A review by shanaqui
Monarchs of the Sea: The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods by Danna Staaf

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Danna Staaf's Monarchs of the Sea is a fascinating tour of the evolution of cephalopods. I'd never quite understood that ammonites were cephalopods before, somehow, so that was a surprise, and I was delighted to read more about them and the diversity of their shells. It'd be nice if some modern cephalopod was evolved from an ammonite, really, but Staaf does suggest it's pretty unlikely.

This is the kind of non-fiction I really enjoy: a deep-dive on a particular subject, not afraid to get into the weeds, and glowing with the author's fascination for the topic. I don't know if I could stomach dissection, but she makes even that sound fascinating -- I bet she's great at teaching it. 

I was especially fascinated by the discussion of the modern cephalopods and what's become of their shells, the very last vestiges thereof. Fun!