The secret world of fungi feels like an entirely different kingdom, a place with its own rules, where organisms appear unbidden in dazzling reds, greens and otherworldly forms that seem almost alien. Yet despite their strangeness, fungi underpin nearly every part of life on Earth. The famous wood wide web connects trees through an underground network; decomposer fungi break down fallen leaves and trunks to feed the forest; and countless insects, birds and mammals depend on them for survival.

Fungi give us some of the world’s most luxurious foods, yet they also offer the promise of affordable protein for everyone. They heal us, they harm us, they kill, and they cure. They are ecological specialists of astonishing complexity, their diversity both thrilling and bewildering.

In this richly observed exploration, Professor Richard Fortey, lifelong field mycologist and acclaimed science writer, draws on decades spent studying fungi in woods, fields and wild landscapes. Beginning with the perfect ‘fungus day’ - savouring ceps in Piedmont, he leads us into the remarkable variety of the fungal kingdom: the brown rotters and the white, the ethereal earthstars, the lethal death caps, the dung lovers, parasites and even fungi that seem to travel through trees like mycelial monkeys.

We discover why a giant puffball releases more spores than there are stars in the known universe, why fetid stinkhorns resemble visitors from a distant planet, and how one fungus turns flies into zombies. Fortey celebrates truffe de Périgord, the subterranean delicacy beloved by gourmets, and introduces fungi that clean up metallic waste as effectively as any industrial process.

Amid these many extraordinary encounters, the book grapples with the central questions: What exactly are fungi? Why did their unique methods of reproduction elude scientists for so long? And what crucial role have they played in the evolution of life on Earth?

A captivating journey into a kingdom more species-rich than plants or animals, this immersive, scientifically grounded book transports readers from the familiar to the astonishingly strange, revealing the profound importance, beauty and mystery of fungi. Perfect for readers seeking nature writing on fungi, books about mycology, science of the wood wide web, and deep dives into biodiversity.