I bought a copy of this because I thought I needed to be able to access the color pictures in the book while I listened to the audiobook to fully appreciate it. This is not the case at all--Flyn's prose is so lush and full that the pictures don't do her words justice! That said, I'm still glad I own a copy because this will be re-read for sure.

Flyn covers the more obvious places that we first think of when we think of disasters due to human involvement--places blighted by war (Cyprus, France), nuclear disasters (Chernobyl), and volcanic eruptions (Caribbean island of Montserrat). But she also discusses places subjected to slower changes-devastating mining operations (Scotland), economic upheavals (Detroit, Paterson NJ), abandonment of farming/husbandry sites (Estonia, Scotland), and colonization (Tanzania). She closes with one place that has undergone multiple transformations due to various human interferences (Salton Sea, CA) and wonders if overcorrection of environmental changes might not be the best solution, reminding us that nature will take its course no matter what we do.

These are just the places featured in the chapter titles, within each chapter Flyn weaves in other stories of dozens (dis)similar abandoned places into the narrative seamlessly and with gorgeous prose. She also references cultural explorations of disaster in movies and books in an enjoyable way. Even if they're new to you, you will be intrigued to watch/read them without missing much from her narrative.

She also perfectly blends the science writing and the memoir bits as she personally travels to all of these places. The balance between the two was excellent--she leans more towards the science writing and avoids the longwinded expositions that didn't add much. This is almost endemic in this genre, unfortunately, and Flyn sidesteps it with grace and ease.

If you're truly panicked about global destruction, I wouldn't dive into this one, as Flyn pulls no punches about the facts. But if you understand climate change is inevitable and you're curious to see what our new world might look like via changes are happening already in corners of the planet, then this is the read for you.