Underground

Praise

“Provocative and satisfying . . . Will Hunt taps into our deep fascination with what lies beneath the surface of things by exploring, quite literally, what’s going on beneath the surface. . . . By the end of your excursion through Underground . . . you may never look at a hole in the ground in quite the same way again.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Dynamic and engaging . . . [Hunt’s] clear excitement about this information is contagious. . . . Underground is a thoughtful, inquisitive book. Hunt approaches the subject with an unusual dedication and open-mindedness that is difficult to resist. . . . These traits, alongside the striking photography that appears throughout the book, makes Hunt’s debut an admirable and successful one.”—NPR

“As Hunt’s journey progresses, you get the sense these forays are about more than just an adrenaline rush. What Hunt is really chasing, through the muck and darkness and stench and clammy cold, is a story of shared humanity.”—Vice

“It’s Hunt’s deeply personal connection to [the underground] that enlivens this endlessly fascinating book.”—The Toronto Star

“Unclassifiably brilliant.”—Nature

“Caves, catacombs, and tunnels come alive in this unusual guide to the surprising marvels and mysteries below us. . . . Hunt, who was first drawn underground as a curious child, finds plenty to appreciate, including ancient and modern artworks, signs of life’s beginnings on earth, and a sense of the transcendent.”—The Christian Science Monitor

“An unusual and intriguing travel book . . . Without belaboring the point, Hunt alludes to conjecture that all of life might have started underground, that it retains a revelatory diversity, and that the level below the Earth could be a womb as well as a tomb. Ultimately, he compellingly examines ‘how much of our existence remains in mystery, how much of reality continues to elude us, and how much deeper our world runs beyond what we know.’ A vivid illumination of the dark and an effective evocation of its profound mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A fascinating journey that transcends culture and time, linking modern and ancient practices to create a colorful mosaic. . . . [Hunt’s] excitement at traveling beneath the earth is infectious . . . a lively, informative read that nicely balances adventure with anthropology and science.”—Shelf Awareness

“A thoughtful and often romantic examination of humanity’s relationship to underground spaces. . . . This is no travel guide, but a historical and philosophical examination the dual nature of what’s beneath us: since the birth of civilization, the underground has been a subject of fascination and fear, a symbol of birth and of death, of deprivation and of abundance, for the humans who walk above it. It remains a mystery, but this book brings us a little closer to illuminating the darkness.”—Lit Hub