A review by readingpanda
The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andree and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration by Alec Wilkinson
3.0
This is the story of S.A. Andree and his attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon in 1897. It's the kind of tale that makes you wonder what exactly drives certain people. Knowing that many previous expeditions to the Arctic ended tragically, I don't know that a lot of people's reaction would be to want to try it with an experimental mode of transportation. One would think that fewer unknowns would be a better bet instead of more. But Andree obviously didn't think like that. Undaunted by the fact that it would require keeping the balloon aloft for longer than had ever been done before, that navigating a balloon against the wind was not an entirely proven concept, and that no one knew exactly how a balloon would perform in Arctic conditions, Andree found two other knuckleheads willing to hop into the basket with him and took off. The last thing he was heard to say was "What was that?" as the lines he was planning to use for control tore off from the balloon and were left behind.
As with many other explorers of the farthest reaches of the globe, Andree disappeared from view and truly disappeared until remains of his expedition were found 30 years later. Even then, it's a mystery exactly how the three men died. Their diaries don't provide clues, and their bodies aren't much help either. That aspect of the story is a little unsatisfying, although hardly unusual with polar exploration. Probably as a result of the relatively scarce data on what happened on the actual expedition, the book is padded out with tales of other Arctic endeavors by ship and sledge. I could have done without those parts, but I guess it provides some insight into what still remained to be explored, and what was at stake. Andree is a pretty well-developed presence, but his two companions remain mostly mysteries because they were younger and not as well-known before setting off (and hadn't caused as much controversy as Andree). With all stories like this, a reader has to resign him or herself to just not knowing everything or getting all the answers.
As with many other explorers of the farthest reaches of the globe, Andree disappeared from view and truly disappeared until remains of his expedition were found 30 years later. Even then, it's a mystery exactly how the three men died. Their diaries don't provide clues, and their bodies aren't much help either. That aspect of the story is a little unsatisfying, although hardly unusual with polar exploration. Probably as a result of the relatively scarce data on what happened on the actual expedition, the book is padded out with tales of other Arctic endeavors by ship and sledge. I could have done without those parts, but I guess it provides some insight into what still remained to be explored, and what was at stake. Andree is a pretty well-developed presence, but his two companions remain mostly mysteries because they were younger and not as well-known before setting off (and hadn't caused as much controversy as Andree). With all stories like this, a reader has to resign him or herself to just not knowing everything or getting all the answers.