22 books like The Volcano Adventure Guide

By Rosaly Lopes,

Here are 22 books that The Volcano Adventure Guide fans have personally recommended if you like The Volcano Adventure Guide. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Red Mars

Perry Kivolowitz Author Of Get Off My L@wn: How a Computer Geek and His Wife Survived the Zombie Apocalypse

From my list on inspiring depressing books Science Fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

Science Fiction can explore many themes, including relationships, philosophy, politics, and more. While this is common to many genres, SF is unique in that it also focuses on science-based “what ifs.” What if we could travel to distant stars? What if we could visit the past? The theme of “what if” hinges upon the forward progress of science. This explores the realm of the possible… a realm for which I am passionate.

Perry's book list on inspiring depressing books Science Fiction

Perry Kivolowitz Why did Perry love this book?

Another work spanning more than a hundred years and featuring many rich characters, crises, and drama, the Mars Trilogy makes a great summer read. At a little more than 1600 pages, the trilogy is like three seasons of a really engrossing television series.

The trilogy contains ample portions of science, science fiction, politics, and explorations of the human condition. There’s even some boom-boom for those who like a few explosions in their stories. Like my other preferences, there’s little “magic” in the Trilogy’s universe; instead, things mostly make sense after accepting a couple of assumptions. The richness of the characters really stood out for me, helped by the fact that the characters, by and large, experience long lifetimes!

By Kim Stanley Robinson,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Red Mars as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first novel in Kim Stanley Robinson's massively successful and lavishly praised Mars trilogy. 'The ultimate in future history' Daily Mail

Mars - the barren, forbidding planet that epitomises mankind's dreams of space conquest.

From the first pioneers who looked back at Earth and saw a small blue star, to the first colonists - hand-picked scientists with the skills necessary to create life from cold desert - Red Mars is the story of a new genesis.

It is also the story of how Man must struggle against his own self-destructive mechanisms to achieve his dreams: before he even sets foot…


Book cover of Volcanic Worlds: Exploring The Solar System's Volcanoes

James R. Zimbelman Author Of The Volcanoes of Mars

From my list on amazing volcanoes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a senior geologist emeritus (retired in 2020) whose research focused on volcanic features on Mars, Venus, and the Moon, particularly very long lava flows. I enjoy studying features on Earth in order to improve our understanding of similar features on other planets (also including the study of sand dunes). I worked for more than 32 years at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., which allowed me to do scientific research while also presenting the wonder of planetary geology to public audiences throughout the U.S. and in several countries across the world.

James' book list on amazing volcanoes

James R. Zimbelman Why did James love this book?

I recommend this book to anyone who asks me about volcanoes. It is a concise, easy-to-read account of the major volcanic revelations that have resulted from the robotic spacecraft exploration throughout the solar system.

The book is filled with exquisite photographs and logically organized chapters. Eleven chapters describe volcanic features both on Earth as well as many other worlds in our solar system. Each chapter is written well by an expert on each particular subject (and interestingly, all of the authors are women).

By Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Tracy K. P. Gregg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Volcanic Worlds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Written by active research scientists who study the volcanism of Earth and of other planets, the contributions provide the first general review of volcanic activity throughout the Solar System. Successive chapters describe past and present volcanic activity as it is observed throughout the Solar System. These chapters relate to readers not only our present knowledge of volcanism throughout the Solar System but also how frontline scientists working in this field conduct their research.


Book cover of Volcanoes: In America's National Parks

James R. Zimbelman Author Of The Volcanoes of Mars

From my list on amazing volcanoes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a senior geologist emeritus (retired in 2020) whose research focused on volcanic features on Mars, Venus, and the Moon, particularly very long lava flows. I enjoy studying features on Earth in order to improve our understanding of similar features on other planets (also including the study of sand dunes). I worked for more than 32 years at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., which allowed me to do scientific research while also presenting the wonder of planetary geology to public audiences throughout the U.S. and in several countries across the world.

