Endurance

Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

By: Alfred Lansing

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

This is a new reading of the thrilling account of one of the most astonishing feats of exploration and human courage ever recorded.

In August of 1914, the British ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. In October 1915, still half a continent away from its intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice. For five months, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world.

Lansing describes how the men survived a 1,000-mile voyage in an open boat across the stormiest ocean on the globe and an overland trek through forbidding glaciers and mountains. The book recounts a harrowing adventure, but ultimately it is the nobility of these men and their indefatigable will that shines through.

©1959 Alfred Lansing (P)2007 Blackstone Audo, Inc.

Critic reviews

Nominee, 2008 Audie Award, Nonfiction, Unabridged

"[O]ne of the most extraordinary tales of heroism and determination in the history of exploration.... Prebble's narration will bring to life the despair, elation, and sheer will of these men to survive, and to triumph, together." (AudioFile)

page turner of a book!

wow! this narration literally brought chills to my spine. I felt like I was right there with the sailors on this icy, scarey voyage.

Engrossing tale of courage...

This is a story of indomitable courage as Shackleton takes his men to the Antarctic... So many setbacks and seeming disasters, the Endurance becomes engulfed in sea ice, the food stores were running out, and they're stuck on an ice floe that is breaking apart beneath their feet... The adventure of the Endurance crew seems to be one of the best documented trips ever, because many of the men kept  diaries... Alfred Lansing does a great job giving us a straight forward -but by no means dry- account of what happened to the crew, and Simon Preble gives a spot-on voice to the story and men who struggled to survive.

Not my usual "Cuppa tea" but thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing nonetheless!

I didn't think I would like it!

I did like it! Interesting and kept me on the edge and biting my nails.

Doesn't Have about a Million 5-Star Reviews for Nothing!

Judging by the cover, I have to admit, I wasn't exactly keen on reading this book – but, you know what they say. As great as the reviews are, I just didn't think I could get into a book about Antarctica. But it kept showing up on my feed, so when it went on sale, I picked it up and never put it down (so to speak). Drawing heavily on the very well-written diaries kept by expedition members (many of whom were highly educated), Alfred Lansing's telling of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s quest to be the first to cross Antarctica and the doomed HMS Endurance turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read. The way the author can draw scenes out, describing, twisting, and tightening tensions only to loose them a moment later to your despair or celebration only to, a few lines on, ratchet up the stress and anxiety even higher! Every major part of the voyage is so descriptive you feel as if you right there, soaked to the bone, freezing, and fighting for your life in gale-force winds and 100-foot seas.

I listened to the audiobook – it was excellent. Narrator Simon Preble, as usual, was outstanding and lent the perfect voice. The e-book has several pictures and paintings of the expedition, but no maps. Well, there are two maps toward the beginning of the e-book, but they are worthless and a sorry attempt by Basic Books (publisher of the e-book), Perseus Book Group (whom Basic Books is a part of), and Carroll & Graf (original publishers in 1986). So, maybe I shouldn’t say “no” maps, I should say, “no maps worth a ship.” And that’s too bad because, with so many references to distance and time, a couple of good maps would’ve helped. The audiobook has neither pictures nor maps so, a PDF attachment would be nice.

BOTTOM LINE

If you enjoy adventure, expedition, and survival subject matter – you’ll love this book! And the less you know about it, the better. Stop reading ratings and reviews, buy the book, start reading. You won’t be sorry.

Better than any thriller

An engrossing unfolding of an almost unbelievable story of human ability to cope and deal with what hard nature served up.I heard the last part of the story on a plane & my not silent weeping may have disconcerted my fellow passengers.The reading was just completely in accord with the story being narrated.Thanks.

If You ♥ Unbroken..You’ll ♥ Endurance (family too)

Where does Endurance rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Right up there with UNBROKEN!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Endurance?

I wasn’t familiar with this 1914 polar exploration story and from the start had a hard time believing this wasn’t fiction! There were so many unbelievable moments that felt more like a far-fetched Hollywood thriller then a true to life account.

From how incredibly lucky Shackleton, “the Boss” was after hiring his crew almost entirely on looks. The California girl side of me shivered just hearing about the sub-zero temperatures these guys were in. I held my breath when Shackleton’s ice floe started drifting away by himself and disappeared. Then let out my breath when he yelled “launch the boat” through the darkness for the crew to follow his voice and get him. I wanted to scream right along with Orde-Lees when that 12’ sea leopard broke through the ice and was chasing him like a game of Keep Away! A mix of fear & laughter when the guys sat on their butts and slid down the side of the fog-covered mountain holding onto each other. I wanted to cry when the puppies had to be shot:’( It seemed like there was never a moment that I wasn’t on the “edge of my seat”.

But most of all, I was so impressed with the integrity, grit, and character of this Captain & crew. They weren’t made out to be “perfect”, they were real, but achieved monumental feats by working together. NOT like today’s reality TV shows. This crew was constantly in desperate situations and then the next thing you are hearing is something like...”but despite it all, there spirits were unusually high”. Amazing!

What does Simon Prebble bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Simon Prebble was perfect!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I think the books title "ENDURANCE" is perfect! Maybe add "with courage & integrity"

Any additional comments?

If I had a chance to shake these hero’s hands back then, I would not have been able to do it with dry eyes. So inspirational!

Incredible story and so well read!

couldn't get enough of the story. listened to parts over and over. narrator was excellent.

Amazing story!

I couldn't hardly stop listening to this book! It is a great demonstration of the human spirit to survive and fight through impossible odds.

What an amazing story

I am not sure of the last time I read a story in which I was struck by the courage and fortitude required to survive in such a hostile environment. The story and the reading were so engaging it read like a novel at times. This story begs to be made into a movie. I can’t believe it hasn’t been done already.

Grit, guts, humility

Superbly narrated and written. A marvel of leadership and the triumph of the human will