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emilybryk's review against another edition
5.0
So first, before anything else, my absolute #1 genre is historical disasters. Specifically historical disasters involving ships or exploration -- ideally a whaleship, yeah, but I can be flexible.
I could not get enough of this. Could. Not. I plagued my husband by going on and on about this book for an entire drive to and from a ski trip, plus up every single lift ride. "And then the rescue ship didn't come, but they still had all this extra food! And then they went out on these sledges! And then! And then!" I gave my fourth block chemistry class updates on it. "There's a bonus shipwreck!" I called my mother.
That said, I'm being a ghoul here. Because this is 100% a horrifying story. It is awful. It's gut-wrenching. It will make you feel awful for reading it while eating pretzels or sitting in a comfortable house while it's chilly outside. And I recognize that and have some feelings about it.
But.
I could not get enough of this. Could. Not. I plagued my husband by going on and on about this book for an entire drive to and from a ski trip, plus up every single lift ride. "And then the rescue ship didn't come, but they still had all this extra food! And then they went out on these sledges! And then! And then!" I gave my fourth block chemistry class updates on it. "There's a bonus shipwreck!" I called my mother.
That said, I'm being a ghoul here. Because this is 100% a horrifying story. It is awful. It's gut-wrenching. It will make you feel awful for reading it while eating pretzels or sitting in a comfortable house while it's chilly outside. And I recognize that and have some feelings about it.
But.
rose_f_9's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.0
fish_beholder's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I knew nothing about this expedition, but by the end I was deeply moved by their grit and determination. The fact that
<They refused to give up on the days they had collected, they knew how valuable it was and that it was the whole reason for them to be up there dying in the first place, and we still use it today>
gave me chills and made me sob. That kind of devotion should be honored.
<They refused to give up on the days they had collected, they knew how valuable it was and that it was the whole reason for them to be up there dying in the first place, and we still use it today>
gave me chills and made me sob. That kind of devotion should be honored.
pferdina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Adolphus Greely and 25 men sailed to Lady Franklin Bay in the Canadian arctic in 1881, built Fort Conger, achieved the Farthest North and the Farthest West, and relief ships failed to reach them for two years. At that point, Greely rounded up the men and started south, ending up stranded on a tiny piece of land for 8 months. They ran out of food eventually. Nineteen of the group died, one was executed for stealing food. Finally they were rescued in June 1884.
bookrunner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
altlovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
"Did what I came to do."
Polar expeditions are my nonfiction guilty pleasure. [b:In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette|20897517|In the Kingdom of Ice The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette|Hampton Sides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395935993l/20897517._SY75_.jpg|28027377] was my first, and I've consumed a few others since then. They never get old, and I never tire of reading about these brave people who want to go where nobody else dared.
What I liked about this book specifically is how well it dovetails with [b:In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette|20897517|In the Kingdom of Ice The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette|Hampton Sides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395935993l/20897517._SY75_.jpg|28027377]. This book follows the Greely expedition, which departs after De Long and the Jeanette have gone missing but before word of their eventual fate reaches back home. One of Greely's goals, actually, was to uncover any information about the Jeannette, while also attempting to reach furthest north and discover a viable northern sea route. He does not actually discover anything, but I liked the way this book fits nicely with the other story of another doomed polar expedition.
I also liked how this book starts immediately at the beginning of the voyage. There's something to be said for cutting out all the "how did we get here" backstory that the other polar expedition books I've read had in spades, and getting right into the thick of things. It was refreshing getting to know the players of the voyage, while also almost immediately reading about their polar and personnel problems.
If someone were to ask me for the one book about a polar expedition book I've read that I'd recommend to someone who had never read one before, I think this would be it. Action, drama, near misses, bears, attempted mutiny, food store pilfering, frostbite, insubordination, implied cannibalism, the eating of shoes, this book has all that and more. It's really entertaining!
Polar expeditions are my nonfiction guilty pleasure. [b:In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette|20897517|In the Kingdom of Ice The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette|Hampton Sides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395935993l/20897517._SY75_.jpg|28027377] was my first, and I've consumed a few others since then. They never get old, and I never tire of reading about these brave people who want to go where nobody else dared.
What I liked about this book specifically is how well it dovetails with [b:In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette|20897517|In the Kingdom of Ice The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette|Hampton Sides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395935993l/20897517._SY75_.jpg|28027377]. This book follows the Greely expedition, which departs after De Long and the Jeanette have gone missing but before word of their eventual fate reaches back home. One of Greely's goals, actually, was to uncover any information about the Jeannette, while also attempting to reach furthest north and discover a viable northern sea route. He does not actually discover anything, but I liked the way this book fits nicely with the other story of another doomed polar expedition.
I also liked how this book starts immediately at the beginning of the voyage. There's something to be said for cutting out all the "how did we get here" backstory that the other polar expedition books I've read had in spades, and getting right into the thick of things. It was refreshing getting to know the players of the voyage, while also almost immediately reading about their polar and personnel problems.
If someone were to ask me for the one book about a polar expedition book I've read that I'd recommend to someone who had never read one before, I think this would be it. Action, drama, near misses, bears, attempted mutiny, food store pilfering, frostbite, insubordination, implied cannibalism, the eating of shoes, this book has all that and more. It's really entertaining!
fionafsw's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
3.75
After Sancton's 'Madhouse' and Lansing's 'Endurance' in the Antarctic, I pivoted northward with this book to find familiar polar landscapes, albeit with distinctively Arctic characteristics.
Easily the most riveting part of 'Labyrinth Of Ice' is the terrible ordeal at Cape Sabine, the conditions of which were so dire I find them hard to even fathom, let alone understand how any human could have survived them. Chilling (no pun intended), shocking, and quite devastating to read.
I found the writing mildly sensationalist, especially the beginning and the end, and a bit too heavy on the praise of Greely. He was no doubt an extraordinary leader facing extreme challenges, but when 3/4 of the expedition die under your watch, maybe some mistakes were made. The writing was also occasionally slightly repetitive and with minor language issues that the editor should have caught. No biggie, and still very entertaining, but with a story already so sensational, it was unnecessary for the author to hype it up even more.
Easily the most riveting part of 'Labyrinth Of Ice' is the terrible ordeal at Cape Sabine, the conditions of which were so dire I find them hard to even fathom, let alone understand how any human could have survived them. Chilling (no pun intended), shocking, and quite devastating to read.
I found the writing mildly sensationalist, especially the beginning and the end, and a bit too heavy on the praise of Greely. He was no doubt an extraordinary leader facing extreme challenges, but when 3/4 of the expedition die under your watch, maybe some mistakes were made. The writing was also occasionally slightly repetitive and with minor language issues that the editor should have caught. No biggie, and still very entertaining, but with a story already so sensational, it was unnecessary for the author to hype it up even more.