Underland: A Deep Time Journey
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- Create Date：2021-05-12 08:53:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Robert Macfarlane
- ISBN：0393358097
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Summary
In Underland， Robert Macfarlane delivers an epic exploration of the Earth’s underworlds as they exist in myth， literature， memory， and the land itself。 Traveling through the dizzying expanse of geologic time—from prehistoric art in Norwegian sea caves， to the blue depths of the Greenland ice cap， to a deep-sunk "hiding place" where nuclear waste will be stored for 100，000 years to come—Underland takes us on an extraordinary journey into our relationship with darkness， burial， and what lies beneath the surface of both place and mind。
Global in its geography and written with great lyricism， Underland speaks powerfully to our present moment。 At once ancient and urgent， this is a book that will change the way you see the world。
Global in its geography and written with great lyricism， Underland speaks powerfully to our present moment。 At once ancient and urgent， this is a book that will change the way you see the world。
Reviews
Jack Roscoe
，
I've read many of the author's other books and been absolutely spellbound。 This is a powerful journey。 Macfarlane brings out the poetry and the dizzying， sublime power of the subterranean。 It brings into focus so much， and creates the sense of being untethered from time。 What really emerges is an extraordinary reflection of our relationship to geological motion， of epochs， and the unprecedented forces at work in our own epoch。 I've read many of the author's other books and been absolutely spellbound。 This is a powerful journey。 Macfarlane brings out the poetry and the dizzying， sublime power of the subterranean。 It brings into focus so much， and creates the sense of being untethered from time。 What really emerges is an extraordinary reflection of our relationship to geological motion， of epochs， and the unprecedented forces at work in our own epoch。 。。。more
Barbara Geffen
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This is the first book I've read by this author。 I knew him by reputation as a terrific science and nature writer。 That he is。 But he jumped in the middle， rather than the beginning， which threw me off。 Then he did it again， at each chapter。 I got used to his jerky style， traveling with him through forests， roots， caves， tunnels， manmade underground passages and those carved by nature。 He's a fascinating and thorough tour guide， ruminating as he leads， on the effect of humans on the earth as he This is the first book I've read by this author。 I knew him by reputation as a terrific science and nature writer。 That he is。 But he jumped in the middle， rather than the beginning， which threw me off。 Then he did it again， at each chapter。 I got used to his jerky style， traveling with him through forests， roots， caves， tunnels， manmade underground passages and those carved by nature。 He's a fascinating and thorough tour guide， ruminating as he leads， on the effect of humans on the earth as he finds it。 He passes judgment; how could he not？ We are destroying that which we love。 But those partial sentences， vocabulary one must be a scientist in every discipline he engages to comprehend without a dictionary， all present problems for me as a reader。 Yes， he's poetic。 Yes， he makes me see the places he goes and feel the urgency and claustrophobia， hear the bird calls and sense the ice move。 But this was a difficult read。 I was glad to reach the end， better off for having made the journey。 I may try one of his earlier books; they've gotten such rave reviews。 How does he know so much？ 。。。more
Amanda Cox
，
A very strange book about all things underground。 It kind of jumps around between various places。。。 Catacombs， caves， soil， etc。 If you're into science and history and and poetry and random facts then this is the book for you。 If you're into a plot line that's easy to follow， this may not be the book for you。 A very strange book about all things underground。 It kind of jumps around between various places。。。 Catacombs， caves， soil， etc。 If you're into science and history and and poetry and random facts then this is the book for you。 If you're into a plot line that's easy to follow， this may not be the book for you。 。。。more
Harriet
，
Everyone should read this book！ It’s honestly so interesting and well written。 Favourite nonfiction of the year？ I think so
Trish Remley
，
Interesting， haunting fascinating。 A look at all the many operations， scientific experiments， explorations， going on underground and in many cases deeply underground around the world。 A lot of history & adventure in getting to these places as well as while there。 Don't think I could have explored a cave where it required one to put strap of backpack on foot and turn head sideways to pull along through a "tight" space。 Also noticed how in so many instances， the author was drawn/pulled to want to Interesting， haunting fascinating。 A look at all the many operations， scientific experiments， explorations， going on underground and in many cases deeply underground around the world。 A lot of history & adventure in getting to these places as well as while there。 Don't think I could have explored a cave where it required one to put strap of backpack on foot and turn head sideways to pull along through a "tight" space。 Also noticed how in so many instances， the author was drawn/pulled to want to go deeper and in many instances even more dangerous spaces， and had to stop himself。 The effort that has been made to be able to communicate to others hundreds/thousands of years later- do not explore this area （nuclear waste containment facility）。 Research of 'dark matter' of space a half mile underground - neutrinos！ Glaciers/climate change。 And the best - trees/plants "talking" to each other through fungi。 Much more。 。。。more
