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The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean Hardcover – August 1, 2023

by Susan Casey (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 417 ratings
Editors' pick Best Books of the Year 2023
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From bestselling author Susan Casey, an awe-inspiring portrait of the mysterious world beneath the waves, and the men and women who seek to uncover its secrets

“An irresistible mix of splendid scholarship, heart-stopping adventure writing, and vivid, visceral prose." —Sy Montgomery, New York Times best-selling author of The Soul of an Octopus

For all of human history, the deep ocean has been a source of wonder and terror, an unknown realm that evoked a singular, compelling question: What’s down there? Unable to answer this for centuries, people believed the deep was a sinister realm of fiendish creatures and deadly peril. But now, cutting-edge technologies allow scientists and explorers to dive miles beneath the surface, and we are beginning to understand this strange and exotic underworld:  A place of soaring mountains, smoldering volcanoes, and valleys 7,000 feet deeper than Everest is high, where tectonic plates collide and separate, and extraordinary life forms operate under different rules. Far from a dark void, the deep is a vibrant realm that’s home to pink gelatinous predators and shimmering creatures a hundred feet long and ancient animals with glass skeletons and sharks that live for half a millennium—among countless other marvels.

Susan Casey is our premiere chronicler of the aquatic world. For The Underworld she traversed the globe, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet, interviewing the marine geologists, marine biologists, and oceanographers who are searching for knowledge in this vast unseen realm. She takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the myths and legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom, to the first intrepid bathysphere pilots, to the scientists who are just beginning to understand the mind-blowing complexity and ecological importance of the quadrillions of creatures who live in realms long thought to be devoid of life.

Throughout this journey, she learned how vital the deep is to the future of the planet, and how urgent it is that we understand it in a time of increasing threats from climate change, industrial fishing, pollution, and the mining companies that are also exploring its depths. The Underworld is Susan Casey’s most beautiful and thrilling book yet, a gorgeous evocation of the natural world and a powerful call to arms.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Doubleday
  4. Publication date
    August 1, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    6.34 x 1.34 x 9.53 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0385545576
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0385545570
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

an awe-inspiring journey

prose that morphs into poetry...enthralling says boston globe

satisfies our greatest curiosities about the mysteries of the ocean says time

one of the most accurate and vivid portraylas of a deep sea dive says science magazine

more than enough deep sea biology and geology to dazzle says the wall street journal

casey proves to be an exceptional adventurer and chronicler says the LA Times

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of August 2023: After news of the doomed submersible, Titan, captured airwaves, I couldn’t understand why anyone would take such a dangerous journey. But after reading Susan Casey’s enchanting new book, I couldn’t stop thinking about who wouldn’t want to explore the bioluminescent creatures, “splendid goblins,” and active volcanoes that can be found in the hidden worlds 30,000 feet under the sea. The deep ocean (below 600 feet) comprises 65 percent of the earth’s surface and 95 percent of its living space—and yet, more than 80 percent is still unknown to humans. “Maybe we shouldn’t just ignore a big chunk of our own planet?” Casey asks, and her excitement is contagious as we follow her, ocean-loving billionaires, and the brave and bold aquanauts who open us to the awe, splendor, and “delightful horror” of the sea, the “epic poem of the earth,” the cradle of human life. “The ocean simmers with magic,” Casey writes. You’ll be totally immersed in this so-close, yet-so-far destination, “earth’s secret party, its grandest and liveliest spectacle.”—Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor

Review

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"An awe-inspiring journey."—People

“Casey’s descriptions of the shimmeringly strange life teeming below the waves capture her wonder and ravishment in prose that morphs into poetry … enthralling.”
—The Boston Globe

“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.”
—Wall Street Journal

“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.”
—Time
 
“In [The Underworld] 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.”
—Los Angeles Times

“[The Underworld] is a fine tour of the history and challenges of exploring this most fantastical and forbidding of earthen worlds.”
—The Washington Post

“[An] entertaining account…wondrous…Casey excels at conjuring the “marvelous weirdos” that glide through submersibles' beam." —Scientific American

“One of the most accurate and vivid portrayals of a deep-sea dive that I have ever read”
—Science Magazine

“A thrilling and enlightening exploration of the deepest parts of the world’s oceans, featuring some of the most daring aquanauts using cutting-edge technology to make discoveries that boggle the mind”
—The Explorers Journal

"Is Susan Casey the next Rachel Carson? Yes. Her latest book, The Underworld: Journeys to the Depth of the Ocean, establishes her as the latest in the lineage of great ocean interpreters that began with Carson’s Under the Sea-Wind ... Casey’s narrative is so cinematic we begin to feel the awe, wonder and excitement of the abyss." —Rachel Carson Council