James' book list on amazing volcanoes

James R. Zimbelman Why did James love this book?

This is where I would start for an introduction to the geologic story behind some of the best-known volcanoes in the USA. It is a very readable, well-written text describing volcanoes within several national parks and monuments.

I particularly enjoy the many photos (most taken by the authors) plus the maps that are included within each chapter. The opening chapters provide essential background information for the reader to appreciate the geologic stories that follow. A "must read" for anyone who likes volcanoes.

By Barbara Decker, Robert Decker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Volcanoes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Erupting volcanoes like Kilauea in Hawaii, and sleeping volcanoes like Mount Rainier in Washington State are the core features of 31 of the National Parks and Monuments in the United States. In addition, ancient fires that once fed a chain of volcanoes al


Book cover of Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883

James R. Zimbelman Author Of The Volcanoes of Mars

From my list on amazing volcanoes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a senior geologist emeritus (retired in 2020) whose research focused on volcanic features on Mars, Venus, and the Moon, particularly very long lava flows. I enjoy studying features on Earth in order to improve our understanding of similar features on other planets (also including the study of sand dunes). I worked for more than 32 years at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., which allowed me to do scientific research while also presenting the wonder of planetary geology to public audiences throughout the U.S. and in several countries across the world.

James' book list on amazing volcanoes

James R. Zimbelman Why did James love this book?

Welcome to an account of an enormous volcanic eruption!

Winchester takes the reader through the real-life activities that preceded and followed one of the largest recorded volcanic eruptions in written history. Ten chapters skillfully interweave tales of people who were directly impacted by the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. While many people have heard that Krakatoa was the site of a large eruption, most of them may not realize that the monster tsunamis produced by that explosion were the deadliest aspect of the eruption.

It is captivating reading, even for those not as hooked on volcanoes as I am.

By Simon Winchester,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Krakatoa as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Bracingly apocalyptic stuff: atmospheric, chock-full of information and with a constantly escalating sense of pace and tension' Sunday Telegraph

Simon Winchester's brilliant chronicle of the destruction of the Indonesian island of Krakatoa in 1883 charts the birth of our modern world. He tells the story of the unrecognized genius who beat Darwin to the discovery of evolution; of Samuel Morse, his code and how rubber allowed the world to talk; of Alfred Wegener, the crack-pot German explorer and father of geology. In breathtaking detail he describes how one island and its inhabitants were blasted out of existence and how colonial…


Book cover of Under The Volcano

John Andrew Fredrick Author Of The King Of Good Intentions Part Three

From my list on reads if your rock ‘n’ roll party days are over.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a perfect of exemplar of an author whose party days are decidedly not over, but I’m doubtless at the age/stage where I’m bloody contemplating at least paring down my intakes plural. Not that I’m still at it like a Sophomore or anything but I’m hanging in there. I get a great, tingly buzz (you had to have seen this coming!) recommending great books to keen readers. I live in a library—essentially—and friends who visit for a beer or a spliff most often leave with a book I’ve given them. Now you lot are gonna ask me to lend you some scratch! Now you’ve gone and done it, John! Haha.

John's book list on reads if your rock ‘n’ roll party days are over

John Andrew Fredrick Why did John love this book?

Lowry is the best stylist in the history of the English Language bar two other classic writers—Jonathan Swift and Samuel Johnson. 

The amount of alcohol consumed in this brutally beautiful novel is staggering to say the least. Its zesty darkness and, er, volcanic poetry is a stone-cold trip. If you don’t remember (or never tasted) mescal or that time you had too many margaritas, Lowry’s masterpiece will do you well. 

