A lyrical exploration of underground, in all sorts of senses, from potholing in England to trekking across a barren Norwegian island in search of palaeolithic rock art. It’s an amazing journey to be taken on.

And the writing is quite amazing in many places. I’ve never been a caver (I used to be a rock climber), but the claustrophobia of some of the caving exploits made me squirm and get almost panicky even though I was sitting out in the sunshine. The description of the Paris necropolis and the way it’s now a centre for an alternative nightlife is almost beyond belief, and Macfarlane’s descriptions of artic villages and treacherous mountains are equally vivd and engrossing. This is one of the few books that really draws the reader in, like standing alongside the author in his adventures. Not to be missed.

5/5. Finished Saturday 12 October, 2019.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)