In the Kingdom of Ice
The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
Ratings16
Average rating4.6
15
The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
Ratings16
Average rating4.6
A dramatic account of the ill-fated 19th-century naval expedition to the North Pole cites the contributions of German cartographer August Peterman, New York Herald owner James Gordon Bennett and famed naval officer George Washington De Long in the team's efforts to survive brutal environmental conditions.
Reviews with the most likes.
Magnificent, terrible, grand, fascinating.. This account of early American polar exploration is wonderfully written and told. Great adventure!
After I got past the first, maybe, third of the book that sets up the voyage and the expedition actually embarks, I had a problem putting it down. While the very beginning of the book sets up the people, the circumstances, and the history behind the voyage, it got a little dry and boring. The expedition, however, is another story entirely. From their high spirits the very first day to the conclusion I wasn't expecting, I absolutely loved the remaining 2/3rds of the book. Highly, highly recommend, even if you feel the need to skip the first third. I won't judge.
This is just such a fascinating read of a group of truly incredible men venturing into a voyage more difficult than they could ever have imagined. My favourite parts of this book didn't come from the voyage itself though, but all the little tidbits about America in the Gilded age: The 1877 World's Fair which sounded like something out of a steampunk fantasy, the quirky super rich Newspaper editor, the misguided scientific theories causing people to believe that the North Pole might actually be warm, and so on.
I'm typically a sci-fi fantasy reader, but deep down it probably comes down to a fascination with new and unknown worlds. In the 19th Century, the North Pole was just that, and so this book of exploration really can read like a fantasy at times. Knowing it actually happened and that this is all based on meticulous logs makes the story all the more palpable.
I never really gave much attention to Gilded Age history or sailing adventures, but I took a risk on this only because I once read about scientific exploration of the North Pole in a magazine, and it seemed like a fun thing to learn more about. Now I think I might read more about these adventures to fill in the blank spots of the globe. Reading about the risks these people took for the purpose of extending knowledge of science and nature is just so fascinating, I want more now!
Is In the Kingdom of Ice the best nonfiction I've read this year? you ask.
It just might be.
But how can that be? you continue. Didn't you also read the amazing Dead Wake? And Being Mortal?
Yes. And yes.
You prod me, You just can't leave it at that. Tell me more.
But Kingdom of Ice is the incredible true story of some of the bravest men who ever lived, men who tried to take a ship to the North Pole in the 1870's, get trapped in the ice, have to abandon their ship when the vessel sinks, and attempt to travel over sea and land to Siberia in one of the coldest places on earth.
Yes, you say. I see. Now that's a story.
Yes. That's a story.
