Reviews on Underland (3)

A challenging read

Underland

I found this book to eb quite different to what I was expecting! I throrogh;y enjoy the author's writing style and some of the content, however I just cannot seem to get really interested in exploring underground man-made projects such as sewers and burial vaults etc etc. In fact I think it is just that I simply cannot bear to read about crawling and wiggling through the narrow and constricting bits and the smells and gunk he encounters! If anyone has read "London" about the deep history of the city and what lies beneath it in solid building and earthworks and in human stories and suffereing or wars etc, then it may seem strange to say that I loved that, but somehow feel that this author missed the boat somewhere along the line? Maybe he is rather self-absorbed and there is too much "I" in the book? But it is worth a read and certainly different.

Another world

Underland

This is a fascinating exploration of the world underneath us that we never really think about. I especially loved the parts describing the natural underworld that as Richard said, complement 'The Overstory'. What happens under cities, though really interesting, did not grab me in the same way. Really well written with colourful characters and an easy flow.

A lyrical and exciting wander through the wonders of the underworld

Underland

One of the best books I have ever read, unbelievably believable. His eclectic journey into caves, caverns, chasms, catacombs, mines and underground rivers is breathtaking. As well as meticulous detail and research the book benefits from his evocative writing style. The livings characters he meets on this journey though geological time are as engaging as their surroundings. The overarching message however comes across loud and clear: we are destroying the world as we know it and most of its inhabitants. I found it a profoundly depressing book but this is not a reason not to read it, it is the very reason that we must.