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
I had two absolute favorite reads for this theme! In 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. Eerie and unnerving, this one manages to balance a slow-burn narrative (featuring just two unreliable main characters) with taut suspense. In The Revelator by Daryl Gregory, set in 1930s Tennessee, a young girl wanders into a cavern and encounters the family’s personal god, an entity known as Ghostdaddy. The Southern Gothic vibes are strong, not least because of how atmospheric this book feels.
I was also a fan of The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper. In this book, after the woman she loves vanishes, a homeless woman follows a taloned monster underground and infiltrates a cult to retrieve her. The story has a relentless pace that may make it tough to follow at first, but it’s worth sticking with for the dizzying eldritch turn it all takes.
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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