Another month, another themed list! Thanks in particular this month to the “Spooky Book Club” and “Horror Books” Facebook groups for caves-themed book recs.
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Book Recs
- The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
A young woman lies on her resume to land a solo caving job, only to find herself at the whim of the female handler managing her protective suit. - The Revelator by Daryl Gregory
In 1930s Tennessee, a young girl wanders into a cavern and encounters the family’s personal god, an entity known as Ghostdaddy. - The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper
After the woman she loves vanishes, a homeless woman follows a taloned monster underground and infiltrates a cult to retrieve her. - “The Enigma of Amigara Fault” by Junji Ito
A young man travels into the mountains to investigate the strange human-shaped holes that have appeared there. (It’s a manga!)
Caves in the 19th Century
Mammoth Cave by Marie-François-Régis Gignoux (1816-1882)
“What looks like a roaring fire actually is a number of the open-flame lamps brought together, which put out a great deal of smoke.”
See the article “Historic Paintings of Mammoth Cave: Nature’s Underground Art Gallery” by Bob Thomson for more.
” . . . although I sometimes remained in it from eight to ten hours at a time, I never felt the slightest discomfort from the darkness or any other cause.”
– David Hunter Strother (pseudonym “Porte Crayon”)
The Adventures of Porte Crayon and His Cousins (1850s), Chapter III: Weyer’s Cave
From an 1852 Tourist Pamphlet
“Weyer’s Cave must be seen to be known. . . . No one can visit it, however sanguine his expectations, without expressing himself delighted . . . In visiting the Cave, Ladies should be provided with thin shawls and with thick shoes.”
Links
“Ted the Caver” by Ted Hegemann – Via his online diary, a man excavates an unexplored cave with friends. But as he presses on, the entries deteriorate into something more disturbing. (This horror story, self-pub’d in 2001, was among the earliest “creepypasta.”)
Robbie Shone’s “Ask Me Anything” Thread on Reddit – Shone is a Nat Geo photographer with a focus on caves, which pose a unique challenge (not least because they’re pitch black).
“Lost John’s Cave“ in the Magnus Archive – A paranormal researcher investigates a case where a caving enthusiast claims to have lost her sister on an excursion.
“Sharks in the dark” by Hodnett et al. – This academic article outlines a search for ancient marine vertebrates in the world’s longest cave system.
Black Guides of Mammoth Cave – This documentary covers the history and legacy of Black guides at Mammoth Cave since the 19th century.
Did you enjoy the list?
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