In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette Audiobook

Quotes

• “Hampton Sides is one of America’s most expansive and engaging storytellers, and he proves it again with the incredible saga of the USS Jeannette."

  — Scott Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of Lawrence in Arabia

• “[A] stunningly vivid account.”

  — Mark Bowden, New York Times Bestselling author of Black Hawk Down

• “A dazzling page-turner.”

  — Nathaniel Philbrick, New York Times bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea

• “[Sides] brings vividness to In the Kingdom of Ice, and in the tragedy of the Jeannette he’s found a story that epitomizes both the heroism and the ghastly expense of life that characterized the entire Arctic enterprise…With an eye for the telling detail, he sketches the crew members as individuals…In the Kingdom of Ice reads like a first-class epic thriller. De Long and his companions became explorers of not only unknown geographical territory but also extremes of suffering and despair. In his stoic endurance of disappointment and pain, De Long rivals Louis Zamperini, the hero of Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken.”

  — Time

• “In that worthy genre, exploration literature: Haven’t all great stories been told? Never underestimate the ingenuity of a first-rate author. Hampton Sides’ In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette, which recounts the astonishing tribulations of a group of seafarers determined to be the first men to reach and reconnoiter the North Pole, is a splendid book in every way…It would be malicious to ruin the suspense about the fate of the Jeannette’s crew…The book is a marvelous nonfiction thriller.”

  — Wall Street Journal

• “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

• “Author Hampton Sides does a masterful job of setting up the voyage against the backdrop of the Gilded Age, developing fascinating characters along the way, and delivering a true triumph of narrative nonfiction. Drawing on journal entries, letters, and eventually his own visit to the region, Sides paints a vivid, moving, and breathless portrait of the crew of the Jeannette. How could a book about this much snow and ice be this good?”

  — Amazon.com, editorial review

• “Unforgettable…a pulse-racing epic of endurance set against an exceedingly bizarre Arctic backdrop…[Sides’] descriptions of the physical challenges the men face and the eerie landscape that surrounds them are masterful. As De Long and his crew attempt to save themselves, the story grows in suspense and psychological complexity…Sides’ book is a masterful work of history and storytelling.”

  — Los Angeles Times

• “There is enough humor, wonder, scandal and romance in these pages to make for good reading even if the ship never sets sail. It is well to be buoyed up by the first act because the Jeannette’s voyage is a disastrous one…The book’s final act is a stunning story of courage, loyalty and determination, at times horrifying, but not without moments of wonder… Exhaustively researched and brilliantly written, In the Kingdom of the Ice is the work of a top-notch historian and storyteller. Readers braced for its hardships are in for a great read.”

  — Minneapolis Star Tribune

• “Hampton Sides’ phenomenally gripping new book…[about] one of the most perilous journeys ever. Sides works storytelling magic as he evokes the pathos and suffering of what unfolded: De Long and his crew endured hardships that boggle the mind. But there is also beauty here…[Sides] writes superbly on the geography of Siberia and the Arctic and the abundant bird and animal life the explorers encountered on their travels, which took them across ice, storm-tossed seas, treacherous tundra, rocky seacoasts, and volcanic islands.”

  — Boston Globe

• “In a masterful retelling, Sides chronicles American naval officer George Washington De Long’s harrowing 1879 expedition to the North Pole, an account as frightening as it is fascinating…Impeccable writing, a vivid re-creation of the expedition and the Victorian era, and a taut conclusion make this an exciting gem.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• “Narrator Arthur Morey’s impeccable tone and pacing portray the confidence and hopes of discovery prior to departure, the romance of De Long and his wife, the gravitas of the expedition’s situation when the ship sinks after two years of being stuck in the ice, the race to beat winter across 1,000 miles to Siberia, and the harsh beauty of the unforgiving landscape. Hampton Sides goes down multiple tangents with colorful characters, and Morey maintains our rapt attention. This may be a long listen, but it’s so thrilling and tragic that it just whizzes by.”

  — AudioFile

• “Sides tapped amazing archival material, including diaries, letters, and the ship logs, to render a completely thrilling saga of survival in unbelievably harsh conditions.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

• “Another crackling tale of adventure from journalist/explorer Sides, this one focusing on a frigid disaster nearly 150 years ago…A grand and grim narrative of thrilling exploration.”

  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

• “Gripping and well written…Suspenseful and well grounded with biographical and historical context, Sides’s work skillfully captures the passionate essence of determined explorer De Long, his indomitable compatriots, and the public’s fascination with his quest.”

  — Library Journal