The Red Volcanoes is a simply stunning collection of photographs of lava and eruptions on Hawaii and Réunion. The photographers, G. Brad Lewis and Paul-Edouard Bernard de Lajarte, have superbly captured the inherent beauty and excitement of nature at her rawest and most exhilarating. The collated images document the immense, rich variety of phenomena displayed by the two active volcanoes and are testament to the artistic skill, bravery and patience of the two contributing photographers. Introductions by scientists John P. Lockwood and Alain Gerente poetically set the scene for the 115 photographs in this collection, outlining in lay terms the history of the volcanoes, their impact on the inhabitants of the islands and their connections with the volcanic giants.

The featured images in this book are exceptional documents of the beauty of flowing lava and glowing fountains and include everything from sweeping aerial panoramas of the volcanoes, through to bursting bubbles of lava, flowing rivers of red hot rock cutting through lush rainforests and towering white columns of steam generated as lava streams into the ocean. Each image is a marvel, drawing the eye in and around time and again. Each is magnificently composed, and some almost appear abstract or impressionist in their other-worldly beauty, with sprays of molten rock looking more like petulant flicks from a heavily loaded paintbrush rather than hot, dense disrupted magma (p. 36). Several images stand out, including a striking close-up photograph of a giant bubble bursting through lava (pp. 52–3), a heart-shaped ring of spatter from Pu'u O'o (p. 59) and aerial photos of backlit steam columns billowing above lavas along Réunion's growing coastline (pp. 116–19). The print quality of the images is high and the book is beautifully laid out with a thumbnail section at the back giving a brief background to each featured image and a short glossary of terms. This book is sure to make a much-read addition to the coffee table and will provide endless conversation and inspiration. It is an ideal gift for Earth scientists, nature lovers and anyone seeking the spectacle of the Earth's most impressive displays of power.