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A review by katyab
Underland by Robert Macfarlane
5.0
I loved this. Feels like I've been around the world, and bounced from the start of time to the end of the universe. I've never felt so ... there. Might have been something to do with the lovely narration, but the writing itself was so precise and effective. He's got such a great way of showing the atmosphere of a place, and the character of the people he meets (and my goodness, does he meet some eccentric people!).
All the places he visits could be plainly described in terms of "tunnel", "cave", "glacier", "snow" etc., but he manages to make every single place distinct, interesting, and alluring in its own way. The catacombs are unlike the mountain passes, which are unlike the tunnels for storing nuclear waste. Every location is alive, even if it's a silent underground pool. Sometimes it's terrifying and claustrophobic, but in a way that makes you understand how tiny you are as a human in the world and the universe, but also how we as a race have made such an impact on our environment. It was sad, in a way, almost as if this is the last glimpse we'll get of all the wonderful, terrible ways of nature and rock and ice, before they vanish (or before we do, through our own damn hubris). All that, plus the fact that it ends on a really moving note about fathers and sons, and mortality.
I thought I would start disliking the way he jumps around a bit, but I actually found all those sidenotes and backstory and "did-you-know" moments to be really interesting and deepened the experience. The extra knowledge was (for lack of a less weird word) tasty! There's such an enthusiasm for learning that needed to be shared. I remember rewinding the audiobook multiple times because I was so keen on understanding the part about searching for dark matter! I wanted every detail I was given.
Off to buy a hard copy now!
All the places he visits could be plainly described in terms of "tunnel", "cave", "glacier", "snow" etc., but he manages to make every single place distinct, interesting, and alluring in its own way. The catacombs are unlike the mountain passes, which are unlike the tunnels for storing nuclear waste. Every location is alive, even if it's a silent underground pool. Sometimes it's terrifying and claustrophobic, but in a way that makes you understand how tiny you are as a human in the world and the universe, but also how we as a race have made such an impact on our environment. It was sad, in a way, almost as if this is the last glimpse we'll get of all the wonderful, terrible ways of nature and rock and ice, before they vanish (or before we do, through our own damn hubris). All that, plus the fact that it ends on a really moving note about fathers and sons, and mortality.
I thought I would start disliking the way he jumps around a bit, but I actually found all those sidenotes and backstory and "did-you-know" moments to be really interesting and deepened the experience. The extra knowledge was (for lack of a less weird word) tasty! There's such an enthusiasm for learning that needed to be shared. I remember rewinding the audiobook multiple times because I was so keen on understanding the part about searching for dark matter! I wanted every detail I was given.
Off to buy a hard copy now!