Squid

Animal Series

by Martin Wallen

In myths and legends, squids are portrayed as fearsome sea-monsters, lurking in the watery deeps waiting to devour humans. Even as modern science has tried to turn those monsters of the deep into unremarkable calamari, squids continue to dominate the nightmares of the Western imagination. Taking inspiration from early weird fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, modern writers such as Jeff VanderMeer depict squids as the absolute Other of human civilization, while non-Western poets such as Daren Kamali depict squids as anything but threats. In Squid , Martin Wallen traces the many different ways humans have thought about and pictured this predatory as guardians, harbingers of environmental collapse, or an untapped resource to be exploited. No matter how we have perceived them, squids have always gazed back at us, unblinking, from the dark.

Genres: Nonfiction

231 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2021

Reviews

[Sebastian Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and enjoyable read for anyone who wants some more niche knowledge on squids. I loved the intersection of humanities and science throughout the book, and how the author explored how the two have influenced each other for millennia.

[Steve Ellerhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb follow-up to Fox. Wallen nails it yet again.

[Carol Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating book about everything to do with the squid. There is history, science, philosophy and literature as well as some great illustrations - but no recipes.