You do not have to wander to far through any town to find a human abandonment site.

A house left open to the elements or a pile of industrial equipment rusting away and then, after a little time, you come to find that nature returns. Trees and ivy, insects and other animals all create new homes in this wasted space.

In Cal Flyn's excellent book you are transported around the world from Scotland to Cyprus, Chernobyl to the Caribbean, delving into the depths of those places where humans have been but have now disappeared.

What struck me most powerfully with this book was the positive message that Cal is trying to convey. Nature abhors a vacuum and even when us humans leave, it finds a way to carve itself back into the landscape.

What is especially hopeful is that new flora and fauna is a being found in these barren places. An absorbing read for those who love nature in all its glory.