Travel writing – Underland by Robert Macfarlane

Submitted: 1st May 2019

Underground secrets of our hidden planet. Underland digs deep in travel writing.

Underland – Robert McFarlane has done something very unique. He’s written a travel book about the wonders of our landscape and nature. Yes, he’s done this before and wonderfully too. Except this time, you get to see the earth and the planet from the eyes of the animals who live underground. Through the eyes of human explorers too of course as he examines the catacombs and other underground caverns around the world. There are worlds beneath our cities we never get to see. But this book reveals them and so much more…

BookTrail Travel to the locations in Underland

#Bookreview

Susan @thebooktrailer

I always enjoy the books Robert Macfarlane writes but this one is my favourite. Ever since I read Alice in Wonderland, I have wanted to go underground and see what’s beneath our feet. I read a lot about the underground in crime fiction but that’s another kind altogether so I was particularly keen to get stuck in with this.

Robert certainly has a nice and assured style to his writing that exudes his passion and love of what he’s writing about. He takes you with him every step of the way and it’s a wonderful journey.

There were so many fine places to visit! Catacombs, glaciers, nuclear waste sites, caves and more besides. This is a very unique travel guide that’s for sure. It’s amazing what you learn without realising you’re doing it. I feel more intelligent for reading this but also more curious and more interested in what lies beneath my feet.

Robert Macfarlane on BBC Breakfast (c)TheBookTrail

I’ve been to a few places in the book but it’s the Catacombs in Paris that chilled me the most. Skulls and skeletons along caverns and in caves ..a spooky site but a one stepped in heritage and history. It’s certainly made me want to travel to more of the places he talks about. He’s an excellent guide and there is a sense of calm, chill and claustrophobia along the way.

He examines the need for travel, for exploration, for people’s fascination with caves and burials, exploration underground. There’s so much packed in yet it never feels like a fact book. Far from it – it’s as if Robert has taken you on a very personal an interesting guide..

Brilliant. I loved it. It’s unique, refreshing and utterly captivating.

Read about how that fantastic cover was designed : robert-macfarlane-working-with-artist-stanley-donwood-for-underland/