In the Shadow of Krakatoa

By Christopher Maclairn

Got that tropical fever, and I love it! I love the islands, I always have. Everything you can think of that evokes visions of the islands - coconuts, pineapples, seashell necklaces, leis, riki-tiki patterned clothing, Palms, Bromeliads, jungles, a vast expanse of blue ocean, natives in their sea-canoes, head-hunting, pearl-diving, cannibalism, fire-walking, and, most especially, volcanoes - for me, all these things are a source for endless fascination and wonder. Yet I find it appalling how little has been dedicated to the islands - more specifically, the tropical islands and archipelagoes of Indonesia, Micronesia, Macronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia - in literature! While in bookstores and libraries volumes upon volumes, often shelf after shelf, can be found in the "mythology" section dedicated to the Greek and Roman myths and Viking sagas, and a few works on those cultures of India and the Orient, maybe a few on the American Indians, Aztec and Inca, one would be extremely lucky were he able to locate a single one about Oceana. So, I decided, as there is far too little dedicated to the Islanders in literature, who better than me to change this! Ah yes, as early as 1993, I remember the seed for an idea for a novel dedicated to the Islanders germinating in my head; but it was to be five years from that point before I finally got around to getting it down. So, there we are: I intend to be the one to change the appalling fact that this rich, endlessly fascinating culture has been given so little attention. And that´s what ´In the Shadow of Krakatoa´ is, my breakthrough which I hope will do honor to and bring attention to this very underrated culture. Of course, that´s only part of ´Krakatoa´; it´s this first and foremost, but many other things as well, for, while Islander culture is the most obviously influential part of this book, it has as well elements of the exotic East, India and China most especially, plus Greek, Norse and Celtic elements - in other words, it is perhaps the most culturally mixed work I´ve ever done, but I think I´ve succeeded well in blending this unlikely-seeming mix into a good alloy. And, also, ´Beowulf´, which I read cover-to-cover for the first time at the age of 17, remains, as it always will, one of the greatest things I´ve ever read. And so I have long entertained the idea of my hero Sagrim facing some of the same perils as did Beowulf, for they are remarkably similar. And now he will do just that, albeit in a vastly different part of the world. Now, I can understand why it may, at first, sound like a strange combination, the saga of Beowulf and the Islands, but take my word for it: they go together beautifully! Or, better yet, don´t take my word for it: read ´In the Shadow of Krakatoa´ and see for yourself exactly what I´m talking about! The Indonesian jungles and the forests of Dark Ages Denmark are much more alike than is obvious at first glance! The Greatest Hero of the Banoric Age The Most Feared Monster of them All The World´s Most Powerful Volcano It´s Time to get the Tropical Fever!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401016022
• ISBN13: 9781401016029
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Authorhouse
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.3" x 5.8"