dfarrell627's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
midsummerbri's review against another edition
4.0
Another solid book to add to the polar expedition collection. I do love this genre so I was hoping to get approved for the advance copy and I was not disappointed. The author does a good job of filling in the spaces between the journal entries so that the facts flow nicely along and you can keep up with the multiple story lines. I didn't always like the author's additions, sometimes I felt it waxed a little too poetic, but I think this is just a personal preference regarding style and not any grand failing on the part of the book. I mean, the story is remarkable. Another account of the triumph of the human spirit. You meet some really great people with indominable courage, skill, and hope, and others who are less fortunate. Then there is Stefansson - this man managed to slip out of more than one failed expedition and has blood on his hands because of his desire for fame (read Ada Blackjack if you want another story about this guy's doomed adventures). This was probably the most frustrating part of the story - the fact that people suffered greatly, despite their will to live, because of one person's carelessness and hubris. I think my only other complaint is that you don't get to know all of the crew very well - that may be due to the fact that the officers and scientists wrote mainly about themselves or the other officers in their journals, or it may have been the author's choice - regardless, sometimes people got mentioned a ways into the book and I was like...wait who? Aside from that, I definitely would recommend this for someone looking for adventure, stories of human endurance, extreme survival, or polar/arctic expeditions. The narrator (Will Damron) did a good job and the pacing was nice. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
*Possible spoiler but includes a Content Warning - if you read these extreme exploration books, you know that the animals do not usually fare very well, so just be aware...though this is not as bad as some. Nigeraurak and Molly survive though!
*Possible spoiler but includes a Content Warning - if you read these extreme exploration books, you know that the animals do not usually fare very well, so just be aware...though this is not as bad as some. Nigeraurak and Molly survive though!
midsummerbri's review
4.0
Another solid book to add to the polar expedition collection. I do love this genre so I was hoping to get approved for the advance copy and I was not disappointed. The author does a good job of filling in the spaces between the journal entries so that the facts flow nicely along and you can keep up with the multiple story lines. I didn't always like the author's additions, sometimes I felt it waxed a little too poetic, but I think this is just a personal preference regarding style and not any grand failing on the part of the book. I mean, the story is remarkable. Another account of the triumph of the human spirit. You meet some really great people with indominable courage, skill, and hope, and others who are less fortunate. Then there is Stefansson - this man managed to slip out of more than one failed expedition and has blood on his hands because of his desire for fame (read Ada Blackjack if you want another story about this guy's doomed adventures). This was probably the most frustrating part of the story - the fact that people suffered greatly, despite their will to live, because of one person's carelessness and hubris. I think my only other complaint is that you don't get to know all of the crew very well - that may be due to the fact that the officers and scientists wrote mainly about themselves or the other officers in their journals, or it may have been the author's choice - regardless, sometimes people got mentioned a ways into the book and I was like...wait who? Aside from that, I definitely would recommend this for someone looking for adventure, stories of human endurance, extreme survival, or polar/arctic expeditions. The narrator (Will Damron) did a good job and the pacing was nice. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. *Possible spoiler but includes a Content Warning - if you read these extreme exploration books, you know that the animals do not usually fare very well, so just be aware...though this is not as bad as some. Nigeraurak and Molly survive though!
machenn's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
cook_memorial_public_library's review
5.0
Read about Natalie's Pick of the Week on our blog, Shelf Life: https://shelflife.cooklib.org/2023/01/17/natalies-pick-of-the-week-empire-of-ice-and-stone-the-disastrous-and-heroic-voyage-of-the-karluk/
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1823128__Sempire%20of%20ice%20and%20stone__Orightresult__U__X7?lang=eng&suite=gold
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1823128__Sempire%20of%20ice%20and%20stone__Orightresult__U__X7?lang=eng&suite=gold
blackhyenatango's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
3.0