In the Kingdom of Ice

The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette

By: Hampton Sides

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides returns with a white-knuckle tale of polar exploration and survival in the Gilded Age

In the late nineteenth century, people were obsessed by one of the last unmapped areas of the globe: The North Pole. No one knew what existed beyond the fortress of ice rimming the northern oceans.

James Gordon Bennett, the eccentric and stupendously wealthy owner of The New York Herald, had recently captured the world's attention by dispatching Stanley to Africa to find Dr. Livingstone. Now he was keen to re-create that sensation on an even more epic scale. So he funded an official U.S. naval expedition to reach the Pole, choosing as its captain a young officer named George Washington De Long, who had gained fame for a rescue operation off the coast of Greenland. De Long led a team of 32 men deep into uncharted Arctic waters, carrying the aspirations of a young country burning to become a world power. On July 8, 1879, the USS Jeannette set sail from San Francisco to cheering crowds in the grip of "Arctic Fever."

The ship sailed into uncharted seas, but soon was trapped in pack ice. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the hull was breached. Amid the rush of water and the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew abandoned the ship. Less than an hour later, the Jeannette sank to the bottom, and the men found themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies. Thus began their long march across the endless ice - a frozen hell in the most lonesome corner of the world. Facing everything from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and frosty labyrinths, the expedition battled madness and starvation as they desperately strove for survival.

With twists and turns worthy of a thriller, In the Kingdom of Ice is a spellbinding tale of heroism and determination in the most unforgiving territory on Earth.

©2014 Hampton Sides (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Compelling....Sides spins a propulsive narrative from obscure documents, journals and his own firsthand visits to the Arctic regions visited by the Jeannette and its crew. In the Kingdom of Ice makes for harrowing reading as it recounts the grim aspects of the explorers' battle for survival: illness, crippling frostbite, snow-blindness and the prospect of starvation. As grisly as the details are, you keep turning pages to find out how DeLong and his men pull themselves past each setback - even though there's always another one looming ahead." (USA Today)

"First-rate polar history and adventure narrative...wonderfully evocative.... Sides vividly recounts the horrors [of the voyage]. In the Kingdom of Ice is a harrowing story, well told." (The New York Times Book Review)

“[A] stunningly vivid account....” (Mark Bowden, New York Times best-selling author of Black Hawk Down)

Incredible and inspiring

What a remarkable and well presented story of adventure and courage. I thoroughly enjoyed this as I have read several books on Arctic and Antarctic exploration. These are incredible and inspiring men and I am equally impressed with the gracious and hospitable people of Siberia. A great read and well worth the time

Unbelievable Nonfiction

Hampton Sides’ writing is absolutely incredible. His narrative storytelling makes it hard to believe you are reading nonfiction.

Great book

One of the most fascinating books I have ever read. Not for the faint of heart or the squeamish

Astonishing

Thank you to all of you brave souls! I do not think today’s generation has what it takes! God bless us all

Such an incredible story!

Potentially a spoiler! Such an amazing story of heroism. The lengths that people can go to, to survive is absolutely amazing. I’m so glad I listened to this incredible story.

An amazing story of hardship and survival largely forgotten by American history

The story takes great pains to explain the thinking of the time-period of the expedition that made possible its impetus and ultimate failure. It is written in an impactful, and humanistic way that makes this forgotten piece of American/arctic exploration much more interesting than a simple historical retelling. The narrative is clear and befitting of the story.

BEST Non-Fiction of the Year. Just Brilliant!

Kingdom of Ice is a spellbinding novel written about the epic naval expedition to the North Pole taken by 33 men in the late 1800’s. It was believed that a rim of ice circled the top of the globe that, once broken, lead to an warmer “open polar sea.’” The North Pole would then be easy sailing. Their passion for adventure leads them to years and years of survival and endurance in the most extreme of conditions.

Hampton Sides details this adventure in a thriller that had me sneak reading throughout the day and staying up late into the night. His heartfelt portraits of these heroic figures using memoirs, crew’s journals, naval records and private correspondence created unforgettable characters that I soon cared very deeply about.


What an incredible, well told, tale.

Gripping

Any additional comments?

This is a worthy entry in the latest line of doomed Arctic exploration slash survival tales. Sides has a knack for infusing history with drama and does a good job here of putting the listener into the protagonist's shoes. The various characters are well drawn which makes their ordeal all the more riveting. Though there aren't many twists and turns, I truly had no sense throughout the audiobook how the tale would end. The narration is understated and rightly lets the events and the men's heroicism speak for themselves. I highly recommend this book.

Slow, but exciting

The book begins very slowly. It picks up later, but at times you feel like you have been stuck in the ice for months too. At the same time the characters come alive. You feel like you know the crew members and long for their success and safety. This is one of those rare books that you anticipate reaching the end, but once there wish the tale continued .

awesome!

loved it,! great, amazing true story. entertain in from start to finish. great narrator and story.