Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures

Entangled Life is a deeply interesting and layman accessible survey course on the ubiquitous fungi surrounding us by Dr. Merlin Sheldrake. Due out 12th May from Random House, it's 368 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The layout is logical and easy to follow. Beginning by defining the characteristics of fungi (not just mushrooms!) the author carefully builds up to larger interconnections and the roles fungi and fungal systems carry out in their respective ecosystems. It was surprisingly easy for me (a non-mycologist) to follow, and felt at times like an engaging narrative as the very best nature/science writing does. It's richly footnoted and full of links and bibliography resources for further reading. There is also a charming amount of poetic whimsy and philosophy encapsulated in the author's prose. It's a pleasant and heady mix and I enjoyed it very much.

Educational and edifying without being stodgy or tedious, I learned a lot and came away from the book with a much deeper appreciation of the finely tuned and wondrously interconnected web of life encompassing all of us. I would absolutely recommend this one to fans of science/nature writing, and especially to fans of Stephen Jay Gould and similar.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.