Book Review

Review by William Rossiter

Creatures of the Deep: In Search of the Sea's "Monsters" and the World They Live In, by Erich Hoyt, Firefly Books, October 2001

Creatures of the Deep took me on a trip a while ago, far below any place I will ever see, to experience the wonders of deep-sea life and the hunting ground of whales and dolphins. Without leaving my comfortable chair I felt like I was in a deep-sea submersible, enthralled and wanting to learn more. The journey was easy and fun, because of the way Hoyt writes. The facts were clear and simple, given with an expert's ease. The whole picture of a mysterious realm came together, while leaving any future scientist convinced that there were lifetimes of opportunities left to study. Lots of people must agree, because Hoyt's Creatures of the Deep has been named "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Inc. (ASJA) for a "nonfiction trade book either alone or added to a body of work which is deemed highly significant".

"With good science and history and a clear, fresh voice, Hoyt guides the reader straight down the ocean to the bottom and least known part of Earth."
- Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor at Harvard, author of The Diversity of Life, Consilience, and the Pulitzer-prize winners On Human Nature and The Ants (with Bert Hölldobler)

"Erich Hoyt is a master storyteller with a scientist's eye for detail, weaving weird and wonderful facts and figures into a page-turning story of adventure."
- Mark Carwardine, zoologist, writer, BBC broadcaster and photographer

Hoyt is a Canadian-American author and marine naturalist who lives in North Berwick, Scotland. Creatures of the Deep is Hoyt's 13th book. You've probably read Orca: The Whale Called Killer, Meeting the Whales and Riding with the Dolphins (Firefly Books), and Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises (HarperCollins). If not, you should.