By Malcolm Lowry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Under The Volcano as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Into the Volcano: A Volcano Researcher at Work

Mary M. Cerullo Author Of Volcano: Where Fire and Water Meet

From my list on the wonder of volcanoes above below ocean.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I turned 13, I decided to become an oceanographer. To prepare for my future career, I majored in geology and biology in college. I mapped ancient volcanic outcrops around Boston, explored a deep mine and dug for minerals on a geology tour of the southeastern United States, and sampled sand from a tropical beach on a tiny island in the Bahamas. I discovered that geologists have fun! A geology field trip to Kilauea in Hawaii inspired me to examine how volcanoes, on land and beneath the sea, impact our oceans. After that, a week in Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice, further cemented my love of rocks and volcanoes.  

Mary's book list on the wonder of volcanoes above below ocean

Mary M. Cerullo Why did Mary love this book?

So many volcanoes! So how would you choose among the 1400+ active volcanoes on the earth’s surface (not to mention that three-quarters of all volcanoes on Earth are on the ocean floor.)

Apparently, the volcanologists duo, Donna O’Meara and her husband Steven, have been trying to hit them all. They are always on call for the next eruption, not just to capture amazing photographs and death-defying experiences but also to try to improve volcano eruption prediction.

I was intrigued by their adventures and photos, but even more, I admired that they spent weeks camping alongside temperamental volcanoes to assess how/if the moon influences volcanic eruptions. Their theory that the moon’s phases and closeness to the Earth could affect volcanic activity could someday help save lives.

By Donna O'Meara,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Into the Volcano as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

In a helicopter with no doors, she hovers over a lava lake the size of two football fields --- then lands! She runs through clouds of scalding steam, dodging lava bombs, to photograph glowing hot lava as it pours into the sea. She sets up camp on the edge of a volcano's cone, only to be hit with hurricane-force winds, poisonous gases and acidic ash.Witness a typical day in the life of Donna O'Meara --- volcano researcher, writer and photographer. Donna's photographs and accounts of treacherous journeys get readers up close and personal with some of the world's most dangerous…


Book cover of Volcanoes of Northern Arizona

Why am I passionate about this?

Since my earliest memories, I have been fascinated with rocks, landscapes, and the movement of time. It was perhaps only fitting then, that I should have landed in the bottom of the Grand Canyon in the 1970s working as a backcountry ranger where I discovered GEOLOGY! Since then, my world view has been shaped by the record of earth history that is held in sedimentary rocks, mountain belts, and the colorful and varied landscapes of the Desert Southwest and Colorado Plateau. I am in love with these landscapes and know them well. This love affair causes me to visit other landscapes around the world and ponder their development. 


Wayne's book list on the geology and magic of the landscapes of the American Southwest and Colorado Plateau

Wayne Ranney Why did Wayne love this book?

Who knew there were volcanoes in northern Arizona? Wendell Duffield takes readers on a visual and literary tour de force of this amazing region. The San Francisco Volcanic Field contains over 600 vents and cones with one large stratovolcano, a half a dozen or more silicic dome volcanoes, and hundreds of basalt cinder cones. All are explained in clear, concise prose. And who knew the Grand Canyon had volcanoes too, some of which spilled cascading lava flows into the canyon, damming the river at least 17 times. It’s all here in this little book that has a big impact.

By Wendell A. Duffield, Michael Collier (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Volcanoes of Northern Arizona as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book provides a popular look at the fiery origin of Northern Arizona’s landscape. With magnificent aerial photographs, original geologic illustrations, and detailed road logs to many of the key features, this book is an indispensable tool for the traveler, the educator, and all who are interested in the remarkable landscape of northern Arizona.


Book cover of Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives

Mary M. Cerullo Author Of Volcano: Where Fire and Water Meet

From my list on the wonder of volcanoes above below ocean.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I turned 13, I decided to become an oceanographer. To prepare for my future career, I majored in geology and biology in college. I mapped ancient volcanic outcrops around Boston, explored a deep mine and dug for minerals on a geology tour of the southeastern United States, and sampled sand from a tropical beach on a tiny island in the Bahamas. I discovered that geologists have fun! A geology field trip to Kilauea in Hawaii inspired me to examine how volcanoes, on land and beneath the sea, impact our oceans. After that, a week in Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice, further cemented my love of rocks and volcanoes.  

