Alone on the Ice

The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration

By: David Roberts

Narrated by: Matthew Brenher

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

His two companions were dead, his food and supplies had vanished in a crevasse, and Douglas Mawson was still 100 miles from camp.

On January 17, 1913, alone and near starvation, Mawson, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, was hauling a sledge to get back to base camp. The dogs were gone. Now Mawson himself plunged through a snow bridge, dangling over an abyss by the sledge harness. A line of poetry gave him the will to haul himself back to the surface.

Mawson was sometimes reduced to crawling, and one night he discovered that the soles of his feet had completely detached from the flesh beneath. On February 8, when he staggered back to base, his features unrecognizably skeletal, the first teammate to reach him blurted out, “Which one are you?”

This thrilling and almost unbelievable account establishes Mawson in his rightful place as one of the greatest polar explorers and expedition leaders.

©2013 David Roberts (P)2013 Blackstone

Critic reviews

"Painting a realistic portrait of Aussie explorer Douglas Mawson and his arduous trek through some of the most treacherous icy Antarctic terrain, Roberts gives the reader a very close look at the huge risks and preparations of the nearly impossible feat…Harrowing, exciting and brutally real, Roberts provides a chilling backstory to polar explorer Mawson’s bold solitary survival tale." (Publishers Weekly)

"Mountaineer and prolific author Roberts returns with a vivid history of Australian explorer Douglas Mawson and his 1912 exploration of Antarctica…. Roberts creates a full portrait of Mawson and does justice to what famed mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary would later call 'the greatest survival story in the history of exploration.'" (Kirkus Reviews)

"Douglas Mawson is not as well-known as Amundsen, Scott, or Shackleton, but as this intense and thrilling epic shows, he deserves a place on the pedestal next to these other great explorers of the Antarctic…. This fast-moving account earns for Mawson and his team a well-deserved place of honor in the so-called heroic age of Antarctic exploration." (Booklist)

Alone on the ice

If you are into historical adventure this is a must read. I had no knowledge of this story of hardship and heroism that these men experienced for their country and the world.

An excellent tale of a little known expedition!

The content is fascinating, and left me wanting the tale to continue! My only suggestion is that the narrator should have understood that latitude and longitude are expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds. Not degrees and feet… Those of you in the know such as I, may find minor irritation in the narrators consistent abuse of this universally accepted convention.

Inspiring and exciting!

This book is a must read for anyone with a desire to learn about the early exploration of the Arctic. A simply amazing story of survival.

Enjoyed the riveting tale of Arctic explorations

I did enjoy this book, however I did feel like I could have used a visual aid to remember all the exploration teams and where they were traveling because they are many names/people to keep straight. But the more I learned about each explorer the more I remembered who they were in the story/timeline. The parts about the dogs and arctic wildlife was hard to listen too, but I understand the realities of the situation and the place in time. Overall I would recommend.

The most amazing survival story you’ve probably never heard of

I really enjoyed this book. I don’t know how, but it kept my interest the whole time. Mawson’s many accomplishments are truly astounding. We have heard of so many of the great polar explorers and yet somehow Mawson is generally unknown. His tale of survival alone is worth the read. But I was impressed also with the breadth of his scientific work with the several teams he organized. Btw - I looked at a map of Antarctica and I also found a map online of the arc of Mawson’s journey - which both helped. You don’t need them, but it would have been helpful to have had a pdf included of Mawson’s and the other teams’ journeys. If you haven’t heard of Mawson before and are hesitating on this book - go for it! You’ll be happy you did. I highly recommend.

Historic Death-defying Antarctic Expedition

Australian Douglas Mawson set out on a journey in 1912 to explore the Antarctic, with a goal of scientific observations and specimen gathering. It was a year long undertaking with three other members of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz. Both of these men died during the expedition, one falling into a crevasse, and the other succumbed to spoiled meat. Mawson continues on alone and encounters extreme situations as he tries to find his way back to camp.

The story is comprised from journals kept by Mawson and the two other men from that perilous journey. It is definitely a raw, chilling account of the hardships they went through. Their supplies were insufficient, their clothing not warm enough, and the food scarce. As they trekked through the ice and blistering winds, most of their dogs were lost as they became too weak or sick to continue. The animals definitely did not fare well from the very beginning-and met with unpleasant ends- as a warning to tender-hearted readers.

Overal it is a good book for those who enjoy this kind of historical adventure.

So why did I only give it three stars? I didn't care for the narration, as it was too much the same type of monotone throughout. Also, the book was confusing at times, as it jumped from one event to another without enough of a break in narration or explanation about what was going on. I had to rewind several times just to clarify the content.

I could see myself enjoying this story much better in book form.

Title is misleading …

We have all heard about Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen and their heroic journeys and sacrifices during the golden age of Antarctic exploration. But who has really heard of Douglas Mawson? I certainly did not know of this man’s escapades during the early part of the 20th century until I heard this book recently. It is a painstakingly researched, well written story of Mawson’s adventures trying to explore the unexplored regions of Antartica. The Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AED) was a remarkable scientific foray into the hellishly cold and windy regions of the south pole. Many remarkable characters make up the expeditionary party and crew of the steamer Aurora as they journey towards packed ice fields, stormy seas and the hurricane gusts of Commonwealth Bay. Many early chapters of the book is devoted to Mawson’s earlier life as an explorer and his ambitions to create the AED. Individual party members are also studied in detail and described. I particularly enjoyed the stories of Frank Hurley, the expedition photographer. The actual harrowing story of how Mawson survives the perilous journey on the ice alone for 30 days after his two compatriots die is remarkable but only plays a smaller part of this book. That is the reason I think the book was mistitled. Nevertheless, the story is an amazing piece of history that needed to be told for future generations.

Great book

Little slow at the end, but great overall. Making story. Not sure it’s the greatest survivor story but definitely top on the list.

Compelling story-more powerful than fiction!

I have read the biography of Douglas myosin as well as of Shackleton and the story of the endurance and I have had the privilege of visiting the replica of Martin’s hut in Hobart Tasmania. Sir Douglas Morrison should be lionized and studied by every would be geologist, adventure, explorer, and leader. This was extraordinarily well done and to have That great adventure described in Martin’s own words as well as those of his compatriots was compelling. Thank you thank you

History comes to life in the Arctic

Knowing little or arctic history other than the name Ernest Shackleton, this book brought perspective and life to the Arctic as a whole through the story of Morison. Loved the performance and accent, as well as the author.