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The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It
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57
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
52/100Critics
61/100Scholars
Author:
Helen Scales
Publisher:
Atlantic Monthly Press
Date:
July 6, 2021
A marine biologist explores the extraordinary ecosystem of the deep oceanâa realm about which we know less than we do about the Moonâand shows how protecting rather than exploiting it will benefit mankind.
What The Reviewers Say
... the book’s purview is technically all of history, but the incredible paucity of interaction people have had with the deep sea means that most of the information here takes the form of news delivered as a dire, last-minute warning.
... it’s so comprehensive and insightful that it will be a long time before it’s surpassed.
... an enjoyable and accessible introduction to the deep sea, told with a passion that I found infectious. The stories of life’s struggle for survival beneath the waves are compelling and Scales is particularly evocative when describing hydrothermal vents. I would have liked to read more about bioluminescence and the creatures that use it to dazzle predators and prey alike, however, and the book can become lost in detail when it leaves the deep, such as a pages-long digression about batteries. Overall, though, Scales brings to life this important part of our planet. What happens there is something we should all be concerned about..
The Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher chronicles the unlikely friendship between a South African naturalist and an octopus.