Mary's book list on the wonder of volcanoes above below ocean

Mary M. Cerullo Why did Mary love this book?

If you could choose, would you want to view a gently erupting volcano where you could outwalk the lava flowing to the sea? Or would you go for an earth-shaking explosion that releases boiling lava, choking ash, and burning gases?

In this book, you can take your pick! I loved the variety of volcanoes she explored, as well as the mission of many scientists to better predict eruptions to protect those who live near volcanoes.

By Elizabeth Rusch, Tom Uhlman (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

“At 11:35 p.m., as Radio Armero played cheerful music, a towering wave of mud and rocks bulldozed through the village, roaring like a squadron of fighter jets.” Twenty-three thousand people died in the 1985 eruption of Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz. Today, more than one billion people worldwide live in volcanic danger zones. In this riveting nonfiction book—filled with spectacular photographs and sidebars—Rusch reveals the perilous, adrenaline-fueled, life-saving work of an international volcano crisis team (VDAP) and the sleeping giants they study, from Colombia to the Philippines, from Chile to Indonesia.


Book cover of Ashfall

Christopher Joubert Author Of Briskwood Blood Rain

From my list on apocalyptic events and surviving in confinement.

Why am I passionate about this?

Apocalyptic novels have always been a favorite genre of mine. It’s interesting seeing the lengths that people will go through to survive when all factors are stacked against them. The list of novels below is some of the many great reads that opened my eyes to this genre. The characters in these novels are oftentimes faced with challenges that seem impossible to the reader but are left feeling so fulfilled after seeing a character complete the difficult tasks. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have!

Christopher's book list on apocalyptic events and surviving in confinement

Christopher Joubert Why did Christopher love this book?

This is one of the novels I read in high school that stuck with me. Mike Mullin’s Ashfall is a story about a supervolcano that erupts and causes unimaginable terror and chaos for a vast amount of the population. The unfortunate event that takes place in this novel opened my eyes to the power of Mother Nature. My own novel centers around an apocalyptic rain event; Ashfall is comparable to my own book in a way that shows how quickly Mother Nature can become deadly when angered.

By Mike Mullin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ashfall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don't realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano, so large that the caldera can only be seen by plane or satellite. And by some scientific measurements, it could be overdue for an eruption. For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to seach for his family…


Book cover of Under the Mountain

Mandy Hager Author Of Singing Home The Whale

From my list on Aotearoa New Zealand's top writers for young adults.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love Aotearoa New Zealand books! Our writers are brave, feisty, original - and living in ‘the land of the long white cloud’ at the bottom of the globe gives us a unique take on the world that permeates through everything we write. But we struggle to get our voices heard internationally, so far from the rest of you! This is your chance to push out your boundaries and explore stories that derive from a culture very different from your own, while sharing the same human emotions that bring us all together. As one of these writers, I challenge you to check us out – you won’t be disappointed!

Mandy's book list on Aotearoa New Zealand's top writers for young adults

Mandy Hager Why did Mandy love this book?

This book for younger YA’s has some of the creepiest villains you’ll ever meet and knuckle-biting tension as the heroes are chased by the evil Wilberforces, slug-like shapeshifters who live under Auckland’s extinct volcanoes. Their goal is the destruction of the world and only red-haired twins Rachel and Theo Matheson can stop them, with the help of the strange Mr. Jones, who helps the twins unleash their supernatural power.

By Maurice Gee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Under the Mountain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Beneath the extinct volcanoes surrounding the city, giant creatures are waking from a spellbound sleep that has lasted thousands of years. Their goal is the destruction of the world. Rachel and Theo Matheson are twins. Apart from having red hair, there is nothing remarkable about them - or so they think. They are horrified to discover that they have a strange and awesome destiny. Only the Matheson twins can save the world from the terror of what is under the mountain. Also available as an eBook


5 book lists we think you will like!

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