Maxim Samson's book, Earth Shapers, is a standout in the recent wave of books that explore the intersection of geography, history, and politics. While Tim Marshall's Prisoners of Geography and its sequel The Power of Geography offer a compelling, and at times entertaining, argument for geographical determinism, Samson presents a more nuanced and profound view. He challenges the idea that humanity is merely a captive of its physical environment. Instead, Samson's work, like Paul Richardson's Myths of Geography, argues that we are active participants in shaping our world. This serious and scholarly tone is one of the book's most compelling features, providing a deeper intellectual experience than some of its more populist counterparts.

Samson's examples are both wide-ranging and fascinating, showcasing how human ingenuity and action have fundamentally altered landscapes and, in turn, history. He explores the astounding Incan road system, the transformative construction of the Panama Canal, and the geopolitical implications of Mozambique's colonial railways. Samson also delves into lesser-known stories, such as the sacred Baekdu-daegan mountain range in Korea and the ongoing efforts of the Great Green Wall in Africa. The book's strength lies in its ability to present these diverse case studies as a cohesive narrative of human agency. It's an appreciation of the serious tone and detailed research that makes Earth Shapers a must-read for anyone interested in how we have truly "mastered" and reshaped the world. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking out for similar future works by the author.

This book also managed to use the word "palimpsest" even more often than Richard Dawkins in "The Genetic Book of the Dead" and I thought that could not be done.

#EarthShapers #NetGalley

This was a fascinating read! Grounded in really strong research but also accessible and readable for those outside of the field.

The book is split into chapters, each of which focuses on a different example of what the author calls ‘Earth Shaping’. Examples include the Panama Canal, THE LINE (in Saudi Arabia) and railways in Mozambique.

The discussion of the way railways were constructed in the colonial period (purely for extraction of raw materials and minerals and exploitation of labour- and therefore of very little benefit to local populations) was the topic I knew most about due to my own academic studies and it was well covered in this book. I thought that the legacy that this has left in many communities in the post colonial period was also covered well.

I liked the contrast made between infrastructure projects like this and projects like the Great Green Wall in the modern day Sahel covered in a later chapter. Projects that rely on expertise of local people and give power to communities to make the decisions they know are best for their environments are most successful.

The chapter I found most interesting was about THE LINE, a planned city in Saudi Arabia. I knew nothing at all about this project before this book and found it FASCINATING (…and also in many ways disturbing). As someone who is a big sports fan and has been interested in sportswashing by the Saudi state for some time, the discussion of the way the Saudi state is trying to market itself in general (especially in relation to greenwashing) was very interesting.

Overall I think this was a great read and is accessible and interesting enough to be read by non academics and people outside the field of Geography or related fields.

Thank you very much to Profile Books and NetGalley for the Arc!

Do we choose the path that already exists, or create a new one instead?

This was the first book I’ve read by the author. First, the book’s first line immediately grabs your attention. It’s very detailed, full of terminology and information. I think readers who are interested in geography, history, and nonfiction will really enjoy this book. I gave it a try, it made even someone like me, who doesn’t usually enjoy this genre, love it

This is an ARC review. I appreciate receiving this copy from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.