In the Kingdom of Ice
Books | History / North America
4
(72)
Hampton Sides
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A white-knuckle tale of polar exploration and heroism in the Gilded Age from the New York Times bestselling author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers. • “A splendid book in every way…a marvelous nonfiction thriller.” —The Wall Street Journal On July 8, 1879, Captain George Washington De Long and his team of thirty-two men set sail from San Francisco on the USS Jeanette. Heading deep into uncharted Arctic waters, they carried the aspirations of a young country burning to be the first nation to reach the North Pole. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the Jeannette's hull was breached by an impassable stretch of pack ice, forcing the crew to abandon ship amid torrents of rushing of water. Hours later, the ship had sunk below the surface, marooning the men a thousand miles north of Siberia, where they faced a terrifying march with minimal supplies across the endless ice pack. Enduring everything from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and labyrinths of ice, the crew battled madness and starvation as they struggled desperately to survive. With thrilling twists and turns, In The Kingdom of Ice is a spellbinding tale of heroism and determination in the most brutal place on Earth.
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More Details:
Author
Hampton Sides
Pages
480
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published Date
2014-08-05
ISBN
0385535384 9780385535380
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"The story of the USS Jeannette, which over a hundred years attempted an oceanic feat that had never been. Like all Hampton Sides book, well written and researched. Fans of history and adventure will enjoy."
Sheldon Rapoza
"A crazy journey heading north to the North Pole in the year 1879. This expedition to reach the Pole is led by George Washington DeLong, captain of the U.S.S. Jeannette. With a crew of 29 men and 40 dogs, he steams the Jeannette north to the Baltic Sea to make his way to the pole. According to the experts of the day, there was supposed to be an open ocean close to the pole which was easily accessed via the Baltic Sea. The expedition finds out sooner than they expected that most of the information they were provided by the "experts" was totally wrong. It was a miracle that anyone came back from the expedition at all. Their boat was trapped in the ice for two years and they had to walk a thousand miles over the ice to reach the closest settlement. They battled frostbite, illness, snow blindness and much much more to return to civilization with their meager discoveries. The writings was excellent but, at times, I could have done with a little less specifics when it came to the terrain, certain events and certain people. The story itself was real slow at the beginning but eventually picked up and kept a good pace til the conclusion. The events were harrowing and depressing but it was an amazing story for sure."
A F
Allison Freeman