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

After I got past the first, maybe, third of the book that sets up the voyage and the expedition actually embarks, I had a problem putting it down. While the very beginning of the book sets up the people, the circumstances, and the history behind the voyage, it got a little dry and boring. The expedition, however, is another story entirely. From their high spirits the very first day to the conclusion I wasn't expecting, I absolutely loved the remaining 2/3rds of the book. Highly, highly recommend, even if you feel the need to skip the first third. I won't judge.

3 1/2 stars

I liked this. I'm a sucker for any survival story and/or arctic story. A little bit too much background story leading up to the actual arctic exploration so that brings down my rating a bit. Good story and research all in all. If you like this kind of thing, you'll like this kind of thing.

Great historical adventure read, with a kind-of depressing ending. It is amazing what humans can endure.