Erich Hoyt’s Creatures of the Deep ($40 cloth, 1-55209-340-9, 160 pp., Firefly Books) guides readers down through the layers of a world often imagined yet rarely seen. From surface waters to the oceans’ blackest depths, Hoyt sheds light on the myths surrounding the “monsters” that call the ocean their home. The book offers an accessible overview of the mysterious geography of the ocean floor, providing detailed descriptions of such underwater locales as the abyssal plains and hadal trenches (the deepest points in the ocean) and descriptions of the unique physical characteristics and habits of a myriad of sea creatures from giant squids to viperfish. Hoyt also includes a pithy recounting of nautical history, with details of the first deep-sea dives and research methods of such deep-sea pioneers as Jacques Piccard and William Beebe.

The most striking element of Creatures of the Deep are the more than 150 colour photographs that capture everything from sea cucumbers to vampire squids in all their watery glory. These images, coupled with Hoyt’s often playful accompanying descriptions, succeed in presenting the most fearsome of underwater life as creatures of mystery and intrigue. Rachel Robb