Rick Klau reviewed In the kingdom of ice by Hampton Sides
Review of 'In the kingdom of ice' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Great, great read. The book is extremely well-paced, giving you a good understanding of the motivations of the main characters before the action really gets underway. It never feels unnecessary (my very minor complaint about The Boys in the Boat was that much of the first third of the book felt like it could have been trimmed considerably without losing any substance), and in fact gets you more invested in the eventual outcome.
In the end I think it's debatable how worthwhile the actual expedition was or whether it ever should have been undertaken. But there's no questioning the determination of the crew of the ship, or the incredible perseverance they showed. Sides does a great job giving you a feel for life in post-civil-war America in the 1870s, life among the high society in New York City, and the vast expanse of Siberia. I loved the appearance of minor …
Great, great read. The book is extremely well-paced, giving you a good understanding of the motivations of the main characters before the action really gets underway. It never feels unnecessary (my very minor complaint about The Boys in the Boat was that much of the first third of the book felt like it could have been trimmed considerably without losing any substance), and in fact gets you more invested in the eventual outcome.
In the end I think it's debatable how worthwhile the actual expedition was or whether it ever should have been undertaken. But there's no questioning the determination of the crew of the ship, or the incredible perseverance they showed. Sides does a great job giving you a feel for life in post-civil-war America in the 1870s, life among the high society in New York City, and the vast expanse of Siberia. I loved the appearance of minor characters (in the context of the story) who were major stories in American history: John Muir plays a small part in the book, as do Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell.
Really glad I read this. But after reading Unbroken last month and now this, I might be done with stranded-at-sea books for a while. :)