... 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.

... enthralling and richly expressed and highlights how closely our lives depend on the deep.

A fascinating international glimpse of Earth’s last frontier that will draw in readers concerned for the health of our oceans..

In The Brilliant Abyss, the erudite Helen Scales explains why the ocean is so important and valuable an asset to our planet and to our survival.

... brave enough to risk a darker and, in some ways, more satisfying tone.

An investigative foray into the world of deep-sea waters with a veteran marine biologist.

... [a] show-stopping work.