"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."
—Sy Montgomery, author of The New York Times bestseller THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS

"Prepare to submerge. Susan Casey is a reporter in a league of her own. She will go anywhere to get her story. This one is full of astounding news, great characters, wondrous explorations, and a full measure of outrage. Deep-sea mining, you will come to understand, must be stopped."
—William Finnegan, author of Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday (August 1, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385545576
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385545570
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.48 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.34 x 1.34 x 9.53 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 417 ratings

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Susan Casey

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
417 global ratings
new from maritime author Susan Casey
5 Stars
new from maritime author Susan Casey
Susan Casey interviews submersible pilots and becomes an aquanaut. This book is fascinating, enlightening, and well-researched. Readers will learn about zones below the epipelagic, bioluminescence, underwater volcanoes, manganese nodules on the sea floor, and much more. Give Casey a medal for deep-sea reporting!
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Top reviews from the United States

P WILTON
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely well written and now I'm extremely well informed.
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
I heard an interview with Casey on NPR. A question to her was; Why do we (landlubbers) spend do much money on space and yet we know so little of about our oceans? Her reply; Because you can see as far as you can into space, but you cant see below the water. I was sold. Bough the book and it's magnificent. Ive even joined Ocean X.
From the history of ancient mariners to 2022, from oceanography, to geography, to outstanding technologies, to impossible feats, this book holds back on nothing and makes you want to keep turning the pages. It's a real Boys/Girls own adventure story, from the beginning to the end, and more. Why aren't we as a race exploring the depths of this planet. We only know a minuscule of what is happening down there under the surface, where there are mountains bigger than Everest and Volcanoes fiercer than Etna. Where life starts, thrives and survives, and while all this life is doing all this, these micro creatures clean the carbon in our air every single night of every single day. It's an amazing read. Buy it, read it, you will be amazed how much you will like this book and how much you will learn. Wish I could write like this.
14 people found this helpful
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TW
5.0 out of 5 stars Deep and vast
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2024
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This author is such a great writer. Each of her books is rich in detail and infused with her curious, indomitable spirit. A fascinating read.
2 people found this helpful
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Mark Orlando
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Writing by The Author
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2024
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Susan Casey does an amazing job with words! While I'm not an ocean person, I liked the history she unveiled in this book. The photos were at the end of the book and I was disappointed she wasn't in any of them. Sfill, a very good read.
2 people found this helpful
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Mr.Bill
5.0 out of 5 stars The Underworld - this book would make Jules Verne jealous!
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
My desire to read this book stems from my fascination with Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I was also a fan of the television show Sea Hunt. Two extremes, right? As I got older, I realized that funding a research sub to explore the depths was probably not going to happen, but as Mike Nelson (Lloyd Bridges) on Sea Hunt showed me, I could learn to SCUBA dive. Although this book, The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean, is closer to a Capt. Nemo adventure than Sea Hunt 😉. Author and narrator Susan Casey brings her first-person experience and excitement to this book that I believe would even make Jules Verne envious. It is an excellent description of the extremely dangerous exploration of the deep oceans by the men and women who have dedicated their lives and, in many cases, their personal fortunes to bring the adventure and the science to the rest of us. If you've ever had the desire to explore inner space, this book is a must-read. -Mr.Bill
2 people found this helpful
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evan
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024
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Casey has an amazing ability to capture the beauty of the undersea world in a way that captivates the mind and soul and takes us along with her on the journey of exploration and understanding. I’ll never think of our oceans the same way again.
One person found this helpful
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Amber
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024
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A fascinating book learning about the deepest parts of the ocean and the people who explore these uncharted places. Susan Casey is always a fantastic guide on everything and makes this book a compulsive page turner. I loved it but I love all her books on the ocean and once you’ve read one you will want more! An incredible writer if you’re at all interested in the ocean this is a must read!
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Kogasan
5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Awe and Adventure
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024
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Wonderful story telling; like being there. A mental journey of discovery, knowledge and new awareness. I don’t know anyone who would not be entranced by this treatise. Reading this story will be one of the better decisions you could make.
One person found this helpful
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Dee
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024
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Interesting read
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Top reviews from other countries

JR in Kingston
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2024
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Not only is this a great book about the ocean but the author is superbly able to communicate her passion and wonder in compelling prose. There were sentences that I re-read a few times because they just jumped off the page. Read this if you are interested in the subject but also if you want to know what great writing looks like.
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