Asha
，
so good。 will be thinking about this book for a long while
Eneubig
，
Great descriptive writing with in depth science！ I loved that he mentioned other authors I have read like Robin Wall Kimmerer and Merlin Sheldrake。 It is an anxious read and likely one with claustrophobia shouldn't attempt。 Great descriptive writing with in depth science！ I loved that he mentioned other authors I have read like Robin Wall Kimmerer and Merlin Sheldrake。 It is an anxious read and likely one with claustrophobia shouldn't attempt。 。。。more
Philip
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An interesting， well written collection of experiences， all tied together so they flow nicely and build on one another。 The narration sometimes strayed into the transcendental， which was a bit odd， but quickly came back to reality。
Tisbe Rinehart
，
very good book！ the author is a beautiful writer and very eloquently describes his surroundings。 objectively probably a 4 star book， but I was looking for something more informative rather than him recounting his journeys throughout the underland。
Davis Hopper
，
I’ve thought about the contents of this book almost ceaselessly since reading them。 Now that I may get to have a tourist-y glimpse at a cave via canoe， I’ll be rereading this to hype myself up。 The mix of memoir， science， and literary history means there’s 3 ways to feel excited about the earth， and ensure that every page is brimming with fascinating tales and facts。 Love this book！
Chrissy
，
So many interesting versions of “Underland” and some cool characters along the way。 I flew through some chapters， but for the most part， realized that Macfarlane’s style isn’t for me （vvv descriptive and lots of jargon — scientific poetic？）。
Alessandra
，
Beautifully written。 A poignant and pointed homage to the depths of Earth and all those who love her。 Poetic prose， insightful glimpses into humanity， and gripping adventure stories。 Loved every minute （and the audiobook is also wonderful。 I now own in it all formats to reread everywhere and anywhere）。
Roy Kenagy
，
Kindle
Alosh Bennett
，
A survey of life underland， the book is a world tour of everything and anything interesting that happens below the surface of the earth。==== Memory Dump Begins ====We begin the journey at Mendips， England where the limestone has helped a vast system of caves to evolve over time。 Next stop in England is the miles of potash mining network that extends under ocean floor。 The ocean liners plying those seas are unaware of ford jeeps zooming past under them！ The mines also house labs for sensitive exp A survey of life underland， the book is a world tour of everything and anything interesting that happens below the surface of the earth。==== Memory Dump Begins ====We begin the journey at Mendips， England where the limestone has helped a vast system of caves to evolve over time。 Next stop in England is the miles of potash mining network that extends under ocean floor。 The ocean liners plying those seas are unaware of ford jeeps zooming past under them！ The mines also house labs for sensitive experiments that need shielding from all sort of radio noise on the surface （the search for WIMP as evidence of dark matter）。 The book also touches the underground social network of trees formed by mycorrhizal fungi。The section on Paris Catacombs is fascinating， not just on account of its history， and its massive size， but also how it is a buzzing hub for parties and concerts。 Next is the journey of Timavo river as it dives underground at Carso， Italy。 If any place on earth can be compared to the Gates of hell and the Styx that flows into Hades， this is it。 Maybe the Timavo might have inspired the ancient Greeks。 It is also interesting to read about how flashfloods can fill up these cave systems within seconds， and how the air pressure build up vents out like from the blowhole of a whale。In Slovenia， we'll find a bloody history of guerrilla wars， and how the limestone landscape facilitated。 Perhaps the bloodiest reminders are the foebes to which dead and alive where thrown in。Okay， off to the Arctic circle。 There are sea caves in Norway with prehistoric cave arts。 Mostly of red hands。 And something about life transcending and stuff， you know。 Things get better when we reach the edge of the world at Lofoten， Norway。 This is the holy grail for cod fishing。 Norway was built on Cod， but that is under threat now that multinational oil companies have discovered offshore oil drilling opportunities here。 But the Norwegians are putting up a fight， with the younger generation turning back to traditional ways （Yey！ go Norway！）。 Something about Edgar Allan Poe and maelstroms。 Once we reach Greenland， it is a definite improvement - the book is more tolerable and Greenland is indeed pretty。 But not everything is as fine as it looks。 The glaciers are melting faster than ever。 The melt water drills holes into the ice， creating was voids called moulins。 Sometimes the go right to the bedrock， and the water flowing under the ice speeds the flow of the glacier。 A cursory dive into one of those moulins。 The book is about the underland， remember？ Ice holds a record of earth's history， and when it melts it reveals secrets from the past， and maybe occasionally in Siberia， Anthrax from dead reindeers。 Sientist have recently been able to excavate some from 1km deep in Antartica， right above the bedrock。 We dont know yet what it reads。In Olkiluoto Finland， there is a facility under construction to bury atomic waste。 It is a sad place。==== Memory Dump Ends ====While exploring caves， you have to crawl and squeeze through narrow gaps， and persist forward。 The secrets the cave holds， the hidden river， the majestic chambers are rewards。 So is with this book。The writing is not merely a description of the places。 Robert Macfarlane truly reflects on what he sees。 This lends a sort of abstract， poetic feel to the prose。 As a result， you are never 'there'。 The book， unlike the works of Peter Matthiessen， does not transport you。 You are a distant observer， hanging in an abstract plane， looking down at places。 。。。more
Landon
，
There are some great stories in this book。 There are also nutrients in cow sh*t。This is not a word for word quote， but it was the last straw for me， “I turned to Peter and remarked that if I should die I would like to be reborn as one of those boulders。” —there’s so much of this kind of unnecessary verbiage and commentary in this book it made me want to scream。 Hopefully Peter punched him。Overall， the author put together a very nice book， but if your taste in prose is like mine， you should wait There are some great stories in this book。 There are also nutrients in cow sh*t。This is not a word for word quote， but it was the last straw for me， “I turned to Peter and remarked that if I should die I would like to be reborn as one of those boulders。” —there’s so much of this kind of unnecessary verbiage and commentary in this book it made me want to scream。 Hopefully Peter punched him。Overall， the author put together a very nice book， but if your taste in prose is like mine， you should wait for the “after Peter punched some sense into me” version。 。。。more
Jesper Wiklund
，
Fantastiska reseskildringar och väldigt allmänbildande。 Men lite tradigt ibland och hade kanske gjort sig bäst som essäer。
sha
，
Oh boy what a journey this book has taken me on for the past two months。Underland is incredibly knowledgeable and life-changing， and I'm grateful to have read it and come out with a widened perspective of the world around me。 There is so much to this book that makes it wonderful， but I do think that it is one that requires patience and the willingness to let the author take you to where he goes with his words and adventures。 I hope it stays on my consciousness for longer。 Oh boy what a journey this book has taken me on for the past two months。Underland is incredibly knowledgeable and life-changing， and I'm grateful to have read it and come out with a widened perspective of the world around me。 There is so much to this book that makes it wonderful， but I do think that it is one that requires patience and the willingness to let the author take you to where he goes with his words and adventures。 I hope it stays on my consciousness for longer。 。。。more
Charlie
，
Space and rooms give me bodily sensations。 Being in a landscape or seeing some good architecture can make my stomach flutter。 This is the first time a book has catered to that sense and evoked similar feelings。 It doesn’t have a normal story but is a collection of experiences in nature strung together by feel and themes。 Poetry， facts， humans， and nature are mixed into something understatedly religious and after the end I feel like I have come in touch with something big and sublime。
Anthony Nelson
，
A lyrical journey through the underground spaces that have always captured humanity's imagination。 MacFarlane blends his personal observations with history and literature。 It took me some time to finish the book because it kind of meanders from place to place， but a through-line emerges in the last third of the book as he journeys to Scandinavia and the spectre of climate change emerges in every place。 Full of stunning imagery that will stick with me for awhile。 A lyrical journey through the underground spaces that have always captured humanity's imagination。 MacFarlane blends his personal observations with history and literature。 It took me some time to finish the book because it kind of meanders from place to place， but a through-line emerges in the last third of the book as he journeys to Scandinavia and the spectre of climate change emerges in every place。 Full of stunning imagery that will stick with me for awhile。 。。。more
Chaitra
，
I was quite captivated it in the beginning， but as the book went on， I started to zone out。 I'd get pulled in by interesting topics once in a while， but it didn't capture my interest as much as I'd hoped it would。 This is probably my failing - I'm not particularly claustrophobic above ground， but I don't like anything underground。 It makes me claustrophobic。 Which should have told me not to go into this I suppose， but I did like another underground book I read - Underground: A Human History。 I u I was quite captivated it in the beginning， but as the book went on， I started to zone out。 I'd get pulled in by interesting topics once in a while， but it didn't capture my interest as much as I'd hoped it would。 This is probably my failing - I'm not particularly claustrophobic above ground， but I don't like anything underground。 It makes me claustrophobic。 Which should have told me not to go into this I suppose， but I did like another underground book I read - Underground: A Human History。 I usually feel that I get the most out of non fiction if I glean something I can share with my science obsessed child， and in this one - that was the Understory and the wood wide web， dark matter and the nuclear waste。 I might try reading it again， but then again， maybe not。 。。。more
Chris Leuchtenburg
，
I listened to several chapters and then started to skip forward。 The narrative uses the often successful blend of a personal journey to explore a topic， so brilliantly utilized by Elizabeth Kolbert's books about climate change。 In this case， the personal journey dominates and fails to tie together the many crawls into caves into a coherent story。 Maybe I am just not all that interested in things underground。 I listened to several chapters and then started to skip forward。 The narrative uses the often successful blend of a personal journey to explore a topic， so brilliantly utilized by Elizabeth Kolbert's books about climate change。 In this case， the personal journey dominates and fails to tie together the many crawls into caves into a coherent story。 Maybe I am just not all that interested in things underground。 。。。more
Kim
，
A magical exploration of the Earth beneath our feet。 Simply mesmerizing and thought-provoking。
Ben
，
Really interesting， even fascinating in many parts， but the last third of the book weakened noticeably。
Sonny Williams
，
Underland was everything I expected it to be and so much more。 Macfarlane takes you on his explorations into the Underland with immense beauty where you will reflect on history， time， myth， humanity， place and friendship。A book which I did not speed through， but instead fell into whenever I need an escape from the difficulties the last few months have brought。 For that， I am grateful and will miss it。
Cathy
，
It was an ok read。 I think sometimes the language was too flowery and I was routinely confused by the way in which the book was organized。 Some parts were very informative and/or enjoyable but were lost in the overly sentimental prose。
David Smith
，
Fascinating book， to its （deepest） depths。 Tales of explorers who went too far parallel the majesty of Macfarlane's winding， buried Underland， the combination of both suggesting some inherent and powerful draw people have for their own katabasis， even if they don't resurface。 I loved how he explored different aspects of the Underland - not just caves and caverns， but also the fungal tapestry below forests， the totally bizarre catacombs below Paris， and the icy， alien terrain of glaciers。 He's ac Fascinating book， to its （deepest） depths。 Tales of explorers who went too far parallel the majesty of Macfarlane's winding， buried Underland， the combination of both suggesting some inherent and powerful draw people have for their own katabasis， even if they don't resurface。 I loved how he explored different aspects of the Underland - not just caves and caverns， but also the fungal tapestry below forests， the totally bizarre catacombs below Paris， and the icy， alien terrain of glaciers。 He's accompanied by interesting folks on each of these journeys， and getting to know them and the interests that led them to captain their little slices of the Underland was always enjoyable。 His writing throughout is enviable， as is his knowledge of the natural world。 I thought about taking off one star because he made me feel so boring in comparison。。。but hell， Underland still deserves all five。 Now to find some crack to crawl into， some hidden passage to disappear into。。。 。。。more
Wendy
，
Audio。 I’ve wanted to reread this fascinating book about what is below the surface from the catacombs （an ancient quarry） under Paris to caves in the limestone bedrock of southern England to glacial crevasses in Greenland。 Macfarlane combines adventure， history， science， archeology and wonder in his essays that range around Europe。
Devon Pierangeli
，
Amazing。
Macy Davis
，
This book took me forever to get through （at least by my standards） but it was so incredibly well written。 Macfarlane writes about the Earth's underland through caves， catacombs， glaciers， mines， and nuclear waste storage facilities in rich prose that encourages the reader to truly experience these things through the page and to consider the depths of the world we live in， both explored and unexplored， and what the costs of living are。 This book took me forever to get through （at least by my standards） but it was so incredibly well written。 Macfarlane writes about the Earth's underland through caves， catacombs， glaciers， mines， and nuclear waste storage facilities in rich prose that encourages the reader to truly experience these things through the page and to consider the depths of the world we live in， both explored and unexplored， and what the costs of living are。 。。。more
kent daniel
，