Labyrinth of Ice
The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition
Ratings4
Average rating4.8
15
The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition
Ratings4
Average rating4.8
Based on the author's exhaustive research, the incredible true story of the Greely Expedition, one of the most harrowing adventures in the annals of polar exploration.
In July 1881, Lt. A.W. Greely and his crew of 24 scientists and explorers were bound for the last region unmarked on global maps. Their goal: Farthest North. What would follow was one of the most extraordinary and terrible voyages ever made.
Greely and his men confronted every possible challenge—vicious wolves, sub-zero temperatures, and months of total darkness—as they set about exploring one of the most remote, unrelenting environments on the planet. In May 1882, they broke the 300-year-old record, and returned to camp to eagerly await the resupply ship scheduled to return at the end of the year. Only nothing came.
250 miles south, a wall of ice prevented any rescue from reaching them. Provisions thinned and a second winter descended. Back home, Greely's wife worked tirelessly against government resistance to rally a rescue mission.
Months passed, and Greely made a drastic choice: he and his men loaded the remaining provisions and tools onto their five small boats, and pushed off into the treacherous waters. After just two weeks, dangerous floes surrounded them. Now new dangers awaited: insanity, threats of mutiny, and cannibalism. As food dwindled and the men weakened, Greely's expedition clung desperately to life.
Labyrinth of Ice tells the true story of the heroic lives and deaths of these voyagers hell-bent on fame and fortune—at any cost—and how their journey changed the world
Reviews with the most likes.
Oh my, this book... it was one of those that you know the tragic ending, but you cannot stop reading. Buddy Levy breaks down the entire Greeley Expedition, and gives us a picture into the lives and travels of the ill-fated crew. They were beset with trial after trial, and with the many different issues they faced, they did their best to survive in the rugged terrain.
While this is nothing new, the way this book lays out the expedition, taking you step by step through the frigid winters, you felt as though you were there. I could not put this down, and I hate that it took me so long to pick it up! I look forward to reading more by this author.
“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!
