Icy Cape

By: John V. Griffin

Narrated by: Nathan Agin

Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

40th anniversary re-issue

Welcome to Icy Cape, Alaska - the coldest part of the Cold War.

Follow Quinn and his team through their adventures of working at this remote radar station in the early 1960s. Faulty equipment, local wildlife, and the weather are just some of the obstacles these men must overcome to survive.

"This is the story of the emotions created by darkness, cold, isolation - fear and friendship. The DEW (Distant Early Warning) Line was one of the last frontiers of the American myth. It offered adventure, money, and an escape from reality and responsibility. It attracted descendants of the whaling men of two centuries ago, and the cowboys of the last century. These disparate personalities lived and worked side-by-side with Eskimos.

"The story is a fascinating juxtaposition of values and cultures - Chateaubriand and muktuk. The characters are definitely the men you might expect to be attracted to such remote outposts, they were the same men who would later migrate to jobs in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. But, at least as interesting was the world around them - the Arctic." (Charles Straven, 1980)

If you like historical fiction, you're going to really enjoy Icy Cape! John V. Griffin was one of the actual radar technicians at Icy Cape, and this book depicts a slice of life few have ever seen or known.

What will happen to Quinn in this isolated world? Click "Buy Now" to find out now!

©1980 John V. Griffin (P)2020 John V. Griffin

Excellent fictional slice of American history

This is a great book. It covered a piece of history I didn't know existed. Who knew we had early warning detection systems for Russian nuclear bombs.set up all over Alaska? This book brings to life the adventure and untamed cold of Alaska as well as covering the DEW system that most of us know nothing about - and what it meant to the area.
Reading this book sparked me to do a bunch of research into these DEW stations and how many of them are still out there, just abandoned on the frozen tundra. Just the images alone of the stations and pods and living quarters are quite amazing to look up.
The narrator was excellent. I understand he is narrating his grandfather's book, bringing it back to life after it's been out of print. The pride he has in this book shines through in his reading. Five stars all around.

Not what I expected

The story of full of interesting fact on life in sub zero temps in Alaska

Narration was pretty good

I received a free copy of this audible. this is my honest review.

An interesting day which doesn't end, until June

This was an interesting journey through some of the most isolated territories in our big wide world, Alaska!
This narrative is from several accounts and snippets of events which happened over a period of years at three of the most tedious job locations in existence. You would think that not a lot happens over the period of a day, when there is no end of it in sight, until June. And you'd be right, but things aren't always so predictable, and things can really happen, very quickly. This is a part of the deal when you are a member of the operating team of border control and radio frequency scanners/broadcasters, and the only real reason why most people would live up there is for the money and to escape their old life and problems. There are exceptions though, as one character decides to stay for the love of a local Eskimo girl and their new baby.
When people bring their problems into such a small environment, which are a few container-type cabins and work spaces, with temperatures as low as -50 degrees (below zero), where boredom runs amuck, things can quickly escalate into life-threatening situations. And they do.
The narrator (I listened to the audiobook) did a pretty good job and created multiple characters which were easy to follow. Although much of the story is told as conversations, I think a little more descriptive writing could have worked better. Some of the incident which happened where not particularly clear.
It was fascinating to learn about a very different environment than what I am used to. Alaska would be on one of my places I might like to visit, but not for too long. It's wild, most often dark, and the landscape can change considerably. That is, when you can actually see it.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.