The Savage Landscape: An Evolution of Wilderness

by Cal Flyn

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Islands of Abandonment, comes a new book about our relationship to the natural world.

This book takes us into the wild – deep into dark forests, to the top of mountains and into the heart of deserts. It addresses our deep yearnings to be awed and inspired by landscapes that remain beyond our reach and examines what nature gets up to in the absence of humans.

In 10 chapters, each loosely structured around a visit to some of the world’s wildest and most invigorating landscapes, the book asks provocative questions about the nature of wilderness and how wild places might best be appreciated or preserved.

These locations have been chosen for their physical beauty, their perceived isolation, and the moral or emotional complexity of the human stories that can be found there. In this search for wilderness, we will meet ascetics in search of theophany in the desert; lonely shepherds seeing off wolves under the stars; missionaries preaching from shacks deep in the jungle; wise lamas meditating under lofty mountain peaks.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Environment, Travel

440 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2026

Reviews

[Andy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the exception of the last chapter, this is not nearly as strong as Flyn's first book, Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape. It is much more like a travel diary of her visits to various wildernesses around the world. Largely absent are the interactions with local people. She also, perhaps understandably, comes across much more as a tourist, whereas in her first book she wrote with much more authority about the islands she visited.

The last chapter is set in the Cairngorms, and much more the sort of writing that I enjoyed so much in IoA.

She remains, in my view, a young writer of great ability, and I look forward to her next project.

Wolves, bears, the wild beasts of all kinds: those that frighten us, thrill us, go bump in the night. It's what's missing, they say, from the tight-leashed land: those lamplight eyes in the dark.
Without them, without that element of fear, however faint or unformed, our relationship with the land is incomplete.
'If wildlife is removed,' the environmental historian Roderick Nash has argued, 'although everything else remains visibly the same, the intensity of the sense of wilderness is diminished!’
In other words: the fear is a part of it.

[one.too.many.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A non-fiction book which explores wilderness, or the places one might see as wilderness. We follow the author to some truly magical places and the descriptions were wonderful, I could really see them in my mind and wanted to find out more. Antarctica, Iceland, the forests of Romania, Yellowstone National Park, the Amazon rainforest, the Scottish Highlands, only to name a few.

This was very educational for me. An interesting, thought provoking read that is asking questions around what is conservation of wilderness and nature, how we can achieve that. I love nature and the idea of vast wilderness, what that means and how different this can look. Some of the aspects of wilderness and nature conservation were entirely new to me and I enjoyed learning about these.

I listened to this on audio and with the author narrating it herself it felt extra special. There are also some great pictures in the physical copy.

A truly fascinating, informative and interesting non-fiction read. I highly recommend!

[Olderlight · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a few books - and it probably is only a few - that even within the first few pages you begin to understand that this is one you’ll be returning to any number of times. Nan Shepherd’s 'The Living Mountain' is one such; Cal’s previous book 'Islands of Abandonment' has already been added to my own short list; a list to which 'The Savage Landscape' will become an addition.

Invariably, on closing the book for a while, your first reflection will likely be that something has been learnt; the second will be that there will be more to come when you next pick it up. I’m thinking that many will have read Cal’s previous book 'Islands of Abandonment'; for those who haven’t I would definitely recommend adding it to your ‘what to read next’ list.

Cal is a writer who likes to confront difficult subjects (and frequently situations) both figuratively and literally. The task of following 'Islands of Abandonment' would have been a daunting one, but that high bar has been met. If I had to summarise (not an easy ask when trying to do justice to both book and author) I would probably say be prepared to have perceptions challenged, sometimes altered, and all while enjoying the originality and quality of the writing.

[Sean Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really loved this at first, and was well on the way to giving it a full five stars. Beautifully written, spiritual but not cloyingly so, and full of incredibly challenging ideas and revelations about the cost of conservation. The first three quarters of the book is some of the most enjoyable I've read in a while.

And then, for me at least, it just trailed off a bit. I understood the need to go to the Antarctic but found it somewhat uninteresting after the earlier chapters. The chapter Gods of the High ground just lacked focus and I can barely remember it. And the conclusion didn't bring it all together in the way it could have. It just sort of drifted away from me.

I'd still recommend it though, the failings may be mine and there's a lot of really good, thought provoking stuff here. Also - what a great idea for a book!

[Timothy Beecroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written and profound meditation on what wilderness is (does it even exist?) and what it means for both its inhabitants (and yes, they do or did exist) and for the rest of us.

Those of us who have read Cal Flyn’s previous book “Islands of Abandonment” (and if you haven’t you must) will know that with her as our guide she will take us to extraordinary places (from Mount Sinai to Antarctica via the Amazon and many other points in between) write brilliantly about what she is seeing, learning, experiencing and thinking, get herself into a variety of scrapes and help us think about things in a new light.

Even more philosophically deep, personally revealing and heartfelt that her previous book, “The Savage Landscape” is a major achievement. And a gripping read. Can’t recommend it highly
enough.”

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply thoughtful exploration of the concept of wilderness that takes you on physical journey through time and across continents. The book calmly confronts uncomfortable realities and questions assumptions about wilderness, nature and the environment that have been widely accepted, even promoted, for decades. There is a clear focus on the importance of indigenous people and communities. Full of fascinating detail, for me the chapters on Romania, the Amazon and Yellowstone were highlights.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boiling over with thought-provoking observations, The Savage Landscape offers a discomfiting yet necessary look at the tensions and contradictions that underlie nature conservation. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2026...

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This must be one of the best modern books on the concept of Wilderness.

Cal Flynn articulates everything I have ever thought but never been able to verbalise about the wild in beautiful, factual and metaphysical way.