A review by kait_lost_in_books
The Brilliant Abyss by Helen Scales

5.0

We’ve all heard the old tales sea monsters hiding in the great ocean trenches and we’ve seen some of the weird-looking fish pulled from the twilight zone but so very few actually study The Deep, that every year we discover something new and fascinating in the earth’s last refuge for the unknown. In this book Helen Scales not only takes us on a journey down to the abyssal seas, describing some of many animals and behaviours only witnessed at this depth - vampire squid making snowballs, an amazing variety of sea cucumbers and sea slugs which potentially hold secrets to massively advance human medicine- but she also explains, in an accessible and digestible way, the dangers of mining and exploiting these areas. Ending with a call to arms for all those who love the oceans to act on behalf of all those on the planet who cannot.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s scientific enough without being overloaded with terminology which excludes non-scientists. Helen writes with passion and knowledge and is a fantastic storyteller. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone with an interest.