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Title details for Labyrinth of Ice by Buddy Levy - Available

Labyrinth of Ice

The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition

by Buddy Levy
Will Damron
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

"Listen to this if you want to hear a narrator at the top of his game recount a fascinating—and at times disturbing—true story of adventure, disaster, discovery, cannibalism, and more. Will Damron makes Levy's fascinating account of the Greely (Polar) Expedition come to life...This is a harrowing adventure story and a great listen." — AudioFile Magazine
Based on the author's exhaustive research, the incredible true story of the Greely Expedition, one of the most harrowing adventures in the annals of polar exploration.
In July 1881, Lt. A.W. Greely and his crew of 24 scientists and explorers were bound for the last region unmarked on global maps. Their goal: Farthest North. What would follow was one of the most extraordinary and terrible voyages ever made.
Greely and his men confronted every possible challenge—vicious wolves, sub-zero temperatures, and months of total darkness—as they set about exploring one of the most remote, unrelenting environments on the planet. In May 1882, they broke the 300-year-old record, and returned to camp to eagerly await the resupply ship scheduled to return at the end of the year. Only nothing came.
250 miles south, a wall of ice prevented any rescue from reaching them. Provisions thinned and a second winter descended. Back home, Greely's wife worked tirelessly against government resistance to rally a rescue mission.
Months passed, and Greely made a drastic choice: he and his men loaded the remaining provisions and tools onto their five small boats, and pushed off into the treacherous waters. After just two weeks, dangerous floes surrounded them. Now new dangers awaited: insanity, threats of mutiny, and cannibalism. As food dwindled and the men weakened, Greely's expedition clung desperately to life.
Labyrinth of Ice tells the true story of the heroic lives and deaths of these voyagers hell-bent on fame and fortune—at any cost—and how their journey changed the world.
Praise for Labyrinth of Ice:
"Polar exploration is utter madness. It is the insistence of life where life shouldn't exist. And so, Labyrinth of Ice shows you exactly what happens when the unstoppable meets the unmovable. Buddy Levy outdoes himself here. The details and story are magnificent." - Brad Meltzer, New York Time bestselling author of The First Conspiracy
"An engaging, superbly written, and meticulously researched chronicle of the Greely expedition that proves it is one of the most engaging adventure narratives ever. With cinematic prose, great economy of language, and vivid descriptions, Levy places readers in the middle of the action ... More than a nonfiction book about an expedition, Labyrinth of Ice reads like an outstanding script for an action movie." — NPR

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 3, 2019

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781250242792
      • File size: 381105 KB
      • Duration: 13:13:58

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Listen to this if you want to hear a narrator at the top of his game recount a fascinating--and at times disturbing--true story of adventure, disaster, discovery, cannibalism, and more. Will Damron makes Levy's fascinating account of the Greely (Polar) Expedition come to life. The expedition was a late-nineteenth-century attempt to reach the North Pole. Over the course of two years, the crew conducted scientific research, went on rescue missions, and fought to stay alive. Damron captures the essence of life on a ship buffeted by icebergs, the brutal cold of the arctic, the awe of discovery, and the price some will pay for fame. This is a harrowing adventure story and a great listen. J.P.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 14, 2019
      Levy (River of Darkness) recounts the story of the 1881–1884 Lady Franklin Bay Expedition in this evocative, deeply researched account. Led by Lt. Adolphus W. Greeley, the U.S. Army Signal Corps expedition sought to establish a research station in the Canadian Arctic; collect “magnetic, astronomical, and meteorological data”; search for the lost crew of the USS Jeannette; and reach “farthest north,” the highest northern latitude achieved by explorers. Greeley and his men built Fort Conger on the northeast coast of Ellesmere Island and survived wolf attacks, temperatures approaching minus-100°F, and “months of total darkness.” Relief ships, hindered by bad weather and ice floes, failed to reach the fort, however, and in August 1883 the group set out on a 200-mile journey south from Fort Conger to Cape Sabine, where Greeley was under orders to take his men if two consecutive resupply efforts failed. But only a small cache of emergency rations had been left by the relief ships, and 18 members of the 25-man crew died before rescuers arrived in June 1884. Levy meticulously documents the expedition’s scientific achievements and praises Greeley’s leadership skills. He also gives credit to Greeley’s wife, Henrietta, for lobbying President Chester A. Arthur and other U.S. government officials to keep up rescue efforts. The result is an intense historical adventure with modern-day relevance for the climate change debate. Agent: Scott Waxman, Waxman Literary.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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