The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An awe-inspiring portrait of the mysterious world beneath the waves, and the men and women who seek to uncover its secrets. ______________________________________________ 'Masterful and mesmerizing . . . an irresistible mix of splendid scholarship, heart-stopping adventure writing, and vivid, visceral prose.' Sy Montgomery, author of Soul of an Octopus 'Fantastical and forbidding' Washington Post 'A fascinating history' Time 'Casey’s descriptions of the shimmeringly strange life teeming below the waves capture her wonder and ravishment in prose that morphs into poetry . . . Entralling' Boston Globe ________________________________________ For all of human history, the deep ocean has been a source of fear and fascination, an unknowable realm that evokes a singular, compelling question: what’s down there? But now cutting-edge technologies are allowing scientists and explorers to discover this strange and exotic underworld: a place of soaring mountains, smouldering volcanoes and valleys 7,000 feet deeper than Everest is high. A realm long thought to be devoid of life is, in fact, a vibrant new world, home to pink gelatinous predators and shimmering creatures a hundred feet long, creatures that breathe iron and communicate through their skin, ancient animals with glass skeletons and sharks that live for half a millennium. In The Underworld, Susan Casey traverses the globe, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet. She interviews the marine geologists, marine biologists, and oceanographers as they uncover this vast unseen realm. And she discovers the mind-blowing complexity and ecological importance of the abyssal ocean and the quadrillions of creatures who live in its depths.

About the Author :
Susan Casey is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Voices in the Ocean, The Wave and The Devil’s Teeth. She is a National Magazine Award–winning journalist whose work has been featured in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Outside and National Geographic. Casey lives in New York City and Maui.

Review :
A thrilling picture of the weird creatures in the deepest parts of the ocean – and the adventurers who are plumbing our world’s unexplored depths . . . [Casey] shadows scientists and explorers going where, well, no man has gone before . . . Her account of these dives must be described as immersive – as well as adrenaline inducing. Yet what motivates the book is not shallow excitement but heartfelt wonder . . . The weird deep-sea creatures, especially, inspire fine writing. Masterful and mesmerizing, Susan Casey's THE UNDERWORLD is an irresistible mix of splendid scholarship, heart-stopping adventure writing, and vivid, visceral prose. Her book about the ocean's deeps is both uplifting and profound in the literal sense. I was riveted to every page. Casey’s descriptions of the shimmeringly strange life teeming below the waves capture her wonder and ravishment in prose that morphs into poetry . . . enthralling. Not just a knowledgeable guide, Ms. Casey is also a memorable wordsmith . . . [Casey’s] book has more than enough deep-sea biology and geology to dazzle. A fascinating history of mankind's journeys to the depths of the ocean and the intrepid scientists and adventurers who have devoted their lives to the work . . . Casey's book satisfies our greatest curiosities about the mysteries of the ocean. Casey proves to be an exceptional adventurer and chronicler but also a member of a community dedicated to exploration and conservation of our least-understood aquatic wild places. An awe-inspiring journey. [The Underworld] is a fine tour of the history and challenges of exploring this most fantastical and forbidding of earthen worlds. [An] entertaining account . . . wondrous . . . Casey excels at conjuring the “marvelous weirdos” that glide through submersibles' beam. One of the most accurate and vivid portrayals of a deep-sea dive that I have ever read.