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)

I couldn't put this book down

I live in northern climes, familiar with ice, snow, bizzards, subzero air temps, and brutal windchill factors. But the polar expedition described and narrated arrested my sense of all my first hand knowledge. Sides helps us understand the Gilded Age that launched the expedition, and the craving to understand what was going on at the top of the world--the North Pole. We come to know the 33 men on board the Jeannette, their mission, the families left behind and some of the few Artic natives encountered from 1787 to 1881. from me 5 stars

A Gripping Narrative

A gripping story of bravery by explorers when much of the earth was yet to be discovered. The characters are fully developed into compelling profiles of the crew, their loved ones waiting at home, and the world at large fascinated by their expedition.

Grand and Terrible Indeed

What an amazing story. The title really is accurate. Grand and terrible and amazing story.

Totally absorbing

Narrator excellent . A bit to much detail relative to provisions ECT.... It did take you to another place and time and did it well.

Wow!

This is a great book! If you are interested at all in history, adventure, the outdoors you really don’t want to miss this book! Toward the end I had trouble putting it down.
This historic record was so well written- all characters were real - all places and trials and everything the crew of the USS Jeanette went through I could see as if I experienced it myself. I restrained myself from looking up the fate of the crew and let the book tell me the story.
I was not aware of the narrator at all and that is the highest compliment I can give. It was as though I was reading it- the story went directly to my brain bypassing all other senses and judgement. Excellent job.

Frozen in Time

The white dried bones of these men come alive by these words of Hampton

Excellent

This is one of those “couldn’t put down“ books. Hampton Sides does a remarkable job telling this story......unbelievable what these men went through.

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