Icebound

Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World

By: Andrea Pitzer

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

In the best-selling tradition of Hampton Sides’ In the Kingdom of Ice, a “gripping adventure tale” (The Boston Globe) recounting Dutch polar explorer William Barents’ three harrowing Arctic expeditions - the last of which resulted in a relentlessly challenging year-long fight for survival.

©2021 Andrea Pitzer. All rights reserved (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Fred Sanders's grave voice and understated performance work well for this grim and brutal history of Arctic exploration. In the sixteenth century, Dutch explorer William Barents set out three times from Amsterdam to search for a northeastern passage through the Arctic to China. Everyone made it home the first time. The second time, Barents lost crew members to polar bear attacks, drowning, and a mutiny. The third expedition was a disaster, with the ship lost and the crew forced to overwinter in the Arctic. Sanders's narration is quiet and grim, a style that makes the grisly polar bear attacks easier to handle." (AudioFile Magazine)

Extraordinary survival story

While the author had to draw largely on the day to day log entries, the story came alive with animated prose and a real feel for the struggles of the crew.

amazing adventure

an amazing adventure that I had not heard of before. Incredible man over nature Survival Story

Great story. Bad reader. Kept my attention

The narrator was annoying bad. I loved the story. Not well written , but kept my attention with the incredible story and detailed explanation

Meh.

I can't really recommend or scathe this book. On the good side it is about artic exploration and survival, on the other there's distinct stereotypes and prejudtices that mark the era the author hails from.

Namely, the author matter of factly explains the brutal things the Dutch really did do like keel hauling and mutiny, while roundly damning them for killing polar bears for their pelts. Specifically he said "it was a surprise there was anything left," which is a laughably naïve statement to anyone who hasn't spent their whole life in a big city. The author also repeatedly brings up vague "slaughter of natives" by European explorers, the vagueries being a product from how that part of history is largely imaginary.

But, he does have attention to detail for the actual saga he tells and doesn't make any accusations at the men he writes about. He explains how the voyage was an investment, and how the explorers had orders to trade and some sailors were punished for pilfering.

A good way to “chill out”

A very, very long and basically painful listen. I felt the need to persevere as much as the men involved. But I did so in recognize and honor those who did not come back.

Geographically illuminating!

I’d tip my hat, if I had one on,to these beyond brave early sailors. Their travails are colorfully described in this work. Well done author and narrator.

Not A Chance

Someone as dumb and such a back seat driver as Kate gonna make it even one day in any Apocalypse. Kids are far behind. If Kate was a real person, she'd wholey believe that men can get pregnant.

All over the place.

Well I enjoyed the overall story the book itself and the writing is all over the place. I found it somewhat hard to follow with the story supposed to take place in the 1500s but constantly bouncing from century to century and decade decade referencing randomly seeming other people in explores.

Fascinating story told as if you were there

This visceral tale of hardship and death that took place 500 years ago feels if if you're following along today. The research, writing, and narration are all great and it was suspenseful even as a historical piece with a fixed outcome.

Made me appreciate the simple things

While listening I imagined being there and what the brave sailors went through on a good day let alone the desperate situation they were in. Amazing any of them survived to tell the story and build a legend.