: The Eruption that Changed the World (Princeton University Press, 